The Princess who wore twenty skirts

Characters:
King/Narrator: Pari
Queen/Narrator: Jahnavi
Princess/Oak: Myra
Governess/Narrator: Dheemahi

Script

Narrator (Pari): This is a story from the land of

Holland. Many, many centuries ago there lived a King
and a Queen who had a beautiful daughter. The
princess was lovely to look at and that she knew very
well. So great was her love for nature and the woods
that she would play in the mud all day, run around
with the animals every morning and evening so that by
the time she returned to the palace, her hair would be
as tangled as a bird’s nest.
Governess: Ooh! My dear princess! How am I ever
going to get rid of these tangles in your hair?
Princess: I don’t know! That is your job!
Governess: Please do come and sit and let me comb
your hair. This might hurt a bit!
(combs her hair)
Princess: Ou! Can’t you do anything right? You are
such auroch!
(governess tears up)
Governess: Ahh! An auroch! Your majesty called me
akin to a buffalo?! That is so rude princess!
Princess: Learn to comb my hair well and then we
shall speak of rudeness! Auroch!
(another governess brings hot water)
Princess: Ou! The water is so hot! Can’t anyone do
anything right around here!
Narrator (Jahnavi): As you may have noticed, the
princess’ behaviour was nearly not as lovely as her
face. The Queen spoke of the princess’ petulance to the
king.
Queen: Ahh! What shall we do of our daughter?
Narrator: (Jahnavi): The king loved his daughter dearly
and could not bear to think of punishing her. He only
assured the queen.
King: Well, our daughter is not all bad, my dear. She
shares my love for animals and trees and things of the
forest. See, how tenderly she cares for the calf she
found injured in the forest once?
Queen: Yes, my dear, I know how dearly she cares for
the animals but-
King: Say no more my dear, I shall think of some way.
Narrator (Dheemahi): While, the king drew solace from
the princess’ behaviour towards animals, he was
worried about the kind of queen she would make. So,
he took the worries in her heart and carried it to his
favourite spot in the forest. The spot where his old
friend, the great oak had stood. He then suddenly
remembered what his old friend had said when he was
about to die.
Oak: When I and the auroch die make a skirt out my
wood and make your daughter wear it when she mis
behaves and also make a comb from the auroch’ s
horn. Then she would find a flower on the exact spot
where I stand which will make your kingdom
prosperous.
Narrator (Dheemahi): Remembering what his old
friends had said, the king’s worried heart saw a ray of
hope. He rushed to the palace and ordered to make the
skirt and the comb immediately.
Queen: Ahh! Our daughter once again has made the
governess cry with her rudeness. What shall we do?
King: Call her here
Narrator (Dheemahi): The princess was called for.
When she arrived,
King: I hear you have been misbehaving again!
Princess: Father, they all are so use-
King: Enough! Henceforth you shall comb your hair
with this (shows the comb). And from now on
whenever you misbehave, you shall wear this wooden
skirt.
Princess: Father! But I-
King: No questions and no discussion. Wear this now!
Narrator (Jahnavi): And so, it came to be. Whenever
the princess was rude or misbehaved, she was made to
wear the wooden skirt. The princess did not like it at
all and then her behaviour soon started to become
better.
Princess: I do so love the feel of this comb! It is so soft!
Governess: But your hair are so tangled, Your Majesty.
It might hurt.
Princess: Yes, it might dear governess, but don’t worry
I shall be very still.
(governess bringing hot water slips)
Princess: Oh my! Are you alright?
Governess: Oh, I’m sorry, I am so very sorry Your
Majesty!
Princess: As long as you are ok, it is fine! Don’t worry,
anyone can slip like that!
(princess consoles the governess)
Narrator (Pari): Soon there was no need for the
princess to wear the wooden skirt. She became the
prettiest and the kindest in the kingdom. One day as
she went into the woods as usual, she reached the
spot where the old oak had once been. And she saw
the prettiest, daintiest flower there ever was. She took
the flower to the palace and showed it to her mother.
Princess: Mother! See what I found in the forest today!
Queen: That is no ordinary flower dear, that is flax
Princess: Flax! What is that?
Narrator (Dheemahi): Soon the queen told the princess
how to roast the flax and extract the flax from the
flower and spin it into soft linen. Before long, the
entire forest had become a huge field bearing flax
flowers and everyone in the kingdom was spinning flax
into soft linen. The princess loved the linen so much
that one day,
Princess: Ohh! The skirt feels so soft! Bring me
another!
Look at the flare it gives! Bring me one more!
Oh! The more I wrap, the more gorgeous it looks! Get
me one more
Narrator (Jahnavi): The princess wore twenty skirts in
all. The Fashion spread all around the kingdom, and
every girl, every woman and every bride had to have
twenty skirts around them.
Princess: When we are willing to accept our fault and
work on them, we become light hearted and joyful.
Then people around us feel comfortable and never
leave during our odd times.