frog-prince could do was watch Princess Sunday play catch with her golden ball. He remembered the ball he had when he was a prince, and everyday grew more sad. He even tried putting some flies in Jell-O but he could not adjust to being a frog anymore.

He would sit for hours upon hours dreaming of watching Princess Sunday naked taking a shower.

Oops, did I really say that?! That was me dreaming, not the frog-guy. Sorry - I will try to concentrate on the story....

The frog-prince looked wantonly at the princess, and then sadly at the cursed slipper that caused his fate. "No need for this anymore," he thought to himself, and pulled the slipper off his little froggie foot. It was then that he discovered the piece of broken glass from The Magic Mirror in the shoe. At first, he just thought it was more bad luck - looking into the mirror and seeing his green skin and such. Then, an idea occurred to him, and hope suddenly filled his heart! Clutching the piece of the mirror tightly in his hand, the frog-prince moved closer to where Princess Sunday was playing.

"Perhaps," thought the frog-prince, "I can use this mirror to catch her eye! She will see me at last!" And so the frog-prince held the mirror up to catch the sunlight, and the mirror was sending beams of light in all directions. Wow!

Unfortunately something else happened that the frog had not thought of. The princess had just thrown her ball up into the air when he started flashing the mirror. A beam of light struck Princess Sunday directly in her eyes and for a moment she could not see anything. Then there was the sound of a large splash. It was Princess Sunday's ball. The ball had landed in the lake.

Quite startled, the princess exclaimed, "Who's there? Who's there?" to which the frog perked up and said as loudly as he could, "Me princess! You are wonderful! Kiss me, baby!!!"

"Eeek!" screamed the princess, "Wolf! Wolf!" and ran all the way back to the castle, forgetting her ball and everything.

"She's confused," thought the frog, " I think she has got the wrong story."

The frog-prince was also quite amazed that she even heard him at all! "It must be The Magic Mirror!" thought the frog and wished he had spent more time learning to sing or something, instead of eating flies.

The next day the princess came back to the lake to look for her golden ball, and was greeted once again by the frog.

"Hi beautiful!" said the frog, "What's this with the wolf-bit? Can't you see I'm green?"

The princess finally saw the frog and smiled.

Quite taken by her smile, the frog-prince completely forgot himself, and immediately invited her for dinner. Amused, the princess accepted, and so the frog-prince set up an exquisite-looking table, complete with candlesticks and everything. The princess was actually quite impressed, until the frog brought out the main course, which was a plate full of dead flies!

"Gross!", shouted the princess, " I don't want to eat with a stinky ol' frog! I want to play with my ball!!"

The frog-prince looked at the flies and then at Princess Sunday's lips. Taste is everything....

He immediately jumped into the lake, swam out, and retrieved Princess Sunday's golden ball. He tossed it over to her instantly.

"Catch!" he said.

"What's the catch?" replied Princess Sunday, missing the ball entirely, and once again, it fell into the lake.

They repeated this routine for hours. Finally the frog got tired of swimming after the ball, and came ashore to give it directly to her.

"Here," said the frog-prince as he handed Princess Sunday the ball, " I believe this belongs to you."

The princess clutched the ball tightly to her chest, thrilled to finally have it back. "However did all this confusion start?" she asked.

And so the frog told her the story, all the stories... about the wolf, about the Queen of Hearts, about Snow White, Cinderella, Hansel & Gretel, and many more which he had not remembered for quite some time. Eventually he got to the story of The Magic Mirror, and of the day in the pond when he used it, hoping to catch her eyes.

"And this is it," said the frog-prince and held out the piece of The Magic Mirror to show the princess.

Princess Sunday took the mirror from the frog and held it playfully in her hands, reflecting the frog and then reflecting herself. Eventually she saw the magic as the mirror caught the light in her eyes. Mesmerized by the brightness, by the beauty!, she let her golden ball drop from her arms, turned, and began walking back to her castle, all the while staring into The Magic Mirror.

As walked into the distance, the frog-prince heard her say something, and then all went quiet for the longest of times.

"Mirror, oh mirror, it's me, Sunday... who is the fairest of them all?"

The mirror was silent.
The forest was silent.
The frog was silent.

And the only sound that could be heard, if sound was made at all, was that of a golden ball and a tiny pearl slipper falling quietly silently downwards in ever-darkening waters...

Now my children, I can see you truly are getting quite sleepy. And I, too, must find my way to bed. It is getting late and we should save some stories for tomorrow. So close your eyes and dream. Maybe you will see the old, old shade tree which still is standing next to that deep blue lake. Dive deep, my darling ones, and maybe, if you are good swimmers, you might even see the slipper still falling through the waters. It's yours if you can catch it - just like the golden ball! Ssshhhhhhh. Hush now - time to slumber. YOU are the fairest of them all.

"Goodnight"

says the story teller.

Covered in a blanket of dreams the children still hear him speak. Magical words, lyrical words, mystical and faint and sounding like " Ribet. Ribet. Ribet. "

Ssshh. They sleep. They sleep.

We are all alone now.

Kiss me beautiful,

Sunday, my love.

writing ©1998 Bob Rehor