The Cinderella prince

Press, 3 February 1981, Page 16

The Cinderella prince

; In. tliis.. fairy story, a: brave “St. George” kills a dragon and wins the hand of a fair maiden. It has a surprise Cinderella ending in whiclf the- roles of hero and heroine are reversed. The real, hero of the story is a bull who foils the wicked stepmother and rescues the young prince in a land of almost incredible make-believe.

The king and queen had one son, Billy, whom they adored. Like all children Billy loved animals. His . favourite pet was a bull, a rather large and savage pet for a small boy; but it was not an ordinary bull. ? As the years passed Billy’s, attachment to.' thfi t' bull did . not : wane. For some reason this pleased his mother. . ' When the queen became ill she begged her busband

not to separate Billy from his beloved;, pet. Perhaps she jenejv the bull’s secret. The king promised, and he kept his word long, after his wife . had died and’he had'married a sec< ond time. . . / The stepmother did hot like Billy, but most of all she hated the bull.- j;Time and again she; tried to..persuade the king to self the bull, but: he always refused. At last, by a clever ' ruse she arranged to have the bull, destroyed, liftlei knowing that by her deed. she < was bringing disaster-, upon herself. ' ■h The: bull was magic one. /He: was... aware, of th® .queen’s enmity?And' he had a plan to curb Her / conniving ways, but' he hided his time, - , When : the-. opportunity arose the bull attacked, the •

queen-, anti trampled on > her. She did not . die but she was badly maimed. In the confusion that ' followed ;the incident, the J bull galloped ;a\yay >-with. :* $? ;the on --fife. . bagfe'-Together'they jour- ' neyed. to ■a': distant -land /. . where .Billy would be-safe ■ . from 'hisT-treacherous step- J ’ and . able to make . his way? alone. . , ? The biill gave /the prince •three parting.- gifts, each . / /having a magic quality — a table -napkin to ensure A that he, would ’ never be - hungry, -a’Stick to clear , '.. his path and overcome di-J’.. -,/fficulfies, and a bull’s" hide hiqa frpm, in-. ' . ,-jury and death. > . V ” ’ The prince 1 was en- * trusted<.wifh. ■ the magic ginsYofiicondition that he ■ 'used, - them to . fight the I'power 'of evil,., ‘

The young man used his magic gifts well. One day the prince learned about the plight of a king’s daughter who was to be taken by a. terrible dragon with 12 ugly heads and 12 mouths , all spitting ■fire : - at-\tbe sanie . time. ’’Billy -joined the crowd to ' watch the bravest warrior in the land slay the monster- ’' But nothing happened. ;The warrior was terrified at the sight of the hideous: monster, and he ran away.The doomed princess, appealed to . the crowds to ■slye h'er ; from the dragonV ■ Only oh?"' maii 'pa^tie'-}-for; ward, and' yoiK ; :ca’m guess who it was. Wearing his. leather belt • and brandishing the .magic v stick the .prince charged at the dragon.- In a long and"

thrilling tussle the excited crowd watched the nimble stranger elude the lumber- ■ ,ing monster which at ' times became confused by its own smoke.. Not- even 1? heads, sheets of flame and billowing’smoke could daunt the wielder of the V magic'Stick.' When the .-horrible bogey had, been laid to rest, the hero -hastily left ' the scene of triumph. As he galloped away the princess grabbed one of «• his shoes which had come untied in. the struggle. From that moment the girl,' vowed she would marry nobody . the .. wearer of/the "s^oe,-\?, /i’r' Eventually the male-Cin-derella ■ - Was foiirid. The < princess ; married the ex-, iled prince and the two; lived .together-? ‘ happily ever after, ' ’ ' i s*-.-. : .