Above a large green valley, there stood a spring kingdom. Flowers grew there all year round, a rainbow stood proudly over the castle walls, and trees blossomed in the kingdom’s gardens. People far and wide talked about this spring kingdom. Everyone who went by wanted to see the colors the kingdom was famous for. Trees, flowers, and rainbow. All of them brightened up the kingdom with colors of all sorts.
And in this kingdom, there lived a princess named Julie. She was a cheerful and clever girl, and everyone loved her. Princess Julie knew how to help everyone. She had empathy for everyone and could even tell when someone was sad for any reason. That’s because Julie had a secret. Something that was helping her identify a person’s mood and whether they were sad or not. She had a magical hat. When someone put the hat on their head, the hat took on a color according to how they felt. If someone was sad, the hat would turn black. If someone was happy and content, the hat would turn yellow. And if someone was angry, the hat would turn red. Princess Julie took it everywhere with her. Whenever she went anywhere in the kingdom, even just for a walk, she had the hat with her.
One day she was walking through a village that belonged to the kingdom and saw a young girl sitting on a bench under a tree. Her head was bowed, tears pooling in her eyes, and she kept clenching her hands as if she were angry. Julie sat down next to her on the bench and asked the girl what was going on. At first, the girl didn’t feel like talking, but when she realized that the princess itself was sitting next to her, she started talking: “You see, I live here alone with my father. I do all the work. I cook, clean, and take care of the animals. But whenever I want to go out dancing with my friends in the evenings for a little while, my father doesn’t let me.”
The princess listened to the girl intently and then she asked if she could put the hat on her head. The girl agreed, and when the princess placed the hat on her head, it started flashing between red and black colors. The princess saw that the girl was not only angry but also sad. She could empathize. But she also decided to try and somehow fix the situation. She didn’t like seeing the girl like this.
She picked up the hat and went to find the girl’s father. She found him a little farther, in the field where he was working. When he saw that the princess was approaching him, he was startled. But then the princess spoke to him. She tried to explain everything in a way that would help him understand his daughter. And then she suggested: “I understand why you worry about your daughter. And why you don’t want her to go to a dance. But I have an idea. As long as all of her work is done, would you let her go to a dance at the castle? Where I live. I like dancing too, and once in a while I organize a country dance in my home. That way you wouldn’t have to worry about your daughter. Because my father the king would be keeping an eye on everyone at the dance.” “Very well then, I agree,” the young girl’s father said, satisfied.
The princess then told everything to the girl on the bench, and the girl was as happy as can be. When the father joined them a moment later, all was well. The princess placed the hat on both their heads and its color turned to bright yellow. Like the sun. They were both very glad that the princess had helped them reconcile. They never forgot that it was better to talk, find a solution, and try to understand one another, rather than get angry and sulky. And princess Julie? She was very happy that with the help of her hat and a bit of kindness, she was able to help someone again. Besides, now she could look forward to a dance with the village girls at the castle.
