Loss

    I wrote this story to explain a difficult, real-life situation, to a child.  I have made a few words changes in this version so that it is not all "happy"s and "sad"s, but I hope that it is still easy for a child to comprehend.  The story worked well enough for the intended audience, but improvements can always be made.  This is a true story of loss.  Thank you for you're time!


    There was once a young, lovely, and very happy princess named Mary.  The princess was very cheerful and kind to everyone.  She had many admirers in her kingdom, but she never paid them any attention.  

    Then one day, as she was traveling through her kingdom, she crossed paths with a very handsome young man.  Once their eyes met, their souls reached out to each other; and when they touched, their souls became one.  Mary had met her soul mate.  

    It turned out that the young man was a prince visiting from a neighboring kingdom.  Soon plans were made for their marriage.  Mary became a queen, and her prince, Patrick, became her king.  They lived happily for years, and with their love, the king and queen created two lovely princesses.
  
    King Patrick made Mary’s world safe; he protected her and their daughters with his strength and love.  However, one day, the king suddenly became ill and passed away far before his time.
  
    Mary was devastated.  Her world fell apart.  Her love for her king quickly became her grief.  Patrick’s soul had been pulled away from hers, and the pain left her feeling sad and alone.
  
    Queen Mary had to be strong for her little princesses, but she didn’t know how.  Her king had always been her strength.  Without him, she didn’t know what to do.  So she looked to the king’s Knight Commander for help.  

    The knight was also mourning the death of his king.  Because of this shared grief, the Queen and the knight quickly became friends.  The queen leaned on the knight for his strength, and the knight fell in love with the queen.  However, the queen could never love another man the way she loved her king, so her heartache grew.
  
    The knight knew Mary still loved King Patrick, but he wished for his queen to love him the same way.  But this could not be.  This made the knight sadder; and instead of making each other happy, Mary and the knight both grew more miserable every day.
  
    Queen Mary stayed with the knight because her princesses were very fond of him and loved him like family.  However, being together only reminded Mary and the knight of the loss of their king and reminded her of the passing of her one true love.  

    As the days went on, Queen Mary grew tired of her misery, and wished for happiness once again.  After much thought, Mary realized that she was showing her young daughters that love was unhappy.  She wanted to set a better example for them, and decided to search for things that brought her joy again.
  
    She became stronger, to show her daughters that even through great tragedy, they could regain their strength.  She decided that her princesses needed to know that love is what gave the world hope.  She did not want them to grow up thinking that love was sadness, or that sadness was okay.

    The knight continued to be heartbroken, but the queen, who was becoming stronger and stronger every day, decided that the best way to make them both happy again, was to be apart.  That way, the queen and the knight could both forget their sorrow from the loss of their king.
  
    It hurt the little princesses to be away from the knight; but in time, they learned from the example of their strong mother, Queen Mary.  And they too, became strong and radiant.  Queen Mary protected her children, and lent them her strength, knowing that they would grow up someday and know what true love really is.
  
    Queen Mary felt confident that her daughters learned that the only thing that makes life dark and gray would be a world without love.  And she knew that one day, when she chose to love again, it would be a love that was started from happiness, not from despair.  Though it would never be the same as the love for her king, she learned that true love should never harm your heart, but always heal it.