We need crowns

“Do you think it was enough to get them in trouble?”

“I should hope so! We upset nearly every high end clerk we met.”

Wilma looked back and forth between the ant and the six horned demon. “Children, please. Nothