I belong to the queen, and I sit proudly by her side when she drives out in her fine glass coach. She tells me that I am happier than she is, because I have a kitten and she has no one to love but me.

I happen to know a fairy who dwells in the forest, and I’ll go and see her. I am quite sure that she will ensure the queen will have a child by the time the snow flies. She will be pretty as snow and sunbeams, and my kitten will be her own sister.

Kisa the Cat in Kisa the Cat, Brown Fairy Book. Illustration by Adrienne Segur.