The Stick and the RockA Story by NatalieA fable about a stick, a rock, and a cliff.Once in a time long ago, in a land far away, lived a Rock named
Rocky. He was on a vacation to the forest, where King Tree ruled over all the
woods. King Tree had a daughter named Princess Sticky. He arranged a marriage
for her but unfortunately, she did not want to marry another stick. She cut
herself off from the family tree and fell to the ground. During her fall, she
loses her crown. Now she is an ordinary stick with no family. Soon, Rocky meets Sticky. They immediately fall in love. They do
everything together: “swim” in the stream (one floating, one sinking), sit very
still next to each other, and walk in the forest. Because she lost her crown,
he does not know that she is the princess. Therefore, their love is real. He is
her rock. One day, as Sticky and Rocky are walking in the forest, they come
upon a giant cliff. This cliff is just like Rocky only bigger and stronger.
Cliffy recognizes Princess Sticky as the daughter of King Tree and wants to
marry her so that he can become king one day. He does not see Princess Sticky
for who she is, but sees her as his ticket to power. In his booming voice, he
beacons to the princess: “Come here, Princess Sticky.” The ground rumbles as he talks. “Yes, sir?” She responds quietly, afraid of his big size. “You are very pretty. I would like to marry you.” Princess Sticky is drawn to his deep voice and imposing figure.
She considers abandoning Rocky for Cliffy, yet Rocky is perfect for her. He is
the little guy and very sweet. She just met Cliffy and does not know if she can
trust him. But his offer is very appealing to her. She finds herself caught
between a rock and a hard place. Rocky sees how easily Princess Sticky will abandon him for someone
else. Dejected, he hobbles away. He refuses to cry because he is a rock and
rocks do not cry. He abandoned his family vacation for Sticky and this is how
she repays him. He decides to go back to his family and hope they will accept
him. Along the way, he passes King Tree, who is crying. He pauses and
asks King Tree what is wrong. Through his tears, he tells Rocky, “My daughter ran away.” His
voice is deep like Cliffy’s, but soft and friendly like a tree’s. “Why did she run away?” “She did not want to marry the stick I chose for her,” King Tree
informs Rocky. He remembers Sticky talking about how she refused to go along
with the marriage that her father arranged. “If you do not mind my asking, your majesty, what is your daughter’s
name.” “It pains me to remember her name, but it is Sticky. Princess
Sticky.” “Sticky? I know where she is!” Rocky exclaims. King Tree
immediately brightens up. “You do?” The trees rustle with his voice. “Yes, follow me!” King Tree uproots himself and crawls along the
forest floor, following Rocky. Soon, they come upon Cliffy and Princess Sticky,
both looking upset. As Cliffy sees King Tree approaching, he attempts to look
powerful in order to impress the king, but the king sees through Cliffy’s
motives. “What are you doing with my daughter?” King Tree bellows in a
loud, passionate voice that would cause even the biggest cliff to cower. “Uh…nothing sir…” Princess Sticky looks up, tears streaming down her bark. “Daddy! I
am so stupid. Cliffy wanted to marry me and I thought he truly loved me, but I
was terribly wrong. I know you’ll never forgive me, but understand that I know
I was wrong. I should never have run away.” “Oh, my child,” he hugs her close to him. “I was thinking it over.
I should not have forced you into something you did not want to do. You do not
have to go through with the arranged marriage.” “Daddy, I’ll do anything you tell me to do. I will be an obedient
daughter after what I have put you through.” “No, child, I love you too much to put you through what I put you
through. And I cannot live with myself if you run away again.” “Never. I will never run away ever again.” Tears continue to pour
down her bark. King Tree turns the focus away from his daughter, who he holds
close to him, and asks Rocky, “Sir, how can I repay you?” “Just to know that your daughter is safe is enough payment for
me.” He responds. The princess interjects. “Dad, I would like to marry Rocky,” she
proposes. She then looks at Rocky, “if he will take me.” The king is thrown off
guard with this statement. “My child, do you know this rock?” “Yes. We fell in love after I ran away.” “Sir, is this true?” King Tree confirms with Rocky, who nods in
affirmation. “If you will take my daughter, I will bless your marriage.”
Rocky’s eyes brighten and he forgives Princess Sticky for her temporary
betrayal. “I would love to marry her,” he says, locking eyes with Princess
Sticky. Soon after, Princess Sticky and Rocky, now Prince Rocky, get
married. Through Rocky’s dedication to Princess Sticky, he saves her from
Cliffy and together they live happily ever after. © 2011 Natalie |
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Added on January 7, 2011 Last Updated on January 7, 2011 |