All through childhood my mother told me stories about the marvelous castle I now see before my eyes. Its bursts like a diamond out of the gloom of the forest. Its door is covered in gems, and starlight streams through its windows. On the trees behind the garden walls, fruit glistens as if it has been candied. I must taste it. I must!

The Star-Struck Queen in The White Cat, Blue Fairy Book. Picture by Edith Ballinger Price.