The Princess who lost her Hair

Art: Anna Lemos, 11, India

Like all girls, Princess Maya was pretty.

She had gentle manners and lovely long hair. 

Every day, her mother, the Queen, who loved her daughter’s hair, combed it one hundred and one times to make it shiny. She plaited it beautifully with her delicate fingers and wove rainbow-coloured ribbons into the braids. Then she placed a little golden crown on the top of the Princess’ head and kissed her.

Princess Maya had many friends. While the Queen combed her hair, her friends waited patiently and admired her plaited hair. The Princess, in turn, plaited their hair too. They played all day in the palace garden and in the forest next to it.

The girls flitted about with butterflies and bees.

They picked flowers from the forest like fairies. 

One day when Princess Maya’s friends came to play, they found the Princess in her bed. She was feeling feeble and faint. 

They said,

“Come Princess, let’s go out to play

It is such a bright beautiful day.”

Princess Maya weakly replied,

“Dear friends, I cannot come today

When I am feeling better, I may.”

Her friends went out to play but it was not much fun without Princess Maya.

The next day, her friends came to the palace again.

They said,

“Come Princess, let’s go out to play

It is such a bright beautiful day.”

Princess Maya was still in bed.

With a face as pale as paper, she replied,

“Dear friends, I cannot come today

When I am feeling better, I may.”

Her friends went out to play sadly. On the way back they brought wildflowers to put in her hair. It cheered up the Princess a little.

Day after day, Princess Maya’s friends came to the palace to invite her to play with them. Unfortunately, Princess Maya became paler with each passing day. She did not laugh anymore.

The King and the Queen were worried about Princess Maya’s illness. None of the physicians in the kingdom could heal her. Finally the King sent out his messengers to announce a big reward for the person who could cure Princess Maya’s illness.

The King and the Queen waited hopefully for many days but nobody took up the challenge. 

Princess Maya could no longer leave her bed. Everybody thought that she would not live long. Her friends were unhappy.

One day her friends were collecting wildflowers in the forest and weeping for their beloved Princess.

The Old Man from the Forest saw them. 

He said to them in a shaky voice,

“Your tears drop like a thousand pearls

Why are you so sad, little girls?” 

The girls sobbed,

"For our dear Princess we mourn,

She might die of an illness unknown." 

The Old Man from the Forest listened while he stroked his long white beard. He said,

“Little girls, lead me to your Princess, 

I will try to cure her strange illness.” 

When he saw Princess Maya, he held her soft white hand and felt her pulse for a long time.

Then he looked up at the King, who stood anxiously by her bedside, and said,

“Your Majesty, although I am just a woodland doctor,

My remedies will restore the Princess’ laughter.” 

The King and the Queen looked at each other and smiled. They held hands and hoped for the best.

The Old Man from the Forest foretold,

“The medicine I administer is very strong.

The Princess will not have her hair for long.”

“Oh dear!” the Queen sighed.

“Will she live?” the King cried.

The Old Man from the Forest nodded.

“If she does survive this malady

 I will reward you handsomely,” promised the King.

“The reward, my Lord, is not what I seek,

I hate to see tears on the Princess’ cheek” said the Old Man from the Forest. 

The Princess took the medicine every day. Soon she became better and better. Her hair, however, became thinner and thinner.

One day, Princess Maya got up from her bed and walked about in her room. When she came to the mirror, she realised that she had lost all her lovely long hair. She was very sad. She could not wear her little golden crown anymore because it looked a bit odd on her bare head. 

Her friends came to meet her every day. They were sorry to see her lose all her hair.

Sometimes they brought her colourful silk scarves or wreaths of wildflowers to cover her bare head. 

When Princess Maya was completely better and no longer had to take medicines, her friends came to invite her to play.

They said,

“Come Princess, let’s go out to play

It is a bright beautiful day.”

Princess Maya took off her silk scarf and replied,

“Yes, I would love to come to play

But, you see, I have no hair.”

Then her friends had a clever idea.  They brought some henna and painted a pretty crown pattern on Princess Maya’s head. The Princess looked beautiful but in a different way. She began to smile because she liked her new crown.

Her friends wanted to have henna patterns on their own heads too. So they shaved off their hair and the Queen painted pretty henna patterns on their heads.

One day, while playing, they met The Old Man from the Forest.  He saw the Princess with her henna crown and recognised her. 

“Dear Old Man from the Forest, thank you,

Your medicines gave me a life anew,”

said Princess Maya with gratefulness.

The Old Man from the Forest said,

“Dear Princess, soon your hair will grow

As lovely and long as it was before.”  

Princess Maya and her friends danced with joy. In good time, Princess Maya’s hair grew and grew and became as lovely as it was before. 

The girls flitted about with butterflies and bees.

They picked flowers from the forest like fairies. 

(An original story by Aashoo. Inspired by and dedicated to Jhumpa Chakraborty and other cancer survivors. Protected by Copyright, 2015)