Princess Poppy lived in a magnificent castle, filled with shimmering silks and sparkling jewels. But Poppy wasn’t happy. She complained about *everything*. Her breakfast was too warm, her dresses too itchy, and her bed… oh, her bed was the worst! It was stuffed with the finest goose feathers, but Poppy always said she could feel a tiny lump, a single pebble, or even a minuscule pea underneath. Her royal parents tried everything to make her comfortable.
One day, a traveling inventor arrived at the castle. He’d heard of Princess Poppy’s fussy sleep and offered a solution. “Your Majesty,” he said, bowing low, “I have created a machine that can detect the smallest imperfection in any bedding! It will guarantee a perfectly smooth sleep.” The King and Queen were overjoyed and immediately had the inventor test Poppy’s bed.
The machine whirred and beeped, flashing lights and spinning dials. Finally, it stopped. “Aha!” exclaimed the inventor. “I’ve found it! A tiny, almost invisible… dandelion seed!” He carefully removed the seed, and Poppy was given a new, even fluffier pillow. But Poppy still frowned. “I *still* feel something!” she declared.
Old Man Tiber, the castle gardener, overheard. He was a kind, quiet man who spent his days tending to the roses. He approached Poppy gently. “Princess,” he said, “may I tell you a story? When I was a boy, I slept on a bed of straw. It wasn’t soft, and it wasn’t fancy. But my mother would tuck me in and tell me stories, and that made it the most comfortable bed in the world.”
Poppy looked at Old Man Tiber, surprised. “But… it wasn’t a *good* bed,” she said.
“Perhaps not,” Tiber smiled. “But it was filled with love. Sometimes, Princess, comfort isn’t about what things are made of, but about the kindness around you.” He then gifted Poppy a small, hand-sewn cushion filled with lavender. “This isn’t the fanciest cushion,” he said, “but the lavender is meant to bring peaceful dreams.”
That night, Poppy tried her bed again. She still felt the usual small lumps and bumps, but she held the lavender cushion close. She thought about Old Man Tiber’s story and realized he was right. It wasn’t the bed that made her uncomfortable; it was her own unhappiness. She decided to focus on all the good things in her life – her loving parents, the beautiful castle, and the kindness of people like Old Man Tiber.
She closed her eyes, breathing in the calming scent of lavender. For the first time in a long time, Princess Poppy drifted off to sleep, not because her bed was perfect, but because her heart was full. She dreamt of helping Old Man Tiber in the garden, planting roses and sharing stories. And when she woke up, she knew that true comfort wasn’t something you could buy or invent; it was something you found within yourself and shared with others.