Queen Evelyn

A short story about a woman who had an unfortunate day.

I was a queen. And a good queen at that. All of my maids and chefs loved me, for I treated them right. Sometimes I would help them cook; sometimes I’d even help them clean! The conversations I had with them are some of my fondest memories. Without them, my castle would have fallen apart; therefore, they were my number three priority.

My number two priority was, of course, my wonderful husband. He was what kept our land peaceful, and I was what kept him happy. He once told me, “Evelyn, if not for you, I don’t think I could do what I do.” I didn’t tell him, but I very much agreed. I loved him, and I still do. I wonder how he’s doing without me.

And I’m sure you know my number one priority. You, my son. I knew the second I first saw you, my little prince, that nothing would ever matter more than you did. Your brown eyes are still as beautiful as they were then. Do you remember our walks around the courtyard? Or the time I introduced you to the staff? You wanted to help cook so I had you help them stir. Oh, you never wanted to leave. I wasn’t the least bit surprised when you wanted to study under a professional chef, rather than inherit your father’s position. Now your father on the other hand. He didn’t think you’d amount to anything. But look at you now! I’m so proud.

Do you remember the night it happened? You were only eleven; it’s okay if you don’t. Your father was going through a hard time, he didn’t have an easy job. My favorite purple dress had just been accidentally ruined while it was being washed. Did you know, it was my favorite because you picked it out for me. You probably didn’t even know what you were doing. You were a toddler after all. Somehow you snuck into my wardrobe and pulled out everything onto the floor. I think you were trying to recreate a leaf pile using my clothes because it was late winter. Well, I was quite upset when I found it and went to start returning everything to its proper spot when I noticed that there was one dress left untouched, still folded nicely, in the center of my bottom drawer. I couldn’t help but to smile. I’ve loved it ever since.

As I was saying, your father was stressed, and I was heartbroken over the loss of that dress. To top it all off, you had just destroyed our dining room by making it into a fort. This wouldn’t have been a huge problem, but we had incredibly important company coming over to discuss things with your father over dinner. I was close to pulling my hair out, so I decided to go somewhere alone to decompress while your father rushed to clean things up. See, my favorite spot in our castle to do that was just beyond my bedroom window on the roof. It wasn’t too steep and it had a great few of the sky. If only I had taken a second to think. I was so frazzled that I had forgotten something very important: It had stormed earlier that day.

It was immediate. As soon as my foot touched the slickened shingles I was tumbling. A large mud puddle softened my two-story fall just enough to prevent me from breaking any bones, however I was still very bruised and had been knocked unconscious. When I awoke, I was covered in mud and in a lot of pain. My head was throbbing, and my hair was an utter disaster. As I rubbed my head to ease the pain, I realized that my crown was gone. I panicked. In this panic, I ran back into the castle calling for help, only to stumble upon my husband and his associates  having dinner. I was in tears, I can only imagine how terrible I looked. I started trying to explain that I had fallen and my crown was gone and then I apologized to everyone for ruining the night and I begged the men and women to not let this affect how they viewed our kingdom and I explained that I was a good queen, not a mess.

They all just stared at me, including your father, like I had gone mad. I imagine that I looked like a peasant that had stumbled in. After all, I didn’t have my crown to back me up. Your father must have been so embarrassed. I could have ruined everything. I didn’t bother arguing the next day when he decided to send me away to this loon’s home. It would be best for his image to not be associated with a queen who had been irresponsible and inconsiderate and improper and, above all, stupid enough to have lost such a prized family heirloom. That crown was worth more than our castle. I’m eternally grateful that you never stopped coming to visit me. You’re all I look forward to anymore.

~~~~

I nod along as Mom tells her silly story for the hundredth time. After she hit her head, there’s no way I can convince her otherwise anyway. She swears up and down that she was a queen and I was her little prince. Mom was just a manager in a restaurant. Dad was just a businessman. We didn’t live in a castle, we lived in a house. I’ve tried explaining that to her, but it’s fruitless. I’ll tell her she was a manager and her maids and chefs were just bussers and cooks. Then she’ll call me crazy and ask, “If I didn’t have maids, then who ruined my dress?” I’ve never had the guts to tell her that the answer was her.

Dad gave up on her a long time ago. He was so fast to do it, too. The day after she fell, he argued with her for two hours and then sent her away. He didn’t seem concerned, just annoyed. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve put two and two together and I’m pretty positive he was looking for an excuse to get rid of her anyway. A week after they were done, he introduced me to his new girl, a coworker. My guess is that they had been together longer than a week.

I would never tell Mom that, though. She’s too innocent and loving. She asks about him every time I visit.

“Alright, Ma,” I say, “I’ve gotta get going.”

“Until next time, my little prince.” She smiles. “Though, you’re not that little anymore are you?”

“Don’t worry, Ma.” I reach for her hand. “I’ll always be your little prince.” I kiss her wrinkled hand and set it back down. Pulling her blanket up to her chin, I say my goodbyes. If only she knew: Queen Evelyn didn’t lose her crown, she lost her mind.

Author's Note

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