Princess Shari-Mary and the Black Bogle

Once there was a little princess named Shari-Mary. Shari-Mary loved bright colours. She was a friend to all the brightly coloured things in her kingdom, and she wore their colours in her clothes. Her shoes were as red as the roses, her stockings were as orange as the rocks on the road, her skirt was a yellow as the sunshine, her sash was as green as the grass, her blouse was as blue as the sky, and her crown was of purple amethysts like the mountains at the edge of her kingdom.

Every morning when she woke up, Shari-Mary said good-morning to the bright yellow sunbeam that shone into her room. But one morning, the sunbeam wasn't bright and yellow. It was pale and gray.

"Sunbeam!" said Shari-Mary. "What happened to your bright yellow colour?"

"The Black Bogle stole it," said the sunbeam. "Well, why don't you chase him and get it back?" said Princess Shari-Mary.

"I can't chase him," said the sunbeam. "I'm just a little sunbeam. I don't have feet to run after him or hands to catch him."

Now, Shari-Mary was just a little princess, but she was bigger than a sunbeam, and she did have hands and feet. So she said bravely, "Don't worry little sunbeam. I'll chase the Black Bogle and get your colour back. And in the mean time," she said, sighing a little, "you can share my colour."

So the little sunbeam soaked up all the bright yellow from Princess Shari-Mary's skirt, until her skirt was dull and gray.

Princess Shari-Mary went to the window and looked out, to see if she could tell where the Black Bogle had gone. The sky overhead was pale and gray. Princess Shari-Mary gasped in amazement.

"Sky!" said Shari-Mary. "What happened to your bright blue colour?"

"The Black Bogle stole it," said the sky.

"Well, why don't you chase him and get it back? You're not too little. You cover the whole world" said Princess Shari-Mary.

"I cover the whole world," said the sky, "but I'm made of nothing. I can't chase him."

Now, Shari-Mary was just a little princess, but she wasn't made of nothing. So she said bravely, "Don't worry, sky. I'll chase the Black Bogle and get your colour back. And in the mean time," she said, sighing a little, "you can share my colour."

So the sky soaked up all the bright blue from Princess Shari-Mary's blouse, until her blouse was dull and gray.

Princess Shari-Mary went from the palace. The palace garden was covered with soft green grass. But today, the grass wasn't bright and green. It was pale and gray.

"Grass!" said Shari-Mary. "What happened to your bright green colour?"

"The Black Bogle stole it," said the blades of grass.

"Oh, you poor little things," said Princess Shari-Mary. "And you can't chase him, can you, because you're rooted to the soil.

"That's right," said the blades of grass sadly.

Now, Shari-Mary was just a little princess, but she was bigger than the blades of grass. So she said, "Don't worry, little blades of grass. I'll chase the Black Bogle and get your colour back from the Black Bogle. And in the mean time," she sighed, "you can share my colour."

So the little blades of grass soaked up all the bright green from Princess Shari-Mary's sash, until her sash was dull and gray.

Princess Shari-Mary went past the rose-hedge that bordered the palace garden. The roses weren't their usual bright red. They were pale and gray.

"Roses!" said Shari-Mary. "Did that Black Bogle steal your bright red colour, too?"

"Yes," said the roses sadly.

Now, Shari-Mary was just a little princess, but she was bigger and stronger than a rose. So she said bravely, "Don't worry little roses. I'm going to catch that Black Bogle and get back the yellow for the sunbeam and the blue for the sky and the green for the grass, and I'll get back your colour too. And in the mean time," she sighed, "you can share my colour."

So the little roses soaked up all the bright red from Princess Shari-Mary's shoes, until her shoes were dull and gray.

Princess Shari-Mary carried on to the road that led away from the palace. The stones of the road, which were usually orange, were dull gray.

"Stones!" said Shari-Mary. "Did the Black Bogle come this way and steal your colour?"

"Yes," said the stones. "He ran away toward the mountains."

"Don't worry," said Princess Shari-Mary. "I'm going to catch that Black Bogle and get back the yellow for the sunbeam and the blue for the sky and the green for the grass and the red for the roses, and I'll get back your colour too. And in the mean time," she sighed, "you can share my colour."

So the little stones of the road soaked up all the bright orange from Princess Shari-Mary's stockings, until her stockings were dull and gray.

Now Shari-Mary was dressed all in gray with only her crown bright purple.

Princess Shari-Mary carried on toward the purple mountains at the edge of her kingdom. But today, the mountains weren't purple. They were just plain gray.

"Mountains!" said Shari-Mary. "Did the Black Bogle come this way?"

"Yes," said the mountains. "He stole our purple colour. Now he's hiding in his cave at the top of the mountains."

"Well, I'm going straight to that cave to get back all the colours he has stolen," said Princess Shari-Mary. "And in the mean time," she sighed, "you can share my colour."

So the mountains soaked up all the bright purple from Princess Shari-Mary's crown, until it was dull and gray.

Shari-Mary climbed up into the mountains. Her clothes were all dull and gray, so no-one noticed her climbing up the slopes, not even the Black Bogle. He was fast asleep in the back of his cave.

Princess Shari-Mary tip-toed into the Black Bogle's Caves. Sitting in the middle of the Black Bogle's dining table was a beautiful magic crystal, full of all the colours he had stolen. Princess Shari-Mary picked up the crystal and started back out of the cave.

Just then, the Black Bogle woke up. "WHO IS THAT IN MY CAVE!" he bellowed.

Princess Shari-Mary was so frightened that she dropped the magic crystal. It shattered into a million sparkling bits, and the colours all spilled out. They poured down the mountain-side in a beautiful rainbow, ending right in the middle of the palace garden. Shari-Mary jumped onto the rainbow and slid down it to get away from the Black Bogle. The colours flowed out of the rainbow into all the things whose colours had been stolen, and rubbed off the rainbow onto Shari-Mary's clothes. So once again, Princess Shari-Mary's kingdom was full of brightly coloured things, and Shari-Mary wore their colours on her clothes.

And as for the Black Bogle, he roared "HARRUMPH!" and stomped back into his cave.