Sally Mae and the Flooding River

Installment #6:
“Oh! Where are my manners! I’ve completely forgotten myself. My name is Sally Mae. Thank you for rescuing me. I don’t know what I would have done,” she said.
“It was my pleasure, Miss Mae. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Michael. I came as quickly as I could and I am thrilled to have saved you.”
His chivalry and prestige made Sally Mae blush. After gathering her bag, she rode with Michael back to her house of gemstone. Her father rushed out to hold her upon her triumphant return.
“Victoria has left, my dear. She grew tired of waiting for you to come home and said she would return in a year,” her father explained.
“Oh, how I don’t want to go with her! I just want to stay and spend the rest of my days here, with you and Michael,” she cried.
Upon hearing her gloomy future, Michael took her hand and knelt down on one knee. “If you truly care to stay here in this humble town, marry me now and we’ll spend the rest of our days happy and content knowing that no harm can come to us. I will love you and your beauty for all the days of my life.”
Overjoyed at the prospect of spending the rest of her life with her knight in shining armor, as it were, she gladly accepted his proposal and they were wed before the end of the month. Upon receiving an invitation, Sally Mae’s mother fired Victoria for not succeeding in educating Sally Mae. However, her mother attended the wedding and took part in all the festivities, content, at least, to not have to worry about her daughter’s future. Sally Mae and Michael lived happily ever after for the rest of their days.

Previously on Sally Mae:
Once upon a time there lived a named Sally Mae. She grew up in a house made out of gemstones all folded together. Her favorite stone was sapphire because of its deep color and the way it sometimes formed a star. She also loved it because her daddy always told her it matched the color of her eyes.
Sally Mae was a very beautiful . She had flowing hair, which she always wore in braided plaits as was the fashion. She wore a dress every day, all different colors of the rainbow: pink, purple, light blue, and pale green, always with a white ribbon tied around her waist in an overflowing bow. Sally Mae enjoyed spending time outdoors, talking with the birds and chipmunks about where they had traveled to and what they had seen. She also loved smelling the flowers, especially orchids- those were her favorite.
Around the house Sally Mae was a help to her father. She knew how to tend to a garden and fix supper for her father. She commonly took charge of her mother’s duties; her mother was a business woman who traveled around the world selling jewelry and gems much like the ones her house was formed out of. Sally Mae hardly ever saw her mother and relished the few days she had with her.
One fine July morning Sally Mae leaped out of the door with joy at the sight of her mother’s deep purple limousine. When the chauffeur opened the door, her smile faded and her enchantment disappeared. Her mother’s aide, Victoria, stepped out. Victoria had never liked Sally Mae and only put up with her for her jobs sake.
“I’m here to take Sally Mae into the real world and teach her real skills,” she hollered at Daddy. “She needs to learn how to hold her own in real life, not just twiddle her around her house, picking daisies and stirring soup.”
“No,” protested father, “you can’t take her!” But there was no hope; Daddy had no power over threatening Victoria, as hard as he may fight.
“We will leave in the morning, tell her to pack her bags,” Victoria scowled.
“I don’t want to go. NO! I will not leave!” Sally Mae screamed. Resisting with all her strength, she realized it was useless. Sally Mae was going to have to fix this problem herself.
Pack her bags she did, but not for Victoria. She was going to leave that night and escape out her doomed future. She wanted to be with nature and the birds, not in the world of merchants and business. When the moon was high she crawled out of her window. Chirping to the birds, she explained she needed a new home, one without Victoria. She was going to miss her house made out of beautiful stones, and pulled some off of the window sill to take with her.
When the sun began to rise on the third morning, full and radiant, she grew weary and tired. She had been walking straight for three days and three nights and the company of the birds hadn’t been enough to keep her going. She placed her bag under a tree and laid down on the bank of low river. She was so tired and exhausted she slept through the day and night.
When Sally Mae woke up the next morning, all she could hear was what sounded like rushing water. She looked around terrified and she screamed at the top of her lungs. There had been a thunderstorm at night and the river had risen all around her. She was isolated on an island that was in the middle of the river. With regret at her loss, she undid her bow and cautiously threw it into the water. The current was so strong that it was carried away and disappeared in an instant. Never having learned to swim, she was frightened and panicky. “How will I ever get off this island?” Sally Mae wondered.
One of her bird friends, Nick, flew over to land on her shoulder. “What’s wrong Sally Mae? Can’t you swim across to the bank?” he asked.
“I can’t swim,” she sobbed, “I can only cook and clean. Please help me Nick. I don’t know what I will do!”
“Don’t worry, I’ll find help. You just stay put and try to relax.” And off he went. Sally Mae couldn’t do anything else so she sat down on a rock on her little island and began to sing to soothe herself. She sang songs her Daddy had taught her when she was little and pulled out the gemstones in her pocket. Looking at the pretty rocks made her wish to be home again.
Several hours later, she looked up and saw that Nick was flying back to her. “I’ve found someone! I found someone!” he exclaimed. “After Victoria noticed you were missing, she sent out a search team to find you and bring you home. I found one of the policemen and he is on his way,”
Elated, Sally Mae tried to make herself appear presentable. She retied the ribbons in her hair and pinched her cheeks for a hint of color. Flattening out her dress as best she could, she sat and waited for the policeman to arrive. Not too long after, a man appeared at the edge of the river. He rode a horse of white and had on a suit of handsome, pale blue.
“Just a moment, little lady. I’ll cross the river on my horse to you,” he yelled over the noisy current.
When he crossed the high tide, Sally Mae noticed he was very attractive. His dark hair sat perfectly on his head and his eyes of dark green reminded Sally Mae of another gemstone that was imbedded into her home. After climbing on the horse and crossing the river, she sat down with ease, knowing she was safe at last.