Once upon a time there was a princess named Valentina. She wore a crown-bow in her long, wavy locks and ruled the world with a big smile...while she was at Nana’s.

Princess Valentina loved to be pulled around in her chariot and watch the ducks swim on the pond. Sometimes she ran and played with the dog, but mostly she just wanted to pet the horses across the road.

Princess Valentina wanted to feel the shiny coats and the soft muzzle of each beautiful horse. She wanted to sniff their horsey scent as she nuzzled their coat and hugged their neck. The red one, the yellow one and even the little grey one with the funny voice.

Finally, the princess was almost grown; she was capable of running, had attended school for some time and was able to tell everyone exactly what she desired! “I wanna pet the horsies!” she demanded.

Donning her favorite fashions and newest crown-bow, Princess Valentina was prepared for the long awaited event. No breakfast for her, no sir. All this princess required for life was the scent and touch of a velvety steed. It was all she could think about. All she dreamed of. Every night the dancing ponies filled her dreams as they galloped across the sky. Their manes flowing in the twilight, glitter cascading down and settling on her eyelashes. Round and round and round they danced and pranced. Taunting her with their whinny’s, rearing on their back legs as they waved her to them.

In her dreams they called to her, “Neeeyyyy...neeyyy. When will you pet my soft and shiny coat? When can we nuzzle your beautiful crown-bow? Neeyyy…”

Finally, after a very long and painful wait, she got up before the sun, ready for her dreams and all her wishes to finally come true.

Dancing and twirling, jumping up and down, she waited for the door to open so she could run to her beloved ponies.

“WAIT!” her family called. But their calls fell on ears that wouldn’t hear, the princess was already at the fence and her beautiful horses were nibbling at her crown-bow.

Ah-she had made it. After all the waiting, the staring from afar, the dreaming and wishing, she was breathing in the smell of the horses. Oh, what a lovely scent it was. Stroking the strong neck and soft coat of the shiny one, she realized she had never felt anything as wonderful as this. So soft was his coat, she could barely feel it at all.

Suddenly she wanted more than anything to ride that horse!

Jumping up and down, squealing with delight, she begged to ride the shiny, beautiful horse just like in her dreams!

But he ran away.

Princess Valentina gasped and then burst into tears. The horse was gone.

A cloud of dust swirled around her and then finally settled, revealing a big empty space where her dream once stood.

Broken hearted, she turned for home.

Exhausted from her early morning, the excitement, and the sudden disappointment; Princess Valentina cried herself to sleep.

Dancing across the sky, over the rainbows and under the moon, Princess Valentina rode her beloved pony. They ran through the clouds and tiptoed on the stars.

When she was on the back of the beautiful horse as he pranced through her dreams with flair, glitter and a huge crown-bow, Valentina was the happiest princess of all.

The End