It is high time that we checked back in with our friends John and Benjamin the Mouse, who are still where we last left them, in the mushroom kingdom.
The last time we left them, Benjamin the Mouse had been counseling John to leave as soon as possible, but John still wanted to spend some time getting to know the Princess Kolet.
It has now been several days since then, and John and Benjamin are still in the mushroom kingdom. John has continued to meet the mushroom princess every day in the library for 30 minutes. They have continued meeting in secret, with only the Chief Minister and Kolet’s lady-in-waiting Aurora knowing about it.
At last, Benjamin the Mouse decided to have a talk with John. “It’s time to leave,” he told John. “We’ve already been at this Mushroom Kingdom for too long already.”
“I know,” said John. “I know. And yet, I can’t leave. Not yet. I’m still getting to know the princess.”
“John, we’ve been through this,” Benjamin said.
“I know, I know,” John said. “I just…” John tried to put his thoughts into words, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t possibly explain to Benjamin the affection he felt for the princess, or how heartbroken he would be if he had to leave. And he knew that no matter what he could say, Benjamin the Mouse would just remind him of how futile a romance was between a mushroom and a human. So John just gave up, and said, “I just can’t leave Benjamin. Not yet. I know I’m being stupid. I can’t explain it to you. You can leave without me if you want.”
Now it was Benjamin’s turn to struggle for words. He couldn’t very well leave his friend behind--he wasn’t that kind of a mouse. But how could he get John to understand that there was no possible way they could remain here?
“I’m sure you’ve probably noticed,” Benjamin began, “that our continued presence here is beginning to confuse our hosts. At least, it’s beginning to confuse the King. He was very happy to welcome you into his kingdom at first, and he was even more gratified when you wanted to stay and learn about the kingdom, but he’s a bit confused now as to what you’re doing. I think he’s wondering if you intend to stay and become a permanent house guest.”
“Just a few more days,” John pleaded.
Benjamin sighed. “John, you’re smart, so I suspect you’re smart enough to realize that you’re lying to yourself. You know that a few more days aren’t going to make any difference. In a few days time, you’ll be no more prepared to leave the princess than you are now. In fact, if anything, a few more days in her company will even deepen your attachment to her.” John started to open his mouth, but Benjamin kept talking. “Wait John, hear me out. I’m not trying to be the bad guy here. I want to help you. But first, you need to decide what it is you actually want to do. Do you want to stay in the Mushroom Kingdom indefinitely? If so, we perhaps need to talk to the King. Maybe he’ll let you stay for a few weeks or a few months. I can come back and meet you then. Or do you want to say your goodbyes to the princess and move on? What do you want?”
John looked down at his feet. “I don’t know,” he said.
“I know you don’t,” said Benjamin sympathetically. “You have no idea what you want. I know. But you need to make up your mind. Take the day to think about it, and then tell me in the morning.”
John nodded.
“Good,” said Benjamin. “Now, let’s get something to eat.”
************************************************************************
The next morning, John met Princess Kolet in the library as usual. She noticed he was disturbed, and asked him what the problem was.
“I suppose there’s no point in attempting to hide it from you,” John said. “I am upset because I have grown quite fond of you over the past few days, and now I must leave you.”
“Leave me!” she exclaimed. “But why?”
“Princess, you know I am not a proper resident of your royal castle. I am only a guest of your fathers, and I cannot continue staying here forever without his permission. I am afraid to ask for fear that your father might say no. So I have come to ask for your advice. Do you think your father would let me stay on in this castle as a permanent guest?”
“Of course he will,” Kolet blurted out as a quick reaction. But then, once the words were out of her mouth, she thought about it carefully. “I don’t know,” she said. “He will be very curious as to why you want to stay. He knows that you are seeking out the fairies so that you can be returned to your normal size, so he might not understand why you do not want to leave.”
“Our other option,” said John, “is to tell him about us, and explain that we are in love.”
