Once upon a time, there was a little tiny kingdom that was so poor that there was no plumbing. No pipes went to each house to provide fresh water to drink, or wash in, or bathe in. No sewer pipes lead away, either. If you wanted water, you had to go to the well, lower a bucket into the water, pull it up, and pour it into a pail to take home. There was running water at the castle, however. The King paid plumbers to lay water lines over to the water tower in the next-door kingdom. This was easy for a king to do. The King, Old King Cole, was a merry old soul because he and Mrs. Cole, the Queen, had two boisterous children, Prince Jack and Princess Jill. Everything Jack and Jill did was loud and exciting and funny and it often involved water. When they ate dinner, they told hilarious stories about water balloon wars with their cousins. When they brushed their teeth, they flicked toothpaste and water at each other, laughing wildly. When they went to bed, they giggled themselves to sleep thinking about chasing each other through the Royal Lawn Sprinklers. The King and Queen liked it when their children were happy. So they built a huge water park with waterfalls and fountains and a giant swimming pool. There was even a stream they could float down in some Royal Inner Tubes. Then one day the Royal Water Bill came and the fun stopped. Old King Cole was not merry. He was broke. If the Royal Family wanted water, they would have to go to the well like everyone else. He handed pails to Jack and Jill and pointed at the well. Jack and Jill stopped laughing. And then... Jack and Jill went up the hill, To fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown And Jill came tumbling after! Jack looked at Jill and Jill looked at Jack and they both burst out laughing and climbed back up the hill, determined to have fun, no matter what. Copyright 2009, Jerry Jindrich. All rights reserved.