Princess Jana lounged in her palace.
Her servant bowed low as he proffered a cup of delicious ginger tea. "Pwincess."
She did not address him, good ladies never gave their servants compliments. She sipped her tea, daintily and primly. As one born of noble station would. "Bring me... my bear!"
"What do you mean you lost your phone?"
"The Beaw has been stowwen!" Head still bowed, her servant's fist clenched.
"What?" She sprung from her cushions, furious. "You were supposed to guard him!"
"I'm sowwy, my pwrincess." His fists punched the tiled floor. "I faiwed."
"Zan, I swear to God... My mother bought you that phone, you have any idea how much it cost? Or how long it took her to - excuse me? Are you laughing?"
Princess Jana was revolted. Her Bear, stolen? "Get up!" She was tired of the boy's bowing. Besides, she wanted to see his face. Thus, she approached him, haughty and dignified in her gown. "You will find my Bear, servant. Or, you will become my new Bear!"
"Nooooooooo -"
"Jana!"
"What is it, witch?" The Witch of the Woods was a fierce creature. Her will insurmountable. "I don't have time for your -"
"Get out of your pajamas! You too, Timmy."
"But mooom. We're playing!" They proclaimed unanimously.
"Well your dad is acting like a smart-ass again. Business meeting my foot! That man! Ughhhhh." She grabbed her hair, mommy liked grabbing her hair when talking about daddy. "I am finding that phone, so help me God, I'm -"
"Are we going on an adventure, mommy?" Jana loved adventures. Timmy was sometimes scared of them. But not always. One time, they found a caterpillar in the back yard, Jana dared Timmy to eat it but he actually -
"Ughhh, I. Will. Kill. That. Man!" Mommy sat on daddy's work machine, her fingers typed so fast! "You hear me kids? He's dead! Change into school clothes, quickly now."
Jana helped her brother pick his armor. Since they were going on an adventure, they would need his dinosaur hoodie. Mommy kept yelling about decapitating daddy, or drowning daddy. Jana loved mommy for loving daddy so much. In the beginning, she was confused: people that love each other never hurt each other. But mommy said: Sometimes, the more you love someone, the more you want to strangle them. Jana had yet to learn what strangle means, but she assumed it was like hugging?
Mommy hit the work machine with a thump. "Found you! You little - Kids! Oh, good. You're ready." She was looking at her phony, now. Looked back at them. "Jana. We talked about this, dear. Put some warmer clothes on. That pink sweater will do."
"But moooom. I hate -"
"Hush now!" Mommy looked left, then right. She crouched in front of them. "We have a criminal to catch!"
"A cwiminal?" Timmy looked ready to cry. But Jana gave him their secret look that meant: no crying! It always worked, except when it didn't.
"Yes! We're gonna find daddy's phone!"
Once outside, it was already dark. Now, Jana was brave! But the dark made her scared... Bad men hide in the dark. Her daddy once told her. But Jana was holding mommy's hand, and mommy would protect her from any bad men. She was happy when they saw mister and misses Dowry on their usual bench."
"Ho, there!" Mr. Dowry ruffled Timmy's hair. "You're out late, strong man!"
Timmy and Mr. Dowry flexed their muscles. Jana asked mommy why they always did that, she said: primitive males. Jana didn't know what primitive meant, but she assumed it was something about pyramids?
"We seawching for a cwiminal!"
"Oh my!" Mrs. Dowry put a hand to her mouth.
"I'm looking for my husband's phone. It should be around here somewhere. The app on my phone says it's in this area."
"A what now?"
"A phone, dear. She's looking for her phone."
"Oh!" They looked at each other. "No? We haven't seen any telephones, dear."
"Come on, kids." Mommy nodded to the wizened couple. "Thank you! Have a good night!"
"You too, dearies!"
As they walked, mommy kept looking at her phony. She wasn't playing, was she? What if they saw the criminal, but he got away because mommy wasn't paying attention?
Jana had to warn her. "Mommy. Look around! We might miss the criminal..."
"Oh, we're not gonna miss him. Mommy sees them right now, see?"
Mommy showed her phony, it had some dots, some lines, green bits. "How do you see the cwiminal thewe, mommy?"
"Mommy's a detective!"
Timmy grinned at Jana and she grinned back. If mommy was a detective, then the criminal had no chance! Jana also looked at mommy's phony. Can mommy's phony find me during hide and seek? Was that how mommy always found her? "I know your secret now mommy?"
"What secwet?"
"I'll tell you later." She whispered in his ear. "Don't play hide and seek with mommy!"
