“The people in the kingdom went about their daily lives much as they had before, but something had changed. They felt less joy. What’s more, the little prince could hardly be calledlittleanymore. His head was becoming so enormous it was too big for the doorways, hallways, and passages of the castle. Everything had to be renovated and fitted to accommodate the little prince’s head, which was extremely difficult, given his head continued to swell.
“This put the king and queen in a bad temper. The women of the court were unhappy as well. They used to love to do things for the little prince. But now, bathing and dressing him had become very difficult with his overgrown head. What’s more, the little prince, who once had been so charming, had now become ill-tempered. It was unpleasant to be around him, unpleasant to even look at him with that swollen head.”
Again, Nico nearly ran into Rocco when he stopped. He peered at her. His jaw was rigid, and he’d clenched his fists. She had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. He drew a deep breath and only turned around and resumed walking once he’d exhaled.
“One day,” she went on, “there was a big commotion when a stranger arrived. No one had ever visited the remote kingdom, given it was so far away and difficult to get to.
“The little prince was curious. He ordered the stranger to come to the castle. But the stranger didn’t come. So, he decided to venture outside the castle in search of the stranger.
“He had to walk because his head had made him too heavy for the horses. It took him awhile because it was difficult to balance his head on his neck. Often his head toppled to one side, and his body was left to follow so that rather than walking in a straight line, he was forced to take a zigzag path.
“When he finally arrived in the village, he asked a villager where he could find the stranger. ‘There,’ the villager said, pointing the stranger out to him. But the stranger ran past him so quickly, the little prince only caught sight of a blur.
“He was angry. ‘Running! Racing!’ he cried. ‘Running and racing are forbidden! There’s to be no running! No racing!’
“The little prince took off after the stranger, but his heavy head bobbled back and forth so violently that he hadn’t gone even three steps before he tumbled, and it required twenty villagers to carry him back to the castle.
“Once again he ordered the stranger to come to the castle, but the stranger didn’t come.”
Rocco turned around. “Tell me now, is there going to be a happy ending or not?”
She smiled. “Yes, there will be a happy ending.”
“Oh, okay.”
“For some,” she added.
He sighed.
They continued walking, and she resumed the story.
“The little prince was anxious to see the stranger and hear about how the stranger was able to make the long and treacherous voyage to their village. But every order he sent was refused by the stranger.”
Nico stopped.
Up ahead was a pathway made of stones. Looking down to the right, she saw that the creek had widened to become a river, to the left was the edge of a mountain, and at the end of the pathway were buildings that looked as though they’d been carved out of the mountain itself.
She pointed. “Is that it?”
He nodded. As they drew near, she saw a parking lot with cars situated at the start of the pathway. Then she spied the road that led to it.
“Why couldn’t we park here?” she asked.
“Only residents.”
“You’re not a resident?”
“Not anymore.”
“Nico!”
She turned to see Sofia and Beatrice running toward them.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” Beatrice sputtered, out of breath.
“How come you didn’t park in the parking lot?” Sofia asked.
“You mean that one right there?” Nico asked, indicating the one in front of the stone path.
