The Wobblier Crown Contest

Marvin lifted his clipboard. “Let the wobbling begin!” he called, and the courtyard erupted in giggles.

Princess Esme stood at the starting line beside her cousin Leo. Between them stretched a silly balancing course: step around three chalk ducks, cross a row of flat cushions, walk past a little fountain, cross one final cushion, and ring the brass bell at the finish.

Marvin, the palace keeper, held up his clipboard. “Contestants, please place your crown cushions on your heads. Your cushion must travel all the way to the bell!”

Esme settled her cushion on top of her crown. It was blue and round, with a tiny yellow tassel. Leo’s was green, with a pom-pom that bobbed when he moved.

“I’m going to finish the whole course,” Esme said. “And I’m going to do my very best.”

“That’s the spirit,” said Leo. “I’m going to try my best, too.”

Marvin pointed to the chalk ducks. “They are ducks, not puddles. Please do not splash them.”

“They look very dry,” Esme said.

“Extremely dry,” Marvin announced. “The ducks have filed no complaints.”

The courtyard crowd—gardeners, cooks, and a few curious pigeons—gave a friendly cheer.

“Are you both set?” Marvin called.

“Ready!” Esme and Leo answered.

“Then wobble!”

Esme hurried around the ducks. Her cushion slid toward one ear. She reached to catch it, and—plop!—it landed on the path.

“Cushion down!” Marvin called. “No harm done. Pick it up and keep going!”

Esme placed it back carefully. Leo was still near the first duck, taking small, even steps. His pom-pom bobbed once, then settled.

“I’ll catch up,” Esme said, and hurried again.

Over the first flat cushion she went. Then the next. Her blue cushion scooted toward her forehead.

“Not again!” Esme cried, grabbing it just before it fell.

At the fountain, Leo had reached the far side. The final cushion and the bell were still ahead of him. He wasn’t doing anything fancy. He simply walked at the same calm pace, looking ahead.

Marvin raised his clipboard. “A fine start! One contestant is steady, and one contestant is learning what a cushion likes!”

Esme adjusted the tassel. She wanted to finish, but the bell still seemed far away. Around her, the crowd waited kindly. She looked at Leo’s bobbing pom-pom and wondered how he kept it in place.

“Is there a trick?” Esme called to Leo.

Leo paused beside the final cushion. “I don’t think so,” he said. “I’m just taking the same-size steps. I look at the next place I want my feet to go.”

Esme glanced at the course ahead. The little fountain made a quiet burbling sound. The finish bell waited beyond the last cushion, shining brass and very reachable.

“Same-size steps,” she murmured. “Look ahead.”

Marvin called across the courtyard, his voice carrying over the crowd. “A thoughtful pause! The ducks remain dry!”

Esme set her blue cushion straight. This time, she did not dash. She looked at the final cushion, then walked toward it with careful steps. The cushion shifted a little, but stayed put.

“Nice and steady!” called a cook.

“Thank you!” Esme answered. The tassel swung gently beside her cheek.

At the finish, Leo rang the bell.

“Ding!” announced Marvin. “Leo has completed the course! A splendid finish!”

The crowd cheered. Leo lifted both hands, and his green cushion slid down over one eyebrow.

“I may have finished,” he said, peeking beneath it, “but now I can’t see the ducks.”

Everyone laughed, including Leo.

Esme had a choice: stop and watch, or keep walking. She looked ahead to the bell. Her first tumble had not erased her careful steps. She was still in the contest, still learning, and still able to finish.

“I’m coming, bell!” she called.

She crossed the final cushion with even steps. The blue cushion tilted toward the tassel side. Esme slowed just a little and fixed her eyes on the brass bell.

“Steady feet!” Marvin cheered. “Excellent looking-ahead!”

Esme reached the finish and tapped the bell.

“Ding!” it rang.

The cheer that followed was warm and loud. Marvin marked the finish on his clipboard. “Leo is our first-place balancer, and Esme is our careful course-completer!”

Leo came over. “You did it.”

“So did you,” Esme said. “Your steady steps helped me figure out what to do.”

“And your courage helped you keep going,” said Leo.

Esme laughed. She was glad Leo had won, and glad she had finished. Both things fit together as neatly as a cushion on a shelf.

Marvin set the clipboard on a courtyard bench. “The contest is complete, the ducks are still dry, and the bell has had a very busy afternoon!”

“May we ring it once more?” asked Leo.

“Only if the bell agrees,” said Marvin. He tapped it with one finger. “Ding.”

“That sounds like agreement,” Esme said.

The crowd began to wander toward the palace doors. The gardeners carried the flat cushions away, and Marvin gathered the chalk ducks into a tidy stack. One duck had a chalky blue smudge on its beak.

“Perhaps it tasted the course,” Leo said.

“Perhaps it was cheering with its face,” Esme replied.

They put their crown cushions side by side on the bench. Esme’s blue tassel hung over the edge. Leo’s green pom-pom sat straight up, as if it were still balancing.

“Would you like to practice again tomorrow?” Leo asked.

“Maybe,” Esme said. “But next time, I’ll start with my steady steps. And I’ll remember to look at where I’m going.”

Marvin nodded. “A very useful plan. I shall inform the ducks.”

“Please tell them the course was excellent,” Leo said.

“I will,” Marvin promised. “They have been waiting for a review.”

Esme and Leo walked through the palace together. Their shoes made soft taps on the stone floor. In the hall, they said good night to Marvin, who was carrying the brass bell back to its little hook.

“Good night, champions,” he called. “One champion of first place, and one champion of finishing!”

Esme waved. She didn’t feel as if her effort had been wasted. She had hurried, wobbled, paused, tried a new idea, and made it to the bell. Leo had won, and she was happy for him. Her own finish belonged to her, too.

Later, Esme placed her blue crown cushion beside her bed. Its tassel was slightly crooked, and that made her chuckle again.

She remembered Marvin’s grand announcements, Leo’s bobbing pom-pom, and her own careful steps toward the finish. Then she tucked the memory away for the night, pleased that the wobbliest race had ended with a win to share and a finish she could be proud of.