Princess Mackenna and a Walk into the Woods

One day, while still a very little girl, Princess Mackenna decided to go for a walk into the woods near her castle in Kindly Kingdom.  Her two dogs followed along.  When she stepped out the castle door, she said “goodbye” to Hedgy the hedgehog.  Hedgy always stood just outside the door, waiting to say “hello” and “goodbye” to Princess Mackenna.

Often, Princess Mackenna touched Hedgy’s cold nose and said “nose” to remind Hedgy where his nose was.  Hedgy was forgetful about most everything, including where his nose was and which color was blue and which yellow.  But he always remembered to say “hello” and “goodbye” to the little Mackenna!

Princess Mackenna had named one of her dogs Gentle.  The other dog was Bear-Bear.

Bear-Bear was a big, grumpy dog.  He woofed at bumps in the night.  He woofed at leaves blowing in the wind.  He spent most of his days sitting near Princess Mackenna, protecting her, because even grumpy dogs loved the little Princess.

Gentle was a very small dog with pointy ears and a waggy tail.  Gentle bounced from place to place.  He ran in circles and always wanted to play.

When Princess Mackenna and her two dogs reached the woods, they found a path.  Walking along the path, they soon came upon an orange and green turtle.  The turtle spoke to Princess Mackenna.  His words came out slowly: “How  -  old  -  are  -  you?” the turtle asked.

“I don’t know for sure,” she said.  “I am little.  That is all I know.”

“In  -   the  -   forest  -   you  -   will  -   grow,” said the turtle.  “Everyone  -   here  -   grows.”

“Thank you,” Said Princess Mackenna. 

She and the dogs said “goodbye” to the turtle and continued down the path.  Soon, from above, in green leaves and silver coins of sunlight Hoo-Hoo the owl called down.  “Hoo-hoo,” he said.  “Who-who goes there on the path?”

“Me, Princess Mackenna,” answered the little Princess.

“You are very pretty,” said Hoo-Hoo, “and I should know, because I have very big eyes.  I see everything.  How old are you to be so pretty?”

Princess Mackenna held up three fingers.  “I am this many,” she said.

Hoo-Hoo counted: “One…two…three!  I see three fingers.”

Princess Mackenna said, “I know three!”  She counted her dogs, “One..two...” and then counted herself, “three!  We are three travelers in the woods.”  Only then did Princess Mackenna realize that she was not so small anymore.  She had grown a little!

She was three!

The three travelers said goodbye to Hoo-Hoo and walked along the path once more.  Before long Bear-Bear began barking.  Princess Mackenna stopped walking.  Gentle bounced in circles around her.  Above them, ooh-oohing and swinging from branch to branch in the trees, were three monkeys.  The monkeys stopped and hung there just above.  “How old are we, little girl?” asked the three monkeys in unison.

“I have grown.  I am five now,” said Princess Mackenna   “But I am not a we.  I am a me.”  She held up one finger. “One makes a me.”  She held up all the fingers of her other hand.  “It takes two or more to make a we.”

“Five, you say!” called out the three monkeys at the same time.  “One more than four!  One less than six!”

With nothing more said, the three monkeys swung away high in the trees, ooh-oohing.

Princess Mackenna realized she had grown into a bigger girl than before and the afternoon had grown late.  She was getting a little sleepy.

Everybody knows big girls don’t take naps.  Princess Mackenna wanted to take a nap and pondered what to do.  She was too big in the woods to take a nap.  “Maybe we should go back,” she said to her two dogs.

Bear-Bear sat there grumpily, thinking how curious the monkeys were, always saying the same thing at the same time and always ooh-oohing in trees.

Gentle bounced and bounced, wanting to play.

Soon, the three travelers were walking back home along the path in the woods.  Mackenna grew smaller and smaller as she walked back through the green trees.  By the time they reached the castle again she was the same little girl as when she left.  And she was glad because she wanted to go inside and sleep.

Before Princess Mackenna opened the door and went inside, she touched Hedgy and said “Nose.”

Hedgy said, “hello…or goodbye…there it is, my nose!”

-- Mitchell Hegman

(From Papa to Mackenna)