Once upon a time, there was a beautiful and intelligent queen who was searching for her family. She searched for them actively, with calm and serenity. Even though they were no longer within her sight, she wasn’t worried in the least; she knew that every member of her family was safe within her vast kingdom. In any case, knowing her children well, she knew the clues she needed to follow to find them easily.
As for the little princess, the queen knew she simply had to follow the milk bottles. Whether they were empty, full, or half-full, nothing could be easier than following the bottles one after another. Since the bottles were quite large and pink, the path was clearly marked and impossible to lose.
As for the prince, there were various options for clues: Legos, toy cars, crayons… The queen didn’t know if the little prince was excessively afraid that she wouldn’t be able to find him in the vastness of their palace—which would explain why he left so many traces throughout the castle—but that must have been the case; otherwise, why would the prince leave so much evidence of his presence?
Perhaps you think the king was the only one who left no clues—no little white pebbles to mark the path to him, like Hansel and Gretel—but that was not the case. In fact, the king was just like his heirs, afraid of getting lost forever in the vastness of his domain. So, to ensure he could always be found—especially by his beloved queen—the king left in plain sight… his dirty socks. Wherever the queen’s gaze fell, she knew there was a chance she’d find a trail leading to her anxious husband. Sometimes, she even managed to find dirty socks in the most unexpected places. Of course, she was no longer surprised to find her husband’s clothing items in the bathroom, several hours after he’d taken his shower, or on the side of their bed when he’d long since left to govern outside the palace. But the king, probably to surprise his better half, would place his foul-smelling little cotton balls on the stairs, next to the front door, between the sheets of their bed, and even in empty cardboard boxes that had held their online purchases (that clue had really taken her by surprise). The queen had even had the privilege—no, the joy—of finding a trail on the sofa, right beneath her precious decorative pillows.
Although the queen appreciated having a clean and tidy home, she eventually resigned herself to accepting the visual clutter caused by the king, the prince, and the princess’s various belongings, because despite her household’s best intentions, she knew full well that they couldn’t help it—all three were terrified of being lost forever in the gloomy depths of the kingdom. So the queen came to terms with the reality: if her family members let things get messy, it was because they loved her and never wanted to lose her. 😉