The Queen’s Quill
There was once a queen, named Quincy, who loved to write letters. All day long, she would just write and write. She would write to her friends. She would write to her family. And she would write to the villagers of her quaint kingdom.
But one day, as she sat down at her desk she noticed that her quill was missing. She looked all over, but could not find it anywhere. So she began to quiz everyone she could find. Still, the quill was gone.
Since nobody knew where it went, she sent out a question throughout the kingdom:
CAN ANYBODY FIND ME THE PERFECT QUILL? THE REWARD WILL BE A BEAUTIFUL QUILT.
The quest had started. There were some people who were excited and selfish, and they began to quarrel over who had the best quill. The ground would almost quake from all the arguing, and because of that, they never made it to the castle. Everyone wanted to win the beautiful quilt.
But some people were quiet and patient, and were able to present Queen Quincy with one writing quill after another. Still, there wasn’t one that was quite what the queen wanted. She was nearly ready to quit.
Just then, she heard a quiet, tiny sound, like a quack, from the back of the royal hall.
“Your majesty,” he began, “my name is Quentin Quail, and I overheard some villagers saying that you were having some trouble. Something about a missing quill.”
The queen just looked at him in awe. This quail was beautiful. All sorts of colors were seen in every single one of his feathers. Blues, purples, reds and greens. Yellows, oranges, and all shades in between. She invited him to sit down with her and told him of the quest and the quarreling, and how she was having trouble finding a new quill.
But before she could even tell him about the reward quilt, Quentin stood up, quickly plucked a feather from his own tail and presented it to the queen. Then, with a smile he bowed gracefully and left.
Queen Quincy just sat there, staring at the quill in amazement. It was a delight to look at with all of its shimmering colors. She immediately went over to her desk and began to write.
And that’s when she realized it. Quentin Quail had left before receiving his reward! And she had no idea where to find him.
So she set out on a quest of her own to look for the quail that gave her the quill. She asked the guards at her castle if they knew where to find him. They did not.
She asked the baker at the edge of the village if he knew of Quentin Quail. He did not.
She asked a quartet of children running around the fountain in the center of town if they had ever seen this beautiful quail. And they said YES! They all cheered and yelled happily, saying their good friend Quentin could be found on the other side of town at the quarry. That was where he worked, as a guard making sure that nobody ever stepped into the quicksand. She gave each child a quarter for being so helpful, and was on her way.
Within no time at all, Queen Quincy and all her guards were at the quarry (which mined beautiful quartz), which is exactly where they found Quentin. She invited him back to her castle for a royal feast, and to present him his reward. He was said he would be honored, and agreed to return to the castle with her.
The queen and the quail dined together on squash, barbequed squid, and a quart of queesenberry juice (a special creation made by the queen herself). For dessert, they at quince pie with ice cream. And then, after they had finished their meal, the queen presented Quentin Quail with a wonderful, beautiful quilt as his reward for finding her the perfect writing quill.
As he wrapped the quilt around him, feeling how soft it was, a tear rolled down his cheek. When the queen asked him what was wrong, he replied, “This is the first time anyone has ever given me something of such quality. I am just so happy.”
Queen Quincy then walked over to Quentin, gave him a hug and quoted the Golden Rule, saying, “Treat others as you want to be treated.”
By giving the queen one of his own beautiful feathers, without expecting anything in return, Quentin received some of the best rewards in the world; a beautiful quilt that had been handmade with love, a new friend, and happiness.
