Reading Notes: Russian Fairy Tales, Part B

Although I am sure that my previous storytelling assignment idea would be a good option, I also want to explore other chapters of the book. This week has been one of my favorites because the story I chose is exactly about something I would read in my spare time. The supernatural characters don't have names, nor does Ralston focus on the details. However, in my story this week, no matter what it is about, I want to include those details and the personal element.
The story that caught my eye was "The Headless Princess." It is about a boy who peers through a princess's window and just as he does, the princess removes her head, dresses it up, and returns it to its rightful place. The princess then fell ill and demanded that that boy be the one who reads the psalter next to her coffin. The boy consulted his grandmother, who gave him advice on how to keep evil spirits from harming him. However, when the boy showed up to read, the princess escaped the coffin and tried to cast spells and conjure up horrors. The boy continued reading the psalms aloud, which meant the magic would not affect him. When the king was told of his daughter's mental and physical state, he demanded she be executed.
I am thinking that I could use this story, but in a more modern sense. I have the idea to incorporate the current Royal Family and making Princess Margaret share this wretched secret. No one in the Royal Family is aware of this, until a member of the palace staff witness her switched her heads in the night. I plan to make the story set in the 1970s, since Princess Margaret is no longer alive. I want to include other Royal Family characters in the story as well, while still keeping the themes and ideas of Ralston.


The headless princess choosing her hairstyle and head for the evening.

Russian Fairy Tales by W. R. S. Ralston.