A Very Grim (not Grimm) Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, a Princess was born. Her family was so grateful she was born, they named her Thank You. Imagine that! All she had done was to simply enter the world, and people expressed their gratefulness.

Unfortunately, everyone was so caught up in the general feeling of happiness and thankfulness, that no one noticed the Evil Apparition that cast a spell upon the poor hapless Princess. A spell that was so mean, it would eventually suck every ounce of thankful feeling from Thank You's very life.

"Because not one soul has ever been grateful for me," the Evil Apparition cackled, "this Princess will slowly be drained of the joy that the thankful acknowledgement others have given her, until she is as nameless as I!"

Unsuspecting of her future, Thank You skipped and danced through the world, smelling flowers, singing with woodland creatures, and generally spreading sweetness and light wherever she went.

The Princess grew up, and gradually learned how to cook, drive, do laundry, clean, and have a career. She also married and had two children. Her new family gave her a new name, one that she thought was beautiful; M.O.M. She happily left her old name, Thank You, behind...never suspecting that the Evil Apparition had actually whispered the name "M.O.M." into her family's ears...for, M.O.M. was not the entirety of the Princess' name, but an evil acronym designed to hide the insidious drain of thankfulness that had begun...

Over time, M.O.M. forgot that her name had ever been Thank You. She stopped skipping because she was too tired, and the woodland creatures no longer sang. The flowers even stopped blooming, because M.O.M never found the time to care for them, and nobody else ever would. "After all, M.O.M. is the only one who cares about flowers," her family reasoned, "so if she wants them, she should grow them!"

M.O.M. stopped hoping she would have money in her wallet, for her family needed it more. M.O.M. went to work every day, then cooked, cleaned, did laundry, and drove everyone wherever they wanted to go. She worked constantly to improve her referee skills. If she asked for help, her family grew angry because she was unable to meet her commitments.

She did her very best to meet everyone's schedules, for the things her family needed were So. Much. More. Important. than anything she might enjoy. Like sleep. Or going to the beach. Or having a meal prepared for her. Or buying something she wanted (it never, in her wildest dreams, occured to her to wish that her family would buy her something she wanted...An actual gift? That's crazy talk!). Also, if she messed up someone else's schedule, they would be mad at her. And, that's not fun.

One day, in desperation, M.O.M. collapsed in a heap as she found yet another note addressed to her outlining yet more chores her family expected her to complete. "Why, oh why," she cried, "doesn't someone help me...or at least say Thank You? If I do something correctly, there is no comment...but, if I fail to meet expectations my family is angry!"

As M.O.M. lay there, pondering the futility that had become her existence while crumpling and uncrumpling her to-do list, she began to remember that her name had once been Thank You. As she gazed at the tear-stained note, she realized that her new name appeared to be an acronym. "What," she screamed in an agonized voice, "has happened? What does this acronym, M.O.M., mean???"

Suddenly, M.O.M. heard an evil cackle. She looked up, and an Evil Apparition appeared before her tearstained face. "Who," she cried, "are you?"

The Evil Apparition laughed, "I am no-one. I am all. I have no name, and nor do you!"

"But-but, I do have a name!" she said, haltingly, huddled on the ground, "It is M.O.M.!"

"A name?" the Evil Apparition cackled, "M.O.M. is not a name! It is simply an acronym, which stands for Most Obvious Maid!"

Suddenly, the Truth became clear. Her name had been stolen. She was no-one. Just an unpaid maid.

As the Evil Apparition watched and cackled with glee, the girl who had once been told Thank You every time someone spoke her name - the one who had loved flowers, and sang with woodland creatures, rose up from the cold, wet ground. Thunder rumbled, and lightning flashed. An eathquake shook the ground, so violently that the ground cracked, as M.O.M. screamed into the sudden raging storm, "As God is my witness, I shall never be called M.O.M. again!"

The crack in the earth moved in a circle around her, and broke off from the rest of the world. As the one-time Princess floated away on her own little island, she smiled. She would never need any name again. She lay down in the warm sand and went to sleep. Also, she lived happily ever after.

The End