In a bright and sunny kingdom, lived a kind Queen. She had a beautiful garden and a grand castle, but her biggest wish was for a little child to love. One day, while walking in her garden, a sparkly angel appeared! "Dear Queen," said the angel, "your wish will come true. You will have a son, and whatever he wishes for will happen!"

Soon, a baby boy was born, and the Queen was overjoyed. But there was a cook in the castle who wasn't happy at all. This cook was grumpy and a bit mean, and she didn't like that the little Prince got so much attention.

One day, the grumpy cook tricked the King. She told him lies about the Queen. The King, not knowing the truth, sadly locked the Queen and the little Prince in a tall tower. The Queen was very sad, but the little Prince knew just what to do. "I wish for a yummy roasted chicken!" he whispered. Poof! A delicious chicken appeared. "I wish for some sweet pudding!" Poof! Pudding for dessert!

The cook saw all this yummy food appearing and got an even nastier idea. She secretly got a chicken, took some of its red juice (don't worry, it was just chicken juice!), and smeared it on the Queen's apron. Then she ran to the King. "Oh King!" she cried, "The Queen... she... she ate the little Prince!"

The King was so shocked and angry! He believed the cook's terrible story. He ordered his guards to take the Queen away. The Queen cried, knowing she was innocent. Just as the guards came, the little Prince made his most important wish. "I wish to become a beautiful pink flower, a carnation, so no one can find me!"

And just like that, he vanished! In his place, on the tower windowsill, grew a lovely pink carnation.

Later, the King was walking sadly in the garden. He missed his son very much. He saw the beautiful pink flower in the tower window. It was so pretty he asked a gardener to bring it to him. He put it in a vase in his room.

That night, as the King slept, the pink carnation glowed. Then, out of the flower stepped the little Prince! "Father," he said, "it's me! The cook lied. Mother never hurt me. I wished to become a flower to be safe."

The King woke up and couldn't believe his eyes! His son was alive! He hugged his son tightly. He immediately freed the Queen and told her how sorry he was. As for the grumpy cook? Well, when she saw the Prince was alive, she knew her game was up. The King sent her far, far away from the castle, where she couldn't cause any more trouble.

And so, the King, the Queen, and the little Prince lived happily ever after, always remembering the magic of the little pink carnation. And the Prince? He still had his wishing power, but he mostly wished for extra playtime and yummy cookies.

2031 Views