rosa mikeal martey - princess willow

	Princess Willow

	Chapter Four
	In which Princess Willow finds some very special shoes and learns to dance.
	More than anything else, Princess Willow loved to sing and dance. She often put on her ballet tutu and dance around the small but beautiful castle where she lived with her mother and father and sister Zoe. Her father would sit by the fire and play music on his big wooden flute for her, and Princess Willow would dance and dance in her pink and silver ballerina costume.
	Sometimes her mother came into the sitting room to dance with her, and they both laughed and twirled together to the music her father played on his big wooden flute. Princess Willow loved to dance with her mother and she loved to dance alone. Sometimes even her sister Zoe would dance, too, even though she was only a little baby.
	One day, Princess Willow wanted to dance. So she put on her pink and silver ballet costume and her sparkly crown and looked around for her gold dancing shoes so she could dance around the little castle where she lived. Princess Willow found her pink and silver ballet costume and her sparkly crown in the basket where she kept her very special clothes, but she could not find her gold dancing shoes! She looked under her bed for the shoes and she looked under her chair for the shoes. She couldn’t find them! She looked in her toy box and she looked in her puzzle box. Still she couldn’t find her gold dancing shoes!
	Trotting down the stairs, Princess Willow asked her mother and father if they knew where her gold dancing shoes were. “Mommy and Daddy, have you seen my gold dancing shoes?” she asked.
	“No, Princess Willow, we have not seen your gold dancing shoes.”
	“Oh no!” said Princess Willow. “What will I do? I can not find my gold dancing shoes!”
	“I have an idea,” said Princess Willow’s mother. “You may buy some new dancing shoes. You may go into the town to buy some new dancing shoes from the shop.”
	“Wonderful!” Princess Willow clapped her hands with joy. She knew that this was a very special day because her mother let her go into town to buy brand new dancing shoes!
	Her mother and father gave her some money, and Princess Willow walked toward town to buy some new dancing shoes. As she walked through the meadows on her way to town, Princess Willow sang a little song about the new dancing shoes she would buy.
	Dancing shoes, dancing shoes!
	Brand new shiny dancing shoes!
	With my new shoes I will dance,
	I will twirl and I will prance!
	I will laugh and I will sing,
	New dancing shoes are just the thing!
	Suddenly, Princess Willow saw a woman walking toward her across the field.
	“Hello,” said the woman. “I hear you are singing about dancing shoes!”
	“Yes,” replied Princess Willow. “I am walking to the town to buy some new dancing shoes.”
	“I see!” said the woman as she looked Princess Willow very carefully. The woman wore a long green dress and had a soft blue cloth wrapped around her head. Princess Willow could see slivery hair peeking out from underneath the cloth on her head, and soft wrinkles lined her eyes and mouth. Princess Willow realised that the woman was very old.
	“Perhaps I can help you,” said the old woman. As she spoke she reached into a bag she carried on her shoulder. Out from the bag the old woman pulled a pair of beautiful yellow shoes! They were surely dancing shoes, for they were covered with glittery sparkles and had tiny golden butterflies on the toes.
	The old woman bent down and put on the dancing shoes. Suddenly, she started to dance! She twirled and swayed and leapt in beautiful circles. How wonderfully the woman could dance! Princess Willow watched her and said, “I would love to learn to dance just like you! You dance so beautifully!”

	“Thank you!” said the old woman as she twirled around Princess Willow. Soon the woman stopped dancing and took off the lovely yellow shoes. She held them out to Princess Willow and said, “These are a gift for you. They are very special dancing shoes, for they will help you learn to dance and twirl and leap just like me.”
	As Princess Willow reached out to take the shoes from the old woman, they began to get smaller and smaller until they were just the right size to fit on her feet.
	“Oh my!” cried Princess Willow. “These must be magic shoes! They were big when you had them on your feet, but now they are small and will fit perfectly on my feet!”
	“Yes,” replied to old woman. “These are magic shoes. These shoes will teach you how to dance. If you dance in these shoes, they will help you learn the right steps and learn how to twirl and leap. But you must practice a little bit each day. Each day you should put on the dancing shoes for just a little while and they will help you learn to dance.”
	Princess Willow held the beautiful yellow dancing shoes close to her and looked at the glittery sparkles on them. She looked at the pretty golden butterflies. “Thank you so very much!” she cried. “I will learn to dance and twirl and leap just like you!”
	“You are very welcome,” answered the old woman. And with that she danceed and danceed away, laughing and singing until she had disappeared over the hills.
	Happy and very excited to try on the magic yellow dancing shoes, Princess Willow raced back home to show her mother and father the new shoes. When she got back to the castle where she lived, Princess Willow put on the magic yellow dancing shoes and began to dance. Her mother and father watched her spin and twirl.
	Princess Willow could feel the shoes guiding her feet to step just so, and she followed them. Princess Willow carefully watched her feet and placed them just where the shoes seemed to tell her. She stepped left, and then right, and then left again. The dancing shoes guided her feet in beautiful dancing patterns, around in circles and back and forth.
	Soon Princess Willow became tired and she took off the dancing shoes to rest. Her mother and father clapped their hands and said, “Princess Willow you are learning to dance! That is wonderful! We will help you practice and learn to spin and leap and twirl.”
	Princess Willow was very happy because her new magic yellow dancing shoes helped her learn to dance beautifully, and Princess Willow loved to dance more than anything else in the world.
	The next day, after Princess Willow had eaten her breakfast and brushed her teeth, she put on the yellow dancing shoes again. The magic shoes guided her feet in difficult patterns and helped her learn to twirl and spin and leap.
	For a little while everyday, Princess Willow put on the dancing shoes to practice dancing. She learned where to step and how to spin and leap. The dancing shoes were teaching her how to dance beautifully! And the more that she practiced, the more Princess Willow learned about dancing. Soon, Princess Willow could dance beautifully, just like the old woman who had given her the shoes.
	Princess Willow put on her magic yellow dancing shoes with glittery sparkles and golden butterflies on the toes, and she put on her pink ballet costume. Princess Willow put on her sparkly crown and danced and danced!
	Princess Willow went outside to the backyard of the castle and danced in the green grass. She danced around the tall leafy trees. She danced around the short flowery bushes. Princess Willow danced and danced, because she loved dancing more than anything else!
	One day, Princess Willow decided that she had learned enough dancing to dance to show her parents what she had learned. She asked her father to take out his big wooden flute and her mother to sit on the couch and hold her little sister Zoe. Princess Willow put on her pink ballet costume and her sparkly crown and her magic yellow dancing shoes. She was ready to dance for her parents!
	Her father began to play the flute and her mother tapped her foot to the beat of the music. Princess Willow began to dance. She danced and twirled, her feet moving in the difficult patterns easily and well, for Princess Willow had practiced for a long time and learned to dance very well. She danced and danced while her father played and played. Her mother was smiling at her and even her little sister Zoe made happy baby noises as she watched.

	Finally when Princess Willow’s dance was over, her parents clapped and clapped for her. “You dance so beautifully,” they cried. “Thank you so much for dancing for us!”
	Princess Willow bowed and said, “You are welcome! I love to dance!”
	Her mother and father got up and hugged and kissed Princess Willow. “We are so proud that you love dancing! We are so proud that you have learned to dance so well!”
	Princess Willow knew that from then on she would be able to dance and sing and be very happy indeed.


	Chapter One \| Chapter Two \| Chapter Three \| Chapter Four \| Chapter Five \|

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