A Messed-Up Fairy Tale

A long, long time ago—last week to be exact—there lived a beautiful girl named Tiffany. Tiffany was the princess of her family, or at least she thought she was, because her father always called her his little princess. Tiffany knew it was important to act like a princess at all times, which was why she was so good at bossing around her little brother, Tommy.

“Get me some chocolate milk!” Tiffany screamed at Tommy when she was thirsty. “Get me a bowl of grapes!” Tiffany screamed at Tommy when she was hungry. “Get me whatever I want!” Tiffany screamed . . . because she believed she should have exactly that.

One day, Tiffany became extremely sick. She had the flu and was quite miserable, but even being sick didn’t stop her from screaming at her little brother. “Get me some tissues! Get me some hot tea! Get me more blankets!”

By the time her father got home from work and checked on her, she had worked herself into quite a state. “What’s the matter with my princess?” Her father’s look of concern was Tiffany’s undoing, and she burst into tears. “I have been stuck here all day, and Tommy won’t even come to see me. No matter how much I called, he wouldn’t come.”

Knowing how his daughter was, the father asked, “Did you ask him nicely?”

Puzzled, Tiffany asked, “What do you mean?” Her father explained that even a princess needs to be kind when asking for help.

The next morning, Tiffany yelled for her brother, “Tommy! Get me some chicken noodle soup, get me some medicine, and get me a fluffy pillow!” Tommy’s sigh could be heard throughout the house. He threw the pillows at his sister and walked out the door. What? You didn’t really think Tiffany would suddenly become nice, did you?

And so, Tiffany’s poor little brother Tommy lived unhappily ever after . . . or at least until Tiffany moved out and went to college.