The canopy hung high in the sunshine, the dappled shade below it cooling, but humid. High above the canopy the sun shone in it's relentless pursuit to turn everything hot. Ray of sunshine bore down on the thin, and not so thin, prickly leaves covering the tree tops. But it was that very warmth that kept life in the canopy in operation, and operating at its best.
Some people thought the jungle was too hot, and for animals and insects that were indigenous to the colder climates like Antarctica, the north pole, Alaska, and some parts of northern Canada, life is the canopy would be difficult, if not down right deadly. But the creatures living in the canopy were not from Antarctica, the north pole, and nor were they from northern Canada. They were from right there in the canopy.
Lizards, spindly creatures, some crawling, some spinning a web to hang from, others slithering along the leafy growth.
But all of the life in the canopy came to a stop when a giant shadow dimmed the sun. Every insect, every animal, every living creature, no matter where they hailed from, knew not to be noticed by the princess of fairies, Celine.
Celine was not a dangerous ruler of the canopy, no, she loved the world up high where she could see for leagues in every direction. She liked that she could look off to the west in the early mornings and watch the mountains be silhouetted by the rising sun behind them. She would watch as steam rose from the verdant mountainsides as the sun's warmth turned the early morning dew into vapors.
Celine liked looking towards the south as well. She could make out the outline of the canopy as the sun rose and revealed the natural beauty of the canopy. But Celine also loved the view to the east, where the ocean waves slipped ashore with a whisper, before washing back out to sea, leaving a lattice work of foam in its wake. But it was the view to the north that Celine loved the most.
"Everything wonderful and beautiful can be found in the north," Celine would tell anyone willing to listen. "From the north comes the very things that keep the canopy rich and vibrant," she said to her assistant fairy this morning. "Look, don't you see it?" Celine pointed her dainty finger in the direction of the tall trees dripping with life.
"But I fear the cold, princess Celine," her assistant Maurine said. "And the cold can harm us."
"Not if we are prepared, Maurine," Celine said. "Gloves, hats, heavy, fur lined boots and ear muffs," Celine said as if reading from a shopping list. "those are the things that protect us from the cold."
"But we have no means of warming our dwellings, princess Celine," Maurine said.
"Must I think of everything?" Celine said, annoyance edging her voice.
"But," Maurine said and smiled. "Didn't you say that handling all of the canopy's problems is why you were paid," her smile widened, "The big bucks?"
Princess Celine smirked. "Don't make me mad this early in the morning." She turned and looked north. "You wouldn't want me to spend the day with ruffled wings, now, would you?"
"Oh, of course not, dear princess Celine."
"I remember once," Celine said, "When I had to spend the entire day wearing wrinkled fairy wings. OMG, it was terrible. The prince, you know how he is, well, he was so upset."
"What did the great prince do to the great princess?" Maurine asked.
"Don't you think that question is a little personal?" Celine asked princess Maurine.
Maurine gazed at Celine for a long second before answering. As she waited for the right words, Maurine wondered how this ditsy blond had become a princess. Maurine knew of so many fairies that would gladly take Celine's place at the throne. Fairies that were pretty, well coiffed, and would love to show the prince a good time. And some of those pretty fairies would make wrinkled fairy wings the last thing the prince saw when they stepped into his presence.
"It wasn't a personal question, my princess," Maurine said with more than a little sarcasm in her voice. "I wasn't asking about THAT!"
"THAT?" Princess Celine queried. "What THAT are you referring to?"
Princess Maurine shook her head, almost violently, trying to dislodge the thought that she had herself voted to make princess Celine the most trusted, most pampered, most loved of all the fairies of the canopy.
"What was I ever thinking?" Maurine said just under her breath.
"What?" Celine asked. "Did you say something, Maurine?"
"Nothing important," Maurine said.
"So what was your question, anyway?" Celine asked.
"I was wondering what the great prince has to say about the fact that you had wrinkled fairy wings all day."
"Oh," Celine said. "That's not a personal question at all."
"You are right," Maurine said. "As always."
"Are you being sarcastic, princess Maurine?" Princess Celine asked.
"Why, princess Celine," Maurine said. "I don't even know what that word means."
"Sarcasm?" Celine asked.
"Nope," Maurine said. "I have no idea what that means."
"it's simple," Celine said. "It means, biting, cutting, mordant, bitter, derisive, ironic, sardonic, maybe even cynical."
"Oh," Maurine said. "Then maybe I was being sarcastic."
Princess Celine glared at Princess Maurine for a short minute, the crooked a finger at her. "Come with me, princess Maurine."
The two princesses, Maurine and Celine ducked under the canopy and disappeared.
Word count: 922 
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