The Nearsighted Princess (A modern fairytale)

This is a unique fairytale. It doesn't involve a prince saving a damsel in distress, or a dragon wreaking havoc on the countryside, or a disgruntled witch who lives deep in the woods. Instead, it is the story of an ordinary, visually challenged girl.

Once upon a time, there was a princess who couldn't see very well. In fact, she was so nearsighted that she was practically farsighted as well. It didn't bother her too much because she had been that way since she was very young, and the kingdom's inventors has created lenses that made her able to see. Still, sometimes she wished that she could just see like normal people. She wondered what it would be like to wake up in the morning and look around her bedroom and actually be able to clearly see the objects that were in it.

One day, she went to see a wizard in the kingdom and asked him about it. He told her that a procedure could be done that would fix her eyes permanently. She was ecstatic, but a little wary of the wizard's promise. Would it really work? What if something went wrong and she went blind? These and many other questions swirled around her head, making her nervous. She told the wizard she would think about it and get back to him.

The princess went to the royal library to investigate. She found out that a lot had been written about the procedure and read everything she could get her hands on. Finally, she was satisfied and told the wizard that she wanted him to fix her eyes. They scheduled an appointment for a fortnight hence, and the princess skipped home happily.

The next two weeks were torture. She had to wear glasses rather than contacts in preparation for the procedure, and they kept sliding down her nose and falling off her face. Plus, they made her much clumsier because she didn't have peripheral vision. But, she got through the annoyance, and told herself repeatedly that it would be worth it when the procedure was over.

Finally the day of the procedure came. The princess wasn't nervous until several of the other courtiers in the castle asked her if she was. Then the old questions and doubts came back. "

What if I go blind?" she thought. "This could be the last day of my life that I see."

Shortly thereafter, the princess told herself to stop being melodramatic, and she sallied forth to meet her fate.

At the wizard's chambers, she waited for a long time before they actually called her name. The princess passed the time by reading just about every magazine in the waiting room and staring at the walls. Finally, it was her turn. She was taken back to a small, dimly lit room and told to sit in a chair. They leaned the chair back and told her to look at a magical, flashing orange light. The wizard talked her through the whole procedure and ten minutes later, she was done! It was that simple!

Already, the princess could see better than before, although the world was a little hazy. It would only be a matter of days before the princess would be able to see perfectly and the scratchiness in her eyes would fade away. And she lived happily--with 20/20 vision--ever after.

P.S. - Stay tuned for the next installment of the story: The Not-so-nearsighted Princess Finds Her Prince! (Publication date is yet unknown, but the author is open to suggestions on how the plot of the sequel should unfold.)