1 Meet Poppy

 

  "Maybe just one more," Poppy said. She plucked a sea lily from the ocean floor and added it to the pretty bouquet in her hand.

  "How lovely," Aunt Bella said from her seat on the porch.

   

  "Pretty enough for a princess," their neighbor, Mrs. Fangtooth, told them. "Did you know that a princess lives in our city?"

  "Really?" Poppy asked.

  Mrs. Fangtooth nodded. "Yes, she's an enchanting young lady. Although sometimes she is a bit too noisy. I just saw her in the park on my way home from the library." Mrs. Fangtooth worked at the Trident City Library.

  "May I go to the park, Aunt Bella?" Poppy asked, thinking it would be exciting to meet a princess. One of Poppy's books showed a princess wearing a crown and waving to a crowd. Her fancy gown sparkled with jewels. She even had sparkles on her tail.

   

  What would it be like to be a princess? Surely everyone would be nice. Princesses could have candy for breakfast, lunch, and even dinner if they wanted! How fun would that be?

  Aunt Bella tapped her chin with her green tail. Poppy wished she was more like her aunt. Lots of merpeople had green tails. No one had a bright yellow tail with strange swirls like Poppy's!

  "Here, these are for you." Poppy pushed her bouquet into her aunt's hands.

  "All right, you may go," Aunt Bella said. "But you must stay where I can see you."

  Poppy grinned. That was easy. Their house was across the street from the park. Aunt Bella lived with Poppy, her mom, and Sam, Poppy's little brother.

  "But...," Aunt Bella added.

  Uh-oh! Poppy didn't like it when her aunt said "but." It usually meant something bad.

  "You must take Sam with you," Aunt Bella said.

  Oh no! That was bad. She liked her brother, but he liked nothing more than to get dirty, and he especially loved playing in the mud. Messy, yucky, not-princess-like mud.

  "Do I have to?" Poppy asked.

  "Yes, you do," Aunt Bella told her.

  Poppy nodded. It wouldn't be easy finding a princess with a muddy little merboy tagging along. But that was exactly what she was going to do. No matter what!

 

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Excerpted from The Princess Promise: A QUIX Book by Debbie Dadey
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.