March 8, 2015

Once upon a time... I have always loved those words. I suppose that, to a cynic, they sound like the opening of a tedious, childish tale spread thinly over a badly disguised moral. But to me, those are the sort of words that mean something wonderful is going to happen. Perhaps an unlikely hero will vanquish a dragon. Perhaps an evil fairy will curse a baby princess. Perhaps a carpet will fly, an animal will talk, or a kiss will break a spell. Perhaps an entire kingdom will search for the owner of a shoe, a beast will really be a prince, or an egg will hatch into a full-grown warrior. After all, anything is possible in a fairy tale.

Despite the fact that I know this blog is on the internet and that millions of people or dolls could potentially read this, it feels very personal and somewhat private. I can't really picture anybody reading this. If somebody is, however, I can imagine what you're thinking. "That's easy for you to say, Anna, you're a Disney Princess!"

No. No, I'm not. Well. maybe I'm supposed to be a Disney Princess, but I'm just... me. Just Anna. And if you're still reading this, then it's a pleasure to meet you.

As you've probably noticed, I absolutely ADORE fairy tales. I've even read "The Juniper Tree," arguably the Grimm Brothers' grimmest tale. (Pun intended.) Trust me, it's no picnic. Beheading, crushing to death... yikes. My favorite story is, and always has been, "The Princess and the Pea." I don't really know why -- maybe it's because the princess is completely ordinary; maybe it's because the whole premise of the story is absurd. Nobody can feel a dried pea under a hundred mattresses. Nobody. Whatever the reason, that story has always appealed to me more than the others.

In fact, I think I'll go read it right now. Until next time!

-Anna