A long time ago, there was a princess of the great heavens. Still very young and early in her training, she chose not to speak to people and focused only on her work. She would refuse her mentor’s advice to meet and become friends with the villagers.
‘It’s a waste of my time’ the princess would often say.
One day, the princess would walk to her workshop and find a little orange fox at her doorway.
‘Why do you stand by my door every day?’ the princess asked.
The fox nervously scratched its fur as it responded, ‘Oh dear princess, I am a bored and tired fox, and I yearn for someone to play with!’
‘Then go into the woods and play with some other creatures. I am very busy,’ replied the princess.
‘But princess, I am sick and weak, and I cannot catch up with the other creatures. I see the light that you make from your work every night, and would love to play with your dancing lights!’ The fox would approach her with a wistful curiosity.
The princess reaffirmed ‘I will not play with you. Please go away and bother someone else.’
The fox worriedly spun in circles, chasing its tail. ‘You are the only one with the dancing lights! If I don’t get to play with you, I will cry and wail until you spend time with me!’
‘I don’t want to play with foxes. Cry all you want, I will not come out to play with you,’ and the princess would shut her door.
The princess would continue her work, and ignored the fox at her doorway every morning. And every night, she would hear the wailing and howling of a lonely fox outside her door. Every day she would see the orange fox, and every night she would hear the howling of the fox outside.
One day, the princess tired herself out on a great project, and yearned for a good night’s sleep. And when she heard the fox’s crying, she decided that she had enough. She would pick a metal lantern from her workshop and walk out one night, looking for the fox.
‘Where are you?’ the princess shouted. ‘I am tired of your wailing and I need to sleep!’
The fox stopped howling, and curiously approached. ‘Have you come out to play with me?’
‘No! I am going to take my lantern and chase you far away from this village, so I can sleep without your howling!’
The exhausted princess could not catch up to the fox as she chased it around the village. All around, the villagers awoke to the screaming of an angry princess accompanied by the happy yips of a fox. Every lantern lit up as villagers watched the fox joyfully lead the princess’s lantern here and there and everywhere.
The princess tripped over her feet and dropped her lantern with a loud CLANG! And the fox would bite and pick up the lantern.
‘Now it’s my turn to hold the dancing light!’
The villagers watched with great interest at the sudden performance of the princess and the fox. The princess would spend all night chasing the fox for her lantern, until she was too tired and gave up. And the next night, the fox would sit there with her stolen lantern, waiting to play with the princess once again.
