Sixth-grade student Laura wrote this fantasy in which the “storybook” voice sets the tone appropriately.
How the Stars Came to Be
Long ago and once upon a time, there lived a princess. Her name was Oriana, and her entire court loved her. She always helped those in need and had a smile for everyone. Oriana wasn’t vain, although she had every reason to be. She had wavy, raven hair that fell past her knees; pure, olive skin; and a face that was perfectly oval. Her real beauty, however, lay in her eyes. Whenever Oriana felt an emotion strongly, they changed from their usual ebony to true gold.
It seemed that nothing could make her angry; but alas, it was not so. Her aunt ruled the kingdom while Oriana’s father was away tending to his people’s needs. Aunt Desdemona was selfish, petty, and cruel. She was proud of her immortal beauty and didn’t hesitate to show it. The people hated and feared her.
Jealous of the way the court adored her niece but detested her, Desdemona devised a plan. If she were to send Oriana on a quest to find the lost crown . . . yes, that would work. The crown was the key to the realm’s power. It had been taken away by an immortal centuries ago, and the kingdom had been having difficulties ever since. Only someone of royal blood could touch the crown, so that fact gave Desdemona a legitimate reason for sending Oriana to reclaim it. Oriana’s father wouldn’t be able to argue with such a decision.
Smiling a smile that didn’t reach her ice-blue eyes, Desdemona called her niece to her chambers. She proceeded to explain that the king needed the crown if they were to save the kingdom from ruin. “And don’t come back until you’ve got the crown.”
Oriana sighed and nodded. No matter what her aunt thought, she wasn’t stupid. She knew that Desdemona just wanted to get rid of her. Where on earth was she supposed to find the crown? They had been looking for centuries and no one had ever found it! And at night, alone, she was liable to get killed. There was nothing in night’s sky to light her way, and Oriana couldn’t possibly carry enough oil for a lantern.
“The sky is so frightful at night. During the day it is pretty, with the sun, but at night it is solid black . . .” Lost in her thoughts, Oriana didn’t realize that she had already exited the castle grounds. Then a thought popped into her mind so suddenly that she gasped.
“Maybe no one has found the crown on earth, because it isn’t on earth anymore! But where could it be?” Then her mind snapped everything into place, like pieces of a puzzle. If the immortal that stole the crown had wings, maybe it had hidden the crown in the sky. Oriana groaned. This just presented another problem: How was she supposed to search the sky?
Abruptly, an immortal’s voice echoed in her head. “Well done, Mortal. You are the first of your kind to get this far. The rest will not be easy. In a few moments it will be dark. I will place you in the sky. You have tonight, and tonight only, to solve my riddle and locate the crown. If you lose, you must stay in the sky forever. Are we agreed?”
About to say, “Yes,” Oriana was stopped by a chuckle. “I can hear your thoughts, Mortal. Be prepared to lose!”
The sun started to dip below the horizon. The rest of the sky was already dark, and the last red glow reminded Oriana of blood. Red turned to black, and then the world was below her. It was time to begin the search. The immortal spoke again, “Here is my riddle:
Near yet far,