The Princess

Midge paced back and forth on the front porch and was talking to herself..

"Once upon a time," said Midge as she walked. "There lived this beautiful princess in a big brick house on a hill. She loved to sit outside on the front porch and play with friends."

Jake and Booker-T walked up and sat there watching her for a few minutes. "What are you doing, Midge?" asked Jake.

"Oh hi," smiled Midge. "I'm practicing."

"Practicing what?" asked Booker-T.

"I'm going to be in the movies," said Midge. "I'm going to be one of them actresses."

"How are you going to be in the movies?" laughed Booker-T. "You wanted to do that before and I thought you knew you couldn't act because the humans wouldn't know what you were saying. What kind of movie do you want to do?"

"About a talking Princess," said Midge. "She is so beautiful and everyone just loves her."

"Don't all Princesses talk?" asked Jake.

"Yes they do," agreed Midge. "And this Princess, no one heard speak before and now she spoke up and started talking to everyone and they all clapped and shouted and were so happy to hear her talk."

"Why didn't she talk before?" asked Booker-T.

"She did talk before," said Midge. "But no one heard her."

"Why?" asked Booker-T. "Did no one want to listen to her?"

"Where does the Princess live?' asked Jake.

"She lives in a really nice brick house," said Midge. "She loves her home and friends."

"Does she talk to her friends?" asked Jake.

"Oh yes," said Midge. "She loves talking to her friends. They like to talk to her too."

"Don't she talk to anyone else?" asked Booker-T.

"No," said Midge. "She wants to."

"Why don't she?" asked Jake.

"No one else wants to talk to her," sighed Midge. "She talks to them and they don't listen. They say things to her but they never listen to anything she says."

"They sound mean," said Booker-T. "Are they they like the wicked step sisters in Cinderella?'

"Oh no," said Midge. "They are so nice."

"Why don't they listen to this princess?" asked Jake. "I think I'm starting to figure out why."

"Why?" asked Booker-T.

"Because this princess is Midge," laughed Jake. "Right Midge?"

"Yes," smiled Midge blinking her eyes at them.

"You can't be in a movie about a princess that talks to people," said Jake. "Who will hire you?"

"I don't know yet," said Midge. "I want to be like the dogs in the movie about the life of pets."

"That is a cartoon," laughed Jake. "The people in the movie are the same as our owners. They don't understand what their pets are talking about. The animals understand each other but the humans don't understand them. But Midge, it is a cartoon."

"Don't you think that some human somewhere maybe can understand what we say?" asked Midge.

"I heard about a dog whisperer somewhere," said Booker-T. "I saw it on the news one night. The man could communicate with dogs and cats."

"Wow," said Midge. "We need to find him. Where was he Booker-T?"

"Not in our city," laughed Booker-T. "I think you will have to settle for your owner not understanding what you say."

"You will just have to be the Princess that no one can talk with.", said Jake. "But that's okay. We all can talk to you."

"I know," sighed Midge. "Why can't animals talk to humans so they can understand what we say?"

"I don't know," said Jake. "I guess God didn't make us that way."

"But why not?" asked Midge. "I want to talk to my owner sometimes."

"Me too," said Booker-T. "Maybe some day in the future, they will figure out how they can understand each other."

"That would be nice," said Midge. "We have our own language that the humans hear. When I talk to you guys, my owner hears me barking."

"And humans hear my talking as a meow," said Booker-T.

"Isn't that funny how that works?" laughed Jake. "We hear each other talking just like the humans talk but the humans hear us as barking and meowing."

"They do pretty good at knowing what we want," said Midge. "I think it is little sad that we know what they are saying but they don't know what we are saying to them."

"It's sad," agreed Jake. "But I guess it will be okay."

"I guess I will just have to bark when I want to go outside," said Midge.

"But you don't have to bark to go outside," laughed Jake. "Just go out your doggie door."

"You are silly," laughed Booker-T.

"I guess my movie will never be," said Midge.

"You can tell us a story sometimes," said Booker-T. "You are a good story teller."

"I will think up a good story to tell you," smiled Midge.

"Ok," said Jake. "Can we go to the park now and swim in the pond?"

"Lets go," said Booker-T.

"The three ran out the gate and along the sidewalk to the park to swim.