Once upon a time there was a little girl who lived deep in the suburbs of a northeastern city. She loved being told the fairy tales about kings, queens, witches, wolves and wonders. When she had her own little children, she loved telling them the same stories. When her children grew up and moved away, she told the stories to her grandsons. They grew up too and she became an old woman.

She thought there still might be some magic in the world so she carved a portrait of a princess on a wooden block. She inked it. But instead of printing the image on paper, she dampened a piece of cotton, pinned it down, and printed the image on the cotton.

Instantly, the princess came to life and spoke to the old woman.

“Printing is a simple trick,
Print another, print it quick!”

So the old woman printed another princess and another and another and when she had an edition, all the princesses spoke to her.

“Can you appliqué a crown for me?” asked one.
“Paint a background here!," said another.
“Perhaps you can stitch a tiara for me," said a third.

The old woman made prints of birds and animals and swimmers and insects and princes and babies and teenagers and each one was unique. They continue to speak to the old woman to this day and if you look closely, they will speak to you, too.

The End
Fay Stanford