"What? Why?"
"Excuse me, sir?" Mommy was talking to a police officer now. Jana only half-listened though. Police officers were boring.
" - I'm not sure, ma'am. You will have to file a report at the precinct."
"Can't you help me out now? This thing's still here somewhere. I'm afraid if I go to the station I'll lose my chance to catch them!"
"Leave the capture of criminals to the experts, ma'am we-"
"Wook, Jan! A tuwtle!"
He was green! Hiding behind the bench, Jana guessed from the boring man. "We're not boring little one! Come -"
"Let's go, kids!"
"But moooom, the turtle -"
"Thank Mr. Grouch over here. You hear that? Thanks for nothing!"
"Glad to assist in any way I can, ma'am."
"Humpf."
They walked for some time. So much so that Jana became tired, although she would never say it. Somehow, mommy knew. They stopped to get some ice cream, and mommy even made her famous ice cream face! They laughed lots when her cone hit the ground. Mommy said a bad word then, but she laughed as well. Was mommy angry or happy? Daddy said mommy was always happy, even when she looked angry.
"You can have mine, mommy." "Ow mine!" They both held out their ice cream cones.
"Nono." She chuckled. "Come on gang. This thing is still around here somewhere. And I'll be damned if that man made a fool of me!"
They licked as they walked. Soon, their treats were gone and mommy seemed even angrier than before. Was she happier, then? Jana wasn't sure, so she payed close attention to the branches and rocks and leaves for daddy's phony. Timmy was lying in mommy's arms, sleeping. He got tired super fast.
"We've been around this block three times now, princess." Mommy said, her voice low. "It's useless. This app must be busted. Come on, let's head back home."
Jana was secretly glad they didn't find the criminal. Criminals were people too, and she didn't want mommy to beat them up. But this one had stolen daddy's phony, so she guessed he deserved it? So confusing... Jana scratched her head in frustration.
"Ho, there! Young lady you'll rip your hair out."
Mommy smiled at the couple. "She's angry we didn't find our criminal." She patted Jana's head. "You didn't see a man running away, per chance? Or an argument of some kind, a scuffle?"
They both shook their heads. "No, dearie." Mrs. Dowry said. "It's been a quiet evening. Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Honeybum, maybe she could help us?"
"Let's not trouble the woman with our nonsense, dear."
"I'm happy to help." Mommy propped Timmy up higher, he was getting heavier to hold.
"It's about the police station, dear." Mrs. Dowry said.
"Well, i have to head there tomorrow anyway. So I'm happy to help in any way I can."
"Well, great!" Mrs. Dowry rummaged in her purse. "We found this earlier on that other bench over there. See that it returns to its owner."
She handed over a red phony that looked a lot like daddy's. Mommy stared at it before barking a laugh so loud it woke Timmy. "Why didn't you say something earlier?"
"We didn't want to bother you -"
"Nooo. You see, this is my husband's phone!"
"Ho! I told you, honeybums!"
"But that ain't no telephone..." Mrs. Dowry's eyes narrowed.
Mommy laughed again, leaned over and kissed both their foreheads. "Thank you. Sunday brunch at our house!" Jana hugged their legs for finding daddy's phony. Old people were always so nice!
When they returned home, daddy was already there. Timmy ran over and they did the air place for a while. Jana smiled, kissed her daddy, then went to her cushions. Not only did they avoid the criminal, but they found daddy's phony!
Adventure successful!
Timmy ran over. "Isn't it your bed time?" Jana asked sternly since it was almost her bed time as well. And Timmy couldn't go to bed the same time as her, that just wasn't fair!"
"Stop picking on your brother, Jana! He can stay a bit longer." Daddy was swinging mommy across the kitchen. "Your mother tells me you've been little detectives today."
"Told you, I'd find it."
"You did."
Jana looked away since she didn't want to get icky. For a time she sat there, unable to process everything her daddy said. After a while, she gave up. Changed into her gown, and dawned her throne.
"Servant! Princess Jana waits!"
https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/grocko/23vhoQ5n5oGkgckPLhtZcYdLmp6rL8qzcSjkLMSLm762tuKwC81dmCamQmsRm6Uc6npZF.png
This was super fun to write. I've always wanted to do something in a child's perspective, and I heard a story like this one from my coworker and.... wala - story! 😁
Shout-out to the 🍕PIZZA🍕 gang, 🤙 gang. 🤙
👊 Follow me on my HIVE blog 👊
Image source.
Have a great day! 🙌
Return from Detective Time to Јоцко's Web3 Blog
