Emerson and Princess Peep
Hello, Yellow Shadow
The next morning, Queen Ruby’s other eggs still hatched. So the girls go down to take care of Princess Peep. The girls resume their assigned duties, and make sure Princess Peep is well taken care of. And Emerson continues to keep Princess Peep company by telling her chicken themed jokes, riddles, and stories with her puppets.
The day after, the eggs still haven’t hatched. While most of the girls go down to the greenhouse to check on Princess Peep, Emerson decides to sing Queen Ruby a song to encourage her to keep persisting:
Stay, Queen Ruby, on your nest.
Though it does not feel the best.
Hatch your eggs out soon today,
And we will all shout, “Hooray!”
Good Queen Ruby, we love you!
And we’ll love your babies, too.
In the greenhouse, Willa nervously notices that Princess Peep doesn’t look that great. She’s laying down lethargically. She droops and moops on the pine shavings, not making a single peep.
Then, Emerson comes through the door skipping. Ashlyn tells her to quiet down because Princess Peep doesn’t feel well today. Emerson comes over to the incubator box. The moment Princess Peep sees Emerson, the chick lifts her head and begins to peep happily. The chick hops up and splatters her water.
“She looks fine to me,” Emerson says. The girls stare at Emerson. How did she do that? Then Willa realizes: Princess Peep imprinted on Emerson!
Willa explains that when a chick hatches, it thinks the first big shape it sees is its mother. Since Princess Peep saw Emerson first, she imprinted on her.
While the girls clean the incubator box and tidy up the greenhouse, Emerson takes responsibility of keeping Princess Peep company. Wherever Emerson goes, the little chick hops along after, peeping and cheeping along the way.
Willa, Kendall, and Ashlyn are all jealous that Princess Peep imprinted on Emerson. Camille knows it’s better for Princess Peep to have imprinted on Emerson than on Queen Ruby, who was neglecting her. But either way, it feels strange to think of Emerson has a mother hen!
When the chick is ready to be put back in her incubator, Emerson tries to sing her a lullaby to make her go to sleep:
Little princess, go to sleep.
Do not make a single peep.
When you wake up, we’ll have fun.
We’re each other’s favorite one.
But right now you have to sleep.
Please don’t make a single peep.
The girls begin to creep away from the incubator. But the moment Princess Peep realizes they’re leaving, she cries and begins to fuss. Camille offers to hold Princess Peep while the others go play, but Princess Peep begins crying even louder than before when Camille reaches in to pick her up. Princess Peep doesn’t want Camille; she wants Emerson.
Emerson is happy to be of service, and willingly stays behind while the others go to play hopscotch outside. The minutes pass on. Emerson tries every idea imaginable to make Princess Peep go to sleep. But she refuses to fall asleep.
Eventually, Emerson picks her up and puts her on the ground. Maybe some exercise will tire her out. But when Emerson turns around, Princess Peep is gone. She has hopped under a shelf, and gotten lost behind a stack of flowerpots.
Emerson gets down on her hands and knees, and she can see Princess Peep’s head through the shadows. Emerson crawls under the shelf farther to reach her hand in to get the chick.
Suddenly, Willa dashes into the greenhouse, yelling for Emerson to come quick, for the next eggs are hatching. Emerson is surprised, and she sits up quickly, banging her head on the underside of the shelf. The flowerpots clatter to the ground, and pets and leaves go flying. Water from an overturned watering can leaks all over the floor. Emerson regretfully says she can’t come because she has to rescue Princess Peep and clean all of the mess up. But Willa is already running away up the path.