One stormy
morning the princess, Henrietta, was out walking in the rain. She was wearing her favorite pale green rain
jacket, green gloves, and her new green rubber boots. As she jumped in and out
of puddles, one of her new rubber boots got stuck in the mud outside the castle
wall. She tugged, and tugged, but the
boot just sank lower. The only thing she
could do was pull her foot out and hop back to the castle wearing one
boot. What a sight she was! A princess hopping on one muddy boot! Because
she was used to getting her way, she started to shriek, “My favorite boot! Who will jump into the puddle and save my
favorite boot?”
An ugly lizard
was sleeping nearby. He heard the cries
of the princess and decided to help. He
dove deep into the mud and brought up the boot.
He asked the princess to kiss him and promise that she would take him
with her everywhere from that moment on.
However, the princess thought the lizard was the ugliest creature she
had seen. She took the boot and ran away,
straight for the palace.
For several
days she didn’t see the lizard. Then one
day, he appeared, sitting on her dinner plate.
She shrieked and demanded he be thrown out of the castle. Her father asked what the lizard wanted. The princess had to confess that he had saved
her boot, on the condition that she would take him everywhere. Her father told
her she must honor her promise.
Henrietta was so angry, she threw the lizard out the window. As he hit the ground, he became a handsome
prince. He told her that the wicked
witch had put a spell on him. She was
the only one who could break the spell. Henrietta and the prince were married,
and they lived happily ever after in the castle.