Munni’s Cardboard Princess

Munni and her family have shifted to a new city due to her father’s job. Here they have come to such an apartment where there aren’t many children of Munni’s age. Secondly,0 as she is new here she couldn’t make any friends in the housing society. She has been admitted to a new school where she has to adjust to the new environment. So Munni is sad and her mother is worried how to make her cope with this new situation. When she is at school Naina remains relieved but on weekends she becomes worried. To make Munni engage in some work Naina asked her to draw. She bought some drawing books, drawing copy colour pencils and crayons for her.  

Munni loves to draw very much. She sketches anywhere and everywhere she likes, be it in drawing copy or behind any classwork copies. She doesn’t draw anything from imagining but copy them from the Learn Drawing books that her mom bought for her. Till now she has drawn ball kite basket fruits. On her eighth birthday, her cousin gifted an illustration book full of Barbie princesses and their pets. She was so happy that she spent almost the whole night seeing the pictures again and again. The next day was Sunday. So the next morning she started drawing Princess Snow White finishing her studies quickly. After a long time, she could draw a perfect figure of the princess. She was very happy with her achievement. She ran to show her drawing to her mother cooking in the kitchen. Naina said “You have sketched very good dear. Why don’t you try to draw from imagination dear?”

“But what will I draw Mummy?”

Naina thought for a while then said “Draw what you like best of all”

Munni fancies princess stories so she thought of sketching a princess but not of famous fairy tale princess but a new one, her own princess. She takes a long time and at last finishes drawing a princess. After completing the picture she looks at it minutely to find if there is any flaw. After a few minutes she could find out a defect. The princess’s face must have been prettier. She took the rubber to rub the imperfect portions and draw again.    

Suddenly someone said, “Stop!”

Munni was shocked. Who spoke? She looked around the room but there was nobody. The voice said again “Why are you rubbing out my nose? How will I breathe?”

Now Munni asked gaining some courage “Who’s talking?”

“Me here on the paper, the one you have drawn”

She looked and found the drawing is speaking to her. She was surprised “Did you speak? But how? A drawing cannot speak I feel”

“But I can”

“So what’s your name?”

“Still now I don’t have a name, you have to give one”

Munni thought for a few minutes and then gave a list of names. After hearing and rejecting most of them the princess said at last “I like the name Adrija”

“Ok, Adrija why did you say you don’t wish me to rub off your flaws and make you a perfect beauty?”

“Because no one is perfect, right”

“Which colour dress you wish to wear?”

“You have given me a pink Barbie dress but if you ask me I would like to wear a bright red saree”

“But I don’t know to draw a saree and how will you wear it”

“It’s very easy to change my dress. First, cut out my figure from this sheet of paper and paste it on a cardboard. Then cut the cardboard shapely. Now when you draw any new dress you can cut it in shape and paste on my figure. And ask your mother how a saree is drawn”

In this way, Munni made her cardboard princess and her new dresses. Now the princess wants a palace, her sweet home. She found out a shoebox and shaped it into a palace with many rooms. She decorated the princess’s room very beautifully. She took a lot of time dressing her princess making new dresses new jewelry for her. After finishing it she felt very tired. Her mother called her “Munni come and have your lunch dear”

She said to her princess “I’m going for lunch”

“I’m hungry too” replied cardboard princess.

Munni drew a plate of rice and curry and then placed it before her princess. And then she went to have her lunch. After finishing her lunch she came to have an afternoon nap. She helped her princess lay on her bed and then she too lied down to sleep. In the afternoon when she woke up she made Adrija too sit on the chair. Then she offered her a cup of cocoa and she drank her one from the glass. After finishing her studies before going for dinner, she drew the princess’ dinner on the paper and gave it to her. After dinner, both she and her princess went to sleep.

Now Munni is very busy. Every day in the morning she wakes her princess refreshes her gives her breakfast then goes to school. After returning from school she does the other things. Her mother saw now Munni doesn’t remain sad as there are no children of her age in the new housing complex. She is now happy with her cardboard princess Adrija!