PEARL

Pearl

Queen Ruby, long in years, walked to her wardrobe and unlocked a special drawer for her most-valued belongings. As she opened the drawer, she pushed aside the jewelry and picked up a small, tattered leather-bound item that simply read, “Diary.” She let her hand slowly slide over the edges of the book she held so dear. It contained a very important story: the story of how to remain beautiful forever. As she flipped open the book and slowly turned the pages, she was taken back many years; although, in truth, they seemed only moments ago …

***
It was a cool and damp evening as Queen Ruby sat at her vanity. She ran her perfectly manicured hands over the jewelry case that she’d had specially made for her namesake gems. When she was born, her mother had gone to great lengths to find the faintest red ruby to buy as a gift for her new daughter. As the years turned to decades, and the princess took her place as queen, she found that her taste in the red stone had moved from the light red of her mother’s choosing to ever darker shades. This night, she picked the darkest red ruby ring and necklace she owned and slipped them on before leaving her bedroom and stepping into the cool air of the castle walkway.

It had rained all day, but now, as sunset was finally gripping the kingdom, darkness fell so strongly on the castle that even the hallway torches did little more than create the smallest of dim orange patches on the floor. The darkness seemed only to increase as the queen silently made her way up to her stepdaughter Pearl’s bedchamber and gently opened the door just enough to peer inside.

Queen Ruby had loved being thought the most beautiful in the kingdom, but these last few years, she had become more and more tormented as she saw how beautiful the princess was becoming. She knew that soon she would be replaced when Princess Pearl became known as the pinnacle of beauty. The queen watched the princess comb her long hair, and her fist clenched the dark-green handkerchief she was holding, as if it were pretty little Pearl’s neck instead. As the queen continued watching, her eyes turned into narrow slits. She decided she would tolerate this no longer. Soon her radiant, young stepdaughter would forever be in a gentle sleep, and the queen would remain the most beautiful in all the kingdom.

The queen’s face went cold. She straightened herself and casually brushed the front of her dark green dress, as if brushing away unwanted crumbs. “This very night will be the night I cast the spell and use the witch’s oil that cost such a goodly sum.” She turned and quietly headed back to her bedchamber a few doors down the hall, her decision becoming more unyielding with each step.

Once in her room, the queen bolted the door shut, drew a black shawl over her head, and immediately started reciting the spell that she had received from the gaunt and gray witch who lived at the base of the Haunted Mountains. As she chanted repeatedly, she pulled the dark cork from the little brown vial and carefully allowed the witch’s sleeping potion to drain over a bowl of ripe figs. The thick black liquid thinned as the queen rolled the bowl in gentle circles until the liquid was no longer visible. Using the blackened tongs from her fireplace, she set each delicate fruit onto the outstretched hands of the gargoyle statue in the dimly lit corner of her room and then continued chanting as the witch’s handwritten spell directed.
Once the fruit had dried, she used the tongs to remove her stepdaughter’s evening snack from the gargoyle’s clutches and gently place each piece into her basket. As she admired her handiwork, she smiled. “It is time.” Then without further delay and with steely conviction, she headed for Princess Pearl’s abode.

***
Arriving at Princess Pearl’s door, the queen knocked and was greeted with a cheery “Come in.”

The queen strode into the room. “How did you know to beg me to come in? In truth, it could have been a scoundrel, my dear. You know, from hence, you should be more careful—never you know if it’s someone reliable or not.”

“Oh, Stepmum,” Pearl said, smiling, “I knew it was you. You come to my room every night to give me time and thought to pause on stately matters, while I dine on some scrumptious little thing you bring to me. It’s wonderful. Why on earth would I doubt it was you?”

The queen felt somewhat perplexed. “Oh, I had no idea you cared that I came to you each night. I rather thought that after your dear mother passed, you would be bitter toward anyone who might try to take her place.”

Pearl turned in her seat at her vanity. “Stepmum, in truth, it has not been easy for me these past few years. While still heartbroken over my mother’s sudden passing, I heard my father’s court telling him that all goodly kings do not delay too long when fetching a new queen to mother the princess. Well, I must admit, I was quite sore on that. But truly, when I see you pressed into such a service as to be a replacement for a grieving widower and to be a guardian for the impetuous youth I was, I know I would not have fared so well if I were in your shoes. You will never be my true mum of birth, but you have grown so dear to me in my heart that you have made your own place in it. And I shan’t ever want to replace you.”

The queen tried hard not to be touched by these words, but in truth, they were having quite an effect. A slight tingle of guilt grabbed at her, growing and confiscating her resolve and making her feel this would not be the night to indulge her plan. After searching for words to hide her original intent for the evening, she said, “Well, I, uh, I am very moved by your words.” Her left hand slid down the basket’s handle. “And I shan’t ever want to replace you either, my dear.” The queen felt her face flush as she tried to control her breathing and keep her heart from racing.

Pearl stood and took a step toward the queen, then hugged her and smiled. She stepped back and looked at the basket. “So what delicious treat did you bring tonight?”