50. The Sharp Solution
Rosella set the bucket upside down at the side window of the cottage and as she did so, the smelly fish fell out and
broke apart on the ground revealing the glint of metal in the night air. Reaching down she realized it was a key! I wonder
what this goes to? thought Rosella to herself. Why would there be a key inside a dead fish? The answer to that lay with
Lolotte, for she was the one that had locked the key in the chest under the ocean. The fish must have been an accident.
It slipped into the chest and swallowed the key. Things were starting to make more sense. But first things first. I need to
get inside the cottage. Grabbing the key up in her little palm, Rosella clambered on top to get a peek in the window.
Gingerly lifting it open with her slender fingers she held her breath hoping there wouldn’t be a squeaking loud noise.
Luckily for her, there was not. She hoisted herself up over the sill and then lowered herself down into what appeared to
be the dining area of the cottage. While a disheartening place to be, it appeared that the ogre was still out and the
ogress and their giant bulldog were nowhere to be seen at the moment. The wise young princess took this moment to
dash toward the stairs and see what treasures awaited her on the second floor.
As she crested the top of the stairs, Rosella found herself in the bedroom of the cottage. While trying to keep
grotesque images from her innocent little mind, the princess looked around for anything that might prove useful in her
quest. While most of the items in the room appeared to be mundane domestic things, there was something in particular
in the corner of the room that caught her eye. A great axe sat against the wall, exhibiting an air of power and influence.
Despite knowing that she was not a violent girl, Rosella thought perhaps the axe might come in handy in her quest.
Surely there was a clever use for it without resorting to an un-princess like violence. Grabbing it up in her hands,
Rosella quietly snuck back down the stairs to find the ogre asleep at the dinner table awaiting his wife’s cooked meal.
Only glad it wasn’t her, Rosella quietly opened the door to the cottage, and slipped out none the wiser to the
inhabitants. With her newly acquired axe and mysterious key, the princess pondered where they might be most useful
this time of night.
The Crypt
The Haunted Mansion
The Witches' Cave
Lolotte's Castle