Page 42 - Tree of Happiness

Edgar gave me one of those looks that mean, “Not so fast buddy.” He did not say anything; he just cleared his throat and continued the story.
The Queen then set out on a great adventure. She went throughout the world to search out the 1,000 greatest books. This proved to be much more difficult than she had ever imagined.
Not only were the travels difficult and dangerous but now she had to study all potential ‘great’ books. She had to understand them and then determine which were the best. She found that she had to talk to hundreds of wise people and read thousands of books.
Often, late at night when she was tired, she would remember the Wizard telling her, “You will never be smart because you were born under the wrong stars.”
She could also hear her advisors tell her, “This book stuff is foolish and no task for a Queen.”
She got fearful that bad things might be going on in the kingdom while she was in these foreign countries, for she had no way to communicate with home. Some nights her fears and frustrations got the best of her and she would pack her bags to return home.
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