Story: The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace

Long ago, there was a girl who simply went by Kay. Kay lost both of her parents at a young age, and it changed her life forever.  At only seven years old, she was forced to life in an orphanage full of girls who had never had two parents. This orphanage was notorious for signing orphans up for cruel jobs that other Egyptians simply did not want. Kay first worked as a baker, which she loved.  Each morning she would wake up earlier than all of the other orphans and happily run down the street to work. Making the fresh bread every day became a wonderful routine for Kay. Until one morning, the bakery wasn't there anymore. The doors were locked and the sign was gone. Kay was devastated. She swallowed back her tears and began slowly walking back home. Hesitantly, she knocked on the orphanages owner’s bedroom door. The owner listened and quickly thought of a new job. She explained to Kay that the Pharaoh was in need of new servants, and she would be perfect for the job. Kay reluctantly agreed since she had heard such awful things about the Pharaoh.

The next morning, she silently walked to the kingdom to start her new position. Other girls from the orphanage greeted her and they kept repeating that she would love it.  Kay was in charge of wardrobe and cleaning. She observed everything and soon became very good at her job.

A few weeks after starting, there was a commotion in the kingdom. “The queen! The Pharaoh has finally found a queen!” Kay was so excited. She was told to go fetch the royal garments. Shortly after, Kay was officially named one of the queen’s attendants. When Sarah, the new queen, walked in, Kay squealed with excitement. Sarah was the kindest and the prettiest woman that Kay had ever met. Sarah kindly asked Kay many questions about her life, within 20 minutes, they were the best of friends. The Pharaoh walked in and kicked Kay out so he could talk to Sarah. Kay patiently walked outside, nervous of what the cruel Pharaoh may do.

Kay pressed her ear on the door and heard shrieking, but not from Sarah. The Pharaoh walked out looking like someone just punched him. Later that night, as Kay prepared the Pharaoh’s bed, she saw a figure. It was a bright figure that had a calming presence. Kay quietly left the room, as the Pharaoh was ready for bed. Suddenly, there was a very loud boom. The Pharaoh had fallen out of his bed. Kay snickered and hurried to Sarah’s room. Sarah and Kay talked the whole night. “I want you to come live with me,” Sarah expressed to Kay. Kay was baffled. “Are you not going to live here forever?” Kay questioned. Sarah explained that her husband Abraham was planning an escape for tomorrow, and they wanted Kay to come with them.

The next day, Kay made her way to a new country with her new parents, Sarah and Abraham. After four years of being an orphan, she finally had a loving family.

Author's Note: After reading the original Jewish Fairy Tale, The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace, I was fascinated. Like any young girl, I love palaces, kings, queens... Really all of the fun stuff. I wanted to focus this story on the help that the palace was receiving. Thinking up the character of Kay was so fun. I wanted to use an Aladdin theme, but with a Pharaoh instead of a sultan. The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace talked about how Sarah and Abraham made the Pharaoh release them.  I immediately knew that Sarah was a very strong female lead, so I wanted Kay to really love her as much as I did. 

Bibliography: Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa, link to The Higgledy-Piggledy Palace. 

Image: Pyramids in Egypt from Aemes.