sorry I'm late, gaud, but here's my favourite bedtime story.
once upon a time, a little princess fell sick from eating too many raspberry crowns. as she lay in her bed, her father the king came to ask what would make her feel better.
she thought for a moment, then looked out her window and said, "bring me the moon. if I can have the moon, I will feel better."
the king immediately returned to his throne room called up his advisors, to ask them how to fetch the moon.
the first man came, dressed all in blue. "your majesty," he said, "this task is more difficult than you think. for the moon is a ball of silver thread, bigger across than this room is long, and higher up than the tallest trees. I'm sorry sire, but I'm afraid I cannot bring you the moon."
so the king sent the first man away, and brought in a second. this man was dressed all in green, with a trailing robe that swept the floor. "your majesty," said the second man, "this task is much more difficult than you think. for the moon is a huge disc of pure iron, wider across than the castle and its citadel, and higher up than this castle's tallest spire. I'm sorry sire, but I'm afraid I cannot bring you the moon."
so the king sent away the second man too, and brought in his third and final advisor, a tall man dressed all in black. "your majesty," said the third man, his voice grave, "this task is impossible. for the moon is larger across than your entire kingdom, and so immensely high up that not even the clouds can touch it. furthermore, it is made of green cheese. I'm sorry sire, but I'm afraid nobody can bring you the moon."
in anger the king sent him away as well, and was left alone in his throne room. the next moment, sensing the king's sadness, the court jester poked his head in. "sire?" he said. "what is the matter?"
"the princess is sick," the king explained, "and the only thing that will make her better is the moon. but I have just summoned all my advisors, and with each one the moon got bigger and further away. I worry I will never have the moon."
the jester thought for a moment, then said, "what about the princess herself? have you tried asking her?"
the king raised his head. "why should I ask her?"
"it is her opinion of the moon that matters, sire," said the jester. "shall I go ask the young princess, then?"
the king nodded, and so off he went.
the jester climbed the big circular staircase to the top of the tower, and gently pushed open the princess's bedroom door. the girl lay in bed, looking weak and pale, staring out her window into the night. as he entered, she turned to him.
"princess?" he asked. "I'm told you won't be better until you have the moon."
she nodded. "are you going to get it soon?"
"yes, soon," said the jester, "but first would you mind telling me, how big is the moon, and how high is it?"
"of course." the princess gave a little weak smile. "the moon has to be a little larger than my thumbnail," she said, "because when I hold my thumb over the moon it almost covers it. and it's no higher than the trees outside my bedroom window, because sometimes it gets caught in their branches."
the jester nodded, and turned to leave. in the doorway, he asked, "oh, and princess? what is the moon made out of?"
"it's made of white gold, of course," said the princess.
and so the jester went to the king with the great news, and the king was overjoyed. promptly he commissioned his royal blacksmith to craft a tiny circle of white gold, slightly larger than the princess's little thumbnail, and hung it on a silver chain.
first thing in the morning it was finished, and the king presented it to his daughter. immediately she recovered from her plight, leaping from her bed and playing through the day. but when nighttime came, the king realized he had not seen the end of his troubles.
looking out the window of his throne room at the setting sun, he began to panic. the moon was going to rise in the sky tonight, and then the princess would realise that the moon round her neck was a fake.
so the king summoned his advisors again. when the man in blue heard of his problem, he thought for two minutes, then said, "we could stretch a huge black cloth all round the castle, and prop it up with huge tent-poles: this would block out the sky, and so she would not see the moon."
"no, no," said the king, "we cannot do that. such a cloth would block out the wind as well as the sky, and in such stuffy air she will fall ill again." so he sent the first man away.
when the man in green heard the problem, he thought for five minutes, tapping his bearded chin. "we could set a bright lantern outside the princess's window," he said, "the light would keep her from seeing the night, and also the moon."
"no, no," said the king, "we cannot do that either. a lantern would keep her awake, and with little sleep she will surely fall ill again." so he sent the second man away too.
finally the man in black entered, and when he heard the problem he paced in circles for twenty minutes before he said, "we could set off fireworks, every night, and the smoke from them would block out the moon."
"fireworks would be too loud," said the king, growing angry. "surely the noise would hurt her head, and she would fall ill again. no, this will never work." and he sent the third man away.
finally the king turned to the jester, who sat at the foot of the steps beneath his throne. "jester," he said, "do you have any idea what I am to do? the sun is nearly set, and soon the moon will rise out the princess's window again. she will know the moon we have made her is fake, and fall ill again."
despite the king's hopes, the jester only shook his head. "no, your majesty," he said. "I have no ideas."
so, sadly, as the sun's last light fell below the horizon, the king climbed the stairs to his daughter's room. when he arrived, she was sitting up in bed, staring out her window at the moon.
as he entered, she turned to him. her little fingers were still holding the tiny circle on her necklace.
"little one," said the king, "are you feeling okay?"
"of course," she said, cheerfully as ever. "why wouldn't I be? you brought me the moon, like I asked."
"well..." the king's voice faltered, "how can it be that the moon is around your neck, when you can see it in the sky?"
the princess smiled. "have you ever seen the gardener cut the flowers in the royal garden?" she asked. "he will cut a flower, but it will grow back. it's the same way with the moon."
"I see," said the king, somewhat enlightened.
and the little princess settled in under her covers, as healthy as ever, with a moon in the sky and another on a silver chain round her neck.