Tears trickled down Kolet’s cheek. “That he will never accept,” she said. “You are a human. I am a mushroom. And moreover, I am a princess. When I marry, I need to provide the kingdom with royal offspring to someday rule in the palace. But…”
“Yes, I know,” said John. “I’ve been thinking the same thing. Perhaps it is better that we part. In the long term, I think we both know we have no future together. In the short term, I’ve enjoyed your company very much over the past few days, but…”
But John was cut off by the sound of Kolet crying. “Oh, how cruel you are to say so,” she said. “How could you say such a thing?”
John put his arm around Kolet’s shoulders. (Mushrooms don’t really have a distinctive neck, since their whole body is one straight stalk, but there is an area where the arms join with the rest of the stalk that might approximate what we humans call shoulders.) “Forgive me,” he said. “I didn’t mean to be callous.”
It was the first time they had ever touched each other. During all their talks before, they had always kept a respectful distance from each other. Now, they felt the touch of the other. Kolet, aware of what had just happened, stopped crying and looked up at John, although her eyes were still wet with tears.
“Forgive me,” John said again. “Perhaps I have become overly familiar with you.” Although he did not immediately move his arm. He was watching the princess to see what she would say next.
“Your touch is not unwelcome,” Kolet said. “And yet, any comfort I may have gotten from it is overwhelmed by the feeling of grief at your departure.”
“I wish I could stay here,” said John.
“You should not,” said Kolet. “What kind of life could you have here? What you should wish is that I could accompany you.”
“Fine then,” said John. “I wish you could accompany me.”
“And that is the dearest wish of my heart as well,” said Kolet. “For the truth is, I have been unhappy in this palace for many years now. I long to explore the forest, and see it in all its beauty. But I am never allowed to leave the palace. My father is very protective of me. He is kind and loving, but his love can be suffocating. What time are you planning to leave?”
“I don’t know,” said John. “I will make my goodbyes to your father tomorrow, and perhaps set out the following day.”
“No,” said Kolet. “We must leave tonight. I will go with you. We will sneak out of the palace before anyone suspects--”
“My Princess!” John said in alarm.
“Shh! Be quiet and listen to me. There are guards stationed outside the palace every night, but they are there to protect the palace against outside intruders, and as such are only guarding the entrances. They are not watching to make sure that no one is climbing out of the windows. Of course we’ll still have to be careful, because if they see us accidentally…”
John shook his head back and forth forcefully. “Princess I cannot do it. I cannot betray your father’s hospitality in this way.”
“You are betraying nothing. I am not some sort of object that you are taking from the palace. I am my own self, and I am leaving of my own free will.”
“But where will we go? What will we do?”
“We will travel to the land of the fairies together.”
“My princess,” John said as gently as he could, “the reason I was travelling to the land of the fairies was in the hopes of being returned to my original size.”
“Do you still wish to return to your original size now that you have met me?” she asked.
John paused. “I don’t know. I don’t know what kind of a life I would live if I were not returned to my original size. I don’t know anything about surviving in this forest on my own. If your father would not let us return to the palace…” John’s voice trailed off as he realized that he hadn’t thought through the implications of any of this yet. This whole conversation was taking him off guard.
“It’s okay, you don’t need to answer,” she said. “All I want to do is to make the journey with you to the land of the fairies. I’ve always wanted to get out of this palace and be able to see the forest for myself. But even more than that, it will be time we can spend together before we finally have to say goodbye.”
John thought about arguing, but he realized that he was running out of objections to say to the princess. And he also was realizing that he no longer wished to object. He wanted her to come with him. There was just one last thing that made him pause. “My Princess, the forest can be very dangerous for small creatures.”
“Then all the more reason for me to go,” she said. “Someone has to protect you.”
John laughed. “Alright,” he said. “Let’s do it then. Where shall I meet you?”
“You can come into my chambers at midnight,” said the Princess. “Aurora, my lady-in-waiting will let you in.”
“Alright,” said John.
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