Abigail stood in the kitchen, washing a cup of rice and straining to hear her parents' conversation in the other room.

Dying. Worried. Difficulty. No Money. Too Pretty.

She could only make out a few words, but it was enough. She knew what they were talking about.

She put rice in the rice cooker and looked at the bare pantry. That cup of rice was the last bit of food they had for the week, and it was only Tuesday. They would have to make that rice last until Sunday, when their next ration would be portioned out. Maybe she could pick up an extra shift at the factory tomorrow.

Her mother came into the kitchen, tears in her eyes.

“Abigail, it’s time,” she said.

Abigail followed her mom into the next room, where her dad lay, sick and feeble.

“I love you, Abigail,” he said. “Take care of yourself.”

Abigail hugged him, sobbing. “I love you too, Dad,” she choked.

One year later, Abigail stood at her mother’s bedside, holding her hand while she uttered her final words.

“Abigail,” she said, “I want you to promise me something.”

“Anything, Momma,” Abigail said.

“I want you to promise me that you will find a job and provide for yourself, and I want you to wear this bonnet everywhere you go, and never take it off.”

Abigail took the bonnet and tied it around her head, tucking her beautiful golden locks inside the cotton hat. She didn't fully understand her mother's request, but she trusted her. She nodded her head and took her mother's hand. It was cold and frail. She didn't have much time.

“I will Momma, I promise.”

*********

Abigail was extraordinarily beautiful. She had perfectly proportioned features, light blue eyes, porcelain skin, and light blonde hair that fell to her waist. Her mother was worried that Abigail would have a hard time in life because she was so beautiful, so she asked her to wear the bonnet in order to hide her beauty from the world. She wanted Abigail to have a way to provide for herself after she passed.

Abigail immediately went searching for a job after her mother’s death. She went to every factory, field, and business owner in the town, but everyone denied her request. She was too young, and too inexperienced. Finally, a farm owner took pity on her, and gave her a job working in his field.

The work was long and difficult, and the pay was barely enough to feed herself for the week, but she was grateful. She worked in that field every day for seven years, never missing a shift, and always working her hardest.

One day, the farm owner’s son was home visiting, and he decided to take a stroll through the farm. He noticed Abigail immediately, not because she was the only worker in the field wearing a bonnet, but because she was working the hardest.

Intrigued, he watched her from a distance, and followed her to the pond when it was time for her break. He watched as she knelt down beside the water and removed the hat. He immediately gasped at her beauty. He knew he must have this woman as his wife right away, and ran back to the farm house to tell his father.

His father was hesitant, but he finally agreed. His son ran into the field and asked Abigail if she would be his wife. She was hesitant at first, but she was weary of working in the field, and more importantly, she was lonely. She felt she had honored her mother’s requests, so she agreed.

A week later, the wedding took place, and Abigail wore her bonnet for the ceremony. After the vows had been exchanged, she untied the bonnet and removed it from her head, revealing her long blonde hair and delicate features. Everyone at the wedding was shocked and awestruck by her beauty. They had never seen someone so beautiful in their entire lives.

Abigail and her husband moved to the country, where she tended to the land and kept up with the house chores. She never had to worry about money again, and her heart was finally full.

Author's Note: This is a re-telling of the story "The Maiden With The Wooden Helmet." I really liked this story so I decided to keep as much of the original plot as I could. I wanted to emphasize the struggles that Abigail went through both before and after her parents' death. In the original story, a young girl loses her parents and must find a job in order to support herself. Her mother's dying wish is for her to wear a wooden helmet and never take it off. The young girl is unsure why her mother has such an odd request, but she honors it nonetheless. Eventually, she gets married, and after she says her vows the helmet shatters off of her head and a thousand tiny diamonds are scattered across the floor, and the young girl's extraordinary beauty is revealed to everyone. It was hard to keep it under the word limit, but I think I captured all the elements I wanted to, and tried to keep it true to the original. My favorite part about the original story is how hard-working the daughter is, and how she honors her mother's requests for so many years, even when it is very difficult at times to do so, especially because she did not know why exactly her mother wanted her to wear the bonnet.

Source:Source: Japanese Fairy Tales unit. Story source: The Maiden with the Wooden Helmet. by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1897).