This fairy tale is from The Blue Fairy Book so is less well known. The twist I’ve added might not be as obvious for that reason, but hopefully it’s still enjoyable either way.
(This is also the first draft, I’ll post the more polished version soon)
The White Cat
My tale is not well known,
and what is known, is wrong.
It has been confused with others,
part of their lives slipped in to fit mine.
A mother who craved fruit from a forbidden garden,
evil fairies who bargained to gain a baby,
an isolated upbringing, away from any life,
followed by a chance meeting with a prince.
The fairies had a dragon eat him, they say,
and transformed me into a cat as punishment.
A castle of nobles joined me in my feline curse,
while servants were invisible, except for their hands.
The curse will be lifted by finding my dead lover’s double,
and winning his love.
My real tale is not so dramatic.
My parents owned six kingdoms
but died tragically at sea.
From a baby I was raised by my godmother,
who happened to be a fairy.
We lived in a palace of splenda,
located in a large forest, perfect
for hunting and adventurous visitors
to keep their curiosity quelled.
Shiny gemstones fascinated my young self,
so my godmother collected them and decorated.
The castle’s gold door was covered in carbuncles,
creating a pure glow, that guided
lost souls from the forest’s clutches.
The halls were paved with lapis-lazuli,
where I’d dance and spin in delight,
their glittering presence lighting happy memories.
My godmother loved and spoiled me,
encouraging me to pursue whatever I desired.
We travelled often and brought back souvenirs,
filling our palace with tales of far away.
The porcelain walls were in pastel shades
but she enchanted them to display
all the stories I’d ever read,
a sight different for every person who looked.
Guests were regular and welcome,
the regents of my kingdoms and other neighbouring rulers
visiting often to hunt and relax.
That’s how I met him.
Prince Jem was not a first son,
and so his responsibilities were not overwhelming.
While official balls were being held
we would slip away and dance in the hallway,
the deep blue of the lapis lazuli creating
an enchanted land only we belonged to.
He loved exploring, but not alone,
enjoying comradery and sharing stories.
No one opposed our love,
a wedding date was already being discussed.
But it was all taken away, because of a deer.
Jem loved to hunt, we all did,
and we joined a small party for the sport.
Within a few hours we’d found a target.
Jem’s arrow pierced its side and
he rushed over to claim his prize.
But the deer had not been fully dead
as he bent to start gutting his prey.
Its leg shot out and struck him in the head,
so they lay there together,
neither to rise again.
Everyone grieved for his death,
all the more because of its stupidity.
No great deed or quest did he perish on,
just a harmless creature, already doomed to die.
I kept one of its feet as a reminder,
attaching a chain of diamonds and
using it as a doorbell. Any who came to
visit had to pull it, a cautionary tale
of how fragile humans really are.
Three years passed and still I mourned,
while others began to move on.
My godmother worried that I would die
alone, unless she intervened.
She gathered together all the castle’s occupants
and explained the spell she could cast.
‘My daughter will never love another,
but Prince Jem’s soul, like everyone’s, is eternal,
he’ll be reborn to live again.
My daughter’s one lifetime won’t be
long enough for a chance to reunite.
With your consent I will turn you all to cats,
a creature with nine lives, nine chances,
to win Prince Jem’s love and end the spell.
If she fails, you’ll die as felines,
but still enjoy nine lifetimes first.
If she succeeds, she’ll be happy and human,
able to live the rest of her life by his side.’
Many agreed, while others left,
volunteers arriving to take their place.
To live long, enchanted lives sounded ideal
to those already happy.
The spell was cast, my body melting away
into a smaller, agile physique, elegant and proud.
My fur a pure white, matching my name,
my eyes an enticing green.
My tail proved a delightful addition,
balancing and climbing a new art, a perfection.
A reminder of my past and future
dangles on my arm.
A bracelet containing his portrait.
We linger here in purgatory,
enjoying it more than our previous lives,
except for the memory of what could be.
Nine lives, nine chances to win him back,
and keep him safe from harm.
I wait within the carbuncle coated door,
it beckons him here each time.
He’ll enter the hallway of glittering dreams
and say he loves me, he always did.
He won’t be a double, it will be his own soul,
and perhaps, maybe, he’ll even remember me, his own Pearl.
Scribbled Thoughts 