The Princess and the Pear

Once upon a time, there was a fair, young princess named Norah. In spite of her petite frame, sweet Norah loved to eat. In fact, there was no food found in the land that the wee princess didn't seem to enjoy. Of course, she loved milk, it was her favorite from the beginning. She also guzzled down her first (and subsequent) rice cereal. She even had a taste for pickled squash (quite unlike her father, King Jason, who felt that all squash should be fried squash).

Then one day, the little princess tried something new. Her first fruit---pears! Lo, and behold, the tiny princess had never tasted anything so delicious in all her 5 and 1/2 months of life! Princess Norah ate, and ate, and ate. In fact, when her mother tried to cut young Norah off after devouring 1/3 of the jar (Norah's usual quota), the little princess shrieked in protest. In obedience to the King's decree, the mother continued to allow the princess to eat. In fact, as the feeding wore on, the princess began to wail each time her mother failed to replenish and offer her the spoon again quickly enough after each bite was swallowed.

A few moments (and almost an entire jar of pears) later, the potion began to take effect. Young Norah's eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Finally her eyes closed gently, and Norah's mother smiled triumphantly, as she thought that her tiny tot had succombed to the pear's spell of slumber. But much to her mother's amusement, little Norah, eyes still closed, eagerly opened her mouth wide, apparently dreaming she was still in anticipation of the next bite!

Norah's mother and father smiled at their sleeping beauty, then carried her to the royal bathtub, where they cleaned her up, and got her ready for bed. Although little princess Norah woke for her favorite activity of the day (though now that she had discovered them, "eating pears" may be a new contender). She played happily in the tub, then fell peacefully back to sleep again, in the king's mighty arms.