In the Kingdom of Wig

                                            In the Kingdom of Wig

                                              By Daryl Campbell



         In the Kingdom of Wig, buildings outline the sky, flies deliver the mail, bees bring honey to sweeten desserts, and friendly yellow jackets give everyone rides. It’s the most wonderful place the lice have ever known, but things were different before Haleigh was queen.

         The lice of Haleigh's youth make homes in forest after forest, not staying in any for long. Tragedy falls on them often and the princess doesn’t like it. She wants parks, a nice house, and to stay in one place.

         “Haleigh, your dad and I are leaving for a few days and you’ll be in charge,” Mom tells her.

         “I’ll be queen?” the princess squeals.

         “Well, you’re in charge while we’re gone,” the queen straightens her aluminum crown with two hands and rubs the wrinkles out of her red gown with the other four.

         “But we expect you to act like a queen.” Dad, in blue robes, says.

         “When are you leaving?” Haleigh asks.

         “In a rush?” Smiling, the king kisses his daughter. “We'll leave in the morning.”

         “The council will help you.” Mom hugs her. “Get cleaned up for dinner.”

         Haleigh frowns. She doesn’t like getting cleaned up.

         Haleigh's up before the Light Above starts to shine the next morning. She puts on her best dress, one with different colored sleeves for her six arms, and brushes her teeth. In the throne room, she takes a seat in Mom's chair and waits for the council to arrive. Doors creak open and Haleigh sits up straight, watching as the council enters and moves to their places.

         “You’re late.” She smiles.

         “The giants are talking this morning, Princess,” Mr. Nicholas, a stubby male in a silver shirt and gray pants, speaks first.

         “They’re talking about medicated shampoo,” Mrs. Anna, a council member in purple, adds.

         All lice know the danger of a giant’s shampoo, and their medicated shampoo is worse. Nothing like this has happened in Haleigh's life, only rumors and old stories of the last time. The lice will have to leave their red forest and start over.

         “I’ll need Mrs. Vicki to get the moms and gather up the children. Count them all, make sure none are missed.” Haleigh says.

         “Yes, Princess.“ Mrs. Vicki nods, rolls up the sleeves on her red dress, and crawls out of the room.

         “Mr. Charley,” Haleigh speaks to a tall lice in a brown shirt. “Take charge of the Patrol Lice and find a place to go.”

         “Right away,” he answers.

         “Everyone else, get things organized, and stay calm,” the princess commands.

         The council helps families pack. Mrs. Vicki and the moms collect the children, and Mr. Charley returns with good news. There’s a yellow forest close by.

         As they’re leaving, white suds fall from the sky and a horrible smell fills the air. Haleigh tries to keep things calm, but frightened lice are crawling everywhere.

         The lice climb red, swaying trees and pass one by one into yellow trees that smell of coconut and brush against them. In a few minutes, the colony's in the thickest forest Haleigh's ever seen.

         Lice hear giants arguing about cutting down the yellow forest until the Light Above finally goes out.

         That night, one of the giants pushes at the trees and rubs hard against the earth. Haleigh sees the danger. She calls a meeting of the council and sends Mr. Charley and the Patrol Lice to find another forest. She knows this won’t do, they'll have to move again.

         “The giants know where we went. They’re searching the forest,” Haleigh says.

         “We can’t leave so soon. Where will we go?” Mr. Mark raises his voice.

         “We have to wait till the king and queen get back,” someone adds.

         “I’m queen right now,“ Haleigh states. “I sent Mr. Charley to find another forest.”

         Haleigh falls silent as the giant’s hand pushes through nearby trees.

         “Go, now! We’ll meet at the forest’s edge,” the princess orders.

         Mr. Charley returns as the council’s leaving.

         “We found another forest. The trees are short and it isn’t very thick.” He takes a deep breath. “It’s far though.”

         “Get what you need. Have the patrol start taking families as soon as you can,” Haleigh tells him.

         Mr. Charley crawls away faster than she thought anyone his age could.

         The colony creeps out of the yellow forest onto white land. Patrol Lice go ahead, reporting what they find to Mr. Charley. The lice finally reach their new forest and are asleep before unpacking.

         It’s still dark when Haleigh wakes, but the princess knows it must be morning already. Then, she sees the strangest thing. The black overhead lifts, light shines across the forest, and a giant throws its fingers into the trees, scratching at the ground. When the hand moves, it goes dark again.

         Haleigh orders Mr. Charley and the Patrol Lice to climb into the trees to see what's causing the darkness. When they return and let her know what it is, she calls on the council and explains a plan.

         “We need to put that wig back in the attic, Sarah.” The giant’s voice echoes above hiding lice. “Give it to me and get in the bath.”

         The forest lifts and the colony stays still. The earth below slides past in a flash of colors: yellow, blue, red, and a long stretch of brown. The forest floats for a second and comes to rest on a white mountain that squeaks as the trees take hold. The giant walks away and a booming thud shakes the mountain.

         Haleigh proclaims the new home the Kingdom of Wig, the giant's words. The princess invites flies to live with the colony in exchange for delivering the mail; letters to Mom and Dad go out that day. She builds the Wig Airport and gets flights from nearby yellow jackets. She talks bees into trading honey. A town is built, parks are created, and success finds the colony.

         In the Kingdom of Wig, everyone has a place; Mr. Mark is mayor, Mrs. Vicki owns the biggest daycare, Mrs. Anna is an artist, Mr. Nicholas makes the best honey desserts, and Mr. Charley is chief of police.

         Haleigh is queen, at least until Mom and Dad get home.