Once Upon A Time (Part Three)

Well, the Court Jesters aren't funny anymore and neither is anything about the courts. On March 31, the Princess lost her fight to stay alive.

The Princess' Beloved ceremoniously threw the Princess' family out of her room and was alone with her minutes later when she finally died. (Lucky coincidence that this just happened to happen before the first of the next month when new and costly bills would be incurred.)

The townspeople went on and on about the way they feel about what happened to the Princess. Some agreed, some did not. They put themselves in her place (in their minds' eye) and uttered useless words meant to assuage their fears and the fears of those around them about the unknown things in life. Yet not one of them really ever knew what the Princess really wanted her beloved to do, or how she would have wanted to live the rest of her life. Not one of them knew if she felt the love expressed for her around the world, nor the feelings of disdain, either.

Still, without knowing--or understanding--they self-righteously starved her to death. And then uttered more foolish phrases to justify what they did. Nowhere in the land could they have starved any dog or kitten or horse without being arrested and thrown into the dungeon, but they manged to starve to death this lovely Princess--a Princess who had people who wanted to care for her more than anything in the world.

Sadly. The courts did their jobs. The judges did their jobs. The doctors and nurses did their jobs. The protestors did their jobs. The defendents did their jobs. The town criers did their jobs.

And finally everyone went home, thinking they should write down what they believe they would want the people near them to do if ever a deep sleep should befall them. Little do they know, that if any one of them falls into a deep sleep, in spite of whatever their near and dear relatives do, God will deal them the hand he wants them to have so that they'll understand those things they didn't want to know in time to save the Princess.

They could understand what it felt like for the Princess when the Beloved decided to end her life by starving and dehydrating her--they could understand evermore and everafter. While this story has the sad, sad ending for all of us, for we truly have become a culture of "death," the Princess will go on to live at last "happily ever after."

And interestingly, the great poll takers have asked the townsmen of the land if they would have wanted to be murdered and most of them said they would--if they were in the same condition as the Princess was.

Ahh, I wonder how they would feel if they had a stroke and could not talk but could think and feel and fear what is about to happen to them. And how would they feel if in their heart of hearts they knew they could learn to speak and swallow once again with some therapy and some help from their loved ones.

I wonder how they'd feel to hope in vain that their loved ones think they are not too burdensome and that taking the time to teach them these things is something they'd want to do. I hope their loved ones can tell what they want then and not what they wrote down when they were young, healthy, and thought they had a longer life ahead.

And I hope they would be spared the Princess' feelings of betrayal and they would have the opportunity to feel peaceful about starving to death if it's their turn.