Once upon a time, there was a handsome prince and a beautiful princess that came from separate kingdoms, but it was destined that they would meet. And so, it came to pass that they came together and fell in love and they laughed together and were soon married and produced their first child. However, they fell under the spell of the wicked witch who put a curse on them and made them drink a poison that would make them reckless, wild and unhappy and they had all their riches taken away and they were poor. Only when the poison wore off did they return to how they were, and so during these times they bore two more children and had some happy times, but they were cursed to drink the poison again and again that would make them reckless, wild and unhappy. One day the prince was taken away, he was put in a dark and cold dungeon with rats and nasty creatures that would bite him. He was alone and cold and was trapped in his nightmare and he longed to be with his family and break free from the evil curse and save his princess. Meanwhile the princess struggled with the curse and the children would sweep the ashes and do their chores and they all longed to break free from the evil spell. After a few years, the handsome prince asked his fairy godmother for help, for the Serenity to Accept the things he could not change, the Courage to change the things he could, and the Wisdom to know the difference and so it came to pass that the Fairy Godmother waved her magic wand and gave him the strength to overcome the curse of the wicked witch and so he galloped on his horse as fast as he could with sword in hand to save his beloved princess and the children. They were so happy to be together again, and although they were not in their Kingdom and did not have their riches, they would laugh and sing and were happy and the princess tried to hide from the poison and during this time another son was born. But the curse was strong and the princess still had to drink the poison which made her reckless wild and unhappy and the prince tried to help her. The children knew they had the Prince back and he would look after them and protect them from the snakes and dragons while the princess was under the spell and they no longer had to do their chores, and although they were still poor the Prince would make them laugh and tell them stories and teach them great things. He would sit with his children and make puppets out of handkerchiefs, and tanks out of cotton spools, bows and arrows, toy pipes out of thistles and jolly flying kites out of bags. He would paint with them and encourage them in art and writing and would help them with their studies for hours on end and explained to them that only boring people got bored. When he sat with his daughter as she did her embroidery, and they looked at the underside which was messy and knotted, he explained that this was how life was, like a tapestry confusing, chaotic and didn’t seem to make sense, but when you turned it over, it was beautiful, planned and formed a lovely picture…and she knew what he was saying. He taught them to love all living creatures and to consider those that had nothing and when times were hard, he taught them a prayer that would help them when they said, ‘Help me believe in what I could be and all that I am, show me the stairway I have to climb. Lord for my sake, teach me to take - one day at a time.’ He taught them that if they were prepared to gamble, they should also be prepared to lose, also as they dug the garden, when the task in hand seemed so huge, that whenever they were overwhelmed with a huge task, that they should just look at the bit they were doing and carry on with their head down and before you knew it, the job was done. He was their teacher and would give them hundreds of pieces of information and tell them that,‘ not a lot of people know that.’ but would also make them laugh until their bellies hurt. Then one day, a miracle happened, the princess spoke to the Fairy Godmother and asked for the Serenity to Accept the things she could not change, the Courage to change the things she could, and the Wisdom to know the difference, and so it came to pass that, the Fairy Godmother waved her magic wand and she too was free from the curse of the wicked witch and they were so happy. The Fairy Godmother then made it possible for them to go to a beautiful land far far away, safe from the wicked witch. And so, they went to the beautiful land, where there were beautiful golden sandy beaches, trees, waterfalls and hills, where the birds sang and they were happy even though they had not yet found their Kingdom or their riches but they would walk together through pastures and laugh together. The princess who was now free from the evil spell, would tie ribbons and bows and make things pretty and give gifts and make cakes and the prince would still make them laugh and teach them great things. Now, although this land was beautiful, they had still not found their Kingdom or their riches and in some places, snakes would hide in the grass, and on occasions, there would still be dragons. But the prince taught his children who were now growing into adults how to spot and avoid the snakes, and how to face and slay the dragons knowing they could not outrun them, and so they learnt their lessons and lived happily together for another ten years. One day, the Fairy Godmother came to the Prince and told him that it was time to find their Kingdom, which was more beautiful than the place they’d found in the land far, far away, with mountains and waterfalls and flowers and birds singing, but the Kingdom was safe from snakes and dragons and a place that the wicked witch would never find them again. Also that they would have their gold and riches and would never have to worry again. And so, the day came when the Prince had to leave to find their Kingdom, and although they were sad and didn’t want him to go, they knew he would go to the place where there were no dragons or snakes, and where he would find his riches, where he was safe from the wicked witch and where one day, they could live happily ever after. …But they missed him so much, they were scared of the snakes and dragons, but the Fairy Godmother said, ‘Remember what he taught you.’