Alice and Her Beloved Flute

Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful Queen, and her kind hearted, but awfully clumsy daughter, Alice. Alice was a beautiful young lady with skin as smooth as silk and beautiful raven hair. Alice spent her evenings playing her beloved flute while watching the stars. Everything was perfect until one crisp February night.

Alice perched at her tower window, cradling her flute in her mouth, playing the most beautiful hymn ever heard. The stars gathered around her in the sky, listening and dancing to the beautiful sound of Alice’s flute. This occurrence was much like other nights. Alice playing her flute, the stars flooding the night sky overhearing and coming over to listen and dance.

Alice placed her flute on the windowsill. “Stars..”, she said, “-oh how you twinkle in the dark night sky. My enchanting flute plays such a beautiful sound, and you-stars gather around me in the night sky and dance. Dance until-” Alice takes in a large breath of air. “Oh my! My beloved flute!”. Alice looks down sheepishly at her fallen flute in the brush besides her tower. “I’m so clumsy! I must have bumped my flute with my elbow.. Oh dear,” Alice says in a sad and worried tone. It was far too late and dark to fetch it now, Alice’s flute would have to wait to be retrieved until morning.

The sun had awoken Alice the following morning. Alice sat up and started to unbraid her perfect hair. Alice started humming a delightful hymn, which she had played the following night on her flute. Alice opened her eyes wide. “Oh my! My beloved flute! I must hurry down the steps to retrieve it!” Alice slid out of bed and put her light pink slippers on. Alice started to the door when something delightful caught her eye. Alice stopped dead in her tracks. “Goodness me! It’s my beloved flute, sitting on my windowsill!”, Alice said, walking cautiously over to her window. She looked out her window, the view was splendid. “My delightful tower is the highest in the kingdom, far too high for anyone to bring my fallen flute all the way up to her windowsill.”, Alice pondered.

Alice descended from her tower, walking swiftly down the spiral staircase that led to the garden. Just by the gate, Alice saw the gardener watering the multi-colored flowers. “Excuse me, Mr. Boosh.” Alice said, addressing the old and wrinkly gardener by name. The gardener was taken by surprise, and placed down his watering can. “Oh my! You startled me, Princess Alice.” The old gardener said as he sank into a deep bow. The princess brushed off her dress. “I am very sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. I was just wondering if you saw anyone bring my beloved flute back up to me this morning.” Alice said. Mr. Boosh slowly shook his head. “No I did not. Your tower is always locked, Princess.” Alice sighed greatly, “Ah. I see. Thank you anyway, sir.” They both exchanged bows before Mr. Boosh continued watering the beautiful flowers. Alice wandered over the the brush she had dropped her flute in the previous night. She looked around aimlessly for quite some time before deciding that what had happened the night before, was just a silly dream. The princess, happy with her decision, spoke no more of it to her mother the rest of the day.

Around 7:30, Alice washed herself off in the bathroom and hurried back up her staircase, excited to undress and play her flute for her audience. Alice slipped off her beautiful, blue and pink dress and replaced it with her light colored nightgown. Alice then hurried over to the windowsill, picked up her flute, and played the most beautiful hymn. She played for almost an hour before the stars started to gather around her in the night sky. At once they all started to dance, twinkling with great light. Alice grew tired and placed her flute down on the windowsill. “Stars..” Alice started. “Last night, I dropped my beloved flute to the ground. It was far too late to retrieve it then, so I decided to wait until morning to run down and get it. And when I woke the next morning, my flute was sitting on my windowsill!” Alice said hurriedly. “I tried to pass it off as some dream, but I just can’t get it out of my head.” Alice looked at all the sky and realized that she was being silly, talking to stars. Not expecting an answer, Alice walked over to her bed, and layed down.
Not minutes later, Alice heard a small voice. “It was us.” the voice said. Alice sat up in her bed. “Who is here? Alice said in a panic. “It is us, the stars.” the voice rang again. Alice slipped her feet into her light pink slippers, and walked over to her windowsill.

“The..Stars?” Alice repeated. “Yes,” they answered back, “We retrieved your beloved flute from the ground last night. It was us.” Alice was shocked. She placed her elbows on the windowsill and accidentally knocked off her beloved flute into the brush. “Oh my,” Alice said, “I’m so clumsy! I knocked my beloved flute down into the brush once again. Will you retrieve it, stars?” Alice pleaded. In an instant, the stars brought Alice’s flute back up to the windowsill. “Thank you!” Alice rewarded the stars. Alice played one last hymn before getting back in her bed, and nodding back to sleep.

For the next week, every night Alice accidentally dropped her flute out the window. She then cried to the stars, “I’m so clumsy! I knocked my beloved flute down into the brush once again. Will you retrieve it, stars?”. And every night, the stars would obey and bring her flute back up, and place it on Alice’s windowsill. She would then reward them with a “thank you” and a small hymn before drifting off to sleep. And finally, one night, the stars fell tired of constantly having to retrieve Alice’s beloved flute for her.

Alice placed her flute back on the windowsill, and started to talk to the stars about her day. She then, once again, clumsily knocked her flute off of the windowsill, into the underlying brush. And once again, the princess cried, “I’m so clumsy! I knocked my beloved flute down into the brush once again. Will you retrieve it, stars?”. Waiting for her flute to be brought up by the stars, she looked over the edge at her still-lying flute. “Stars. Why aren’t you bringing me my flute?” Alice said angrily. The stars took a while to respond. “We are done being your personal slave.” The stars boomed. Alice was infuriated. “Stars. Bring me my flute right now.” Alice tried again. She waited for the stars to bring her flute back. “Stars,” Alice started to get very angry, “as the daughter of Queen Candice, I demand you bring up my flute this instant.” Alice then leaned out the window, waiting for her flute to rise. “Stars! I said-” Alice gets stopped by the stars as they push the rotten princess out her window. She plummets 45 feet into the brush under her tower. Alice lays in the brush gasping for breath as the stars laugh at her foolishness. The princess inhales her last breath as she sees her beloved flute floating back up to her windowsill.