Once upon a time, in a village tucked amidst lush green woods, there lived a pretty damsel named Petal, in a cottage made of red bricks. She always had a content smile on her face, in spite of a wicked stepmother and a jealous stepsister. They made her work all day long and barely gave her enough to eat.
But Petal's faithful friends always came to her rescue. They helped her in household chores and always made her smile. Parakeets and robins hung the washed clothes to dry. Rabbits and the magpies brought fresh divine berries for her to eat. Kittens and pigeons helped her spin spools of yarn. Peacocks and red winged blackbirds danced for her and cuckoos and mynahs crooned peppy tunes for her. They made beautiful ornaments of fresh flowers and colourful feathers for her. The stepmother always wondered what kept Petal so fresh even when she did not give her enough to eat or drink. She kept adding to her workload each day but her friends always enabled her to complete her work.
One day the stepmother left for the nearby kingdom with her daughter to meet her son. In her excitement to meet her son, she forgot to give any work to Petal and off they went for three days. Petal, thrilled at having three full days of freedom, decided to celebrate. She wore her favorite pink frilled dress and set off towards the wonderful Musical Lake with her cheerful companions. And what a heart-warming sight they were! A pretty little girl, singing and dancing along with parakeets, robins, rabbits, lambs, kittens, squirrels and butterflies. They soon reached the Musical Lake and splashed around, listening to the soulful melodies of the Musical Lake.
On feeling exhausted, Petal stepped out of the lake and saw a strange stone lying in front of her. As soon as she picked it up, it transformed into a handsome young Prince. The charming Prince thanked her for liberating him from the evil spell of a wicked witch. He introduced himself as Prince Hoover and stepped ahead to kiss her. Thrilled and amazed, her faithful friends crooned a peppy tune.
As the Prince admired the natural beauty around him, Petal felt something else. She felt a tingle every time she set eyes on the handsome Prince. Prince Hoover drank some water from the Musical Lake. Now feeling revived, he asked her about her life. He was touched to hear her story and told her that he would be glad to take her as his Princess. Promising to come back to fetch her the next morning, the Prince bade her good bye. Dazed with happiness, Petal treaded home and slept through the night, dreaming of a lifetime with the handsome Prince.
The next day she woke up with her heart throbbing with excitement. She had a bath in scented water and then a dilemma struck her. She did not know what to wear. Just then, her eyes caught sight of a beautiful gown made of stunning fresh leaves and flowers, carefully kept on her bed. Overwhelmed with emotions, she slipped into the gown and stepped out to thank her friends for this beautiful gift. As she came out, her favorite swan, whom she’d fondly named Whitefeather, presented her with a necklace of sparkling white shells. Dressed like a fairy and with dreams in her eyes, she now began to wait for her charming Prince.
She spoke to her friends about how much she would miss them. But her companions were happy, as she would now finally escape the atrocities of her stepmother and live a life she truly deserved. The whole morning passed by slowly and now noon was about to give way to the evening, but there was no sign of the young Prince. Her heart now began to sink. Suddenly, she heard a knock on her door. Excited, she flung the door open only to find Prince’s General Tang, who had brought her a gift from the Prince. Tang now spoke, ‘O pretty Petal! You’re very graceful and kind hearted, but the Prince has always longed for someone with a dark streak. A shade of stunning black that seduces and lures. He has waited all his life for someone with that streak. As a token of his appreciation, he has sent you this gift but he does not wish to take you as his Princess. He had hurriedly made a promise yesterday, overwhelmed with your generosity.’
Having said this, the General returned. Devastated from hearing this, poor Petal started sobbing. Whitefeather on hearing her sobs, came to her, and wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks. She led her back to the Musical Lake and threw a black stone into the placid waters. A beautiful mermaid with a lustrous black tail emerged and sat by the rocks. Spellbound by her beauty, Petal walked towards her and sat down by her side. The mermaid gently removed Petal’s necklace of white shells, replacing it with a striking necklace of stunning black pearls. She then removed a scented wild lily from her own hair and stuck it in her hair.
Meanwhile, many pretty girls had gathered at the Royal Gardens as the Prince was going to choose his fair lady today. And then a gust of scent completely bewitched the senses of the Prince. It was a woman’s fragrance, barbaric yet alluring, the one that he had never experienced before. It made his heart race and he found himself soaked in the waves of savage desire. He turned around and was astonished to see Petal standing in dazzling black, her cape talking animatedly with the breeze. Her demure image completely forgotten, she looked truly tantalizing. Her wild, untamed beauty left Prince Hoover absolutely intoxicated. He walked towards her, unable to resist her bewitching persona.
The Prince, realizing that he had made a mistake, went down on his knees and stuttered in amazement, “Petal, I’m glad you followed me!” On hearing this, she moved dangerously close to him, her lips almost touching his and said, “I’m glad you didn’t.” Petal then provocatively bit her lower lip, tossed her curled tresses and vanished with a flutter of her cape, leaving the young Prince utterly bedazzled.
The magic of black. It works. Always.
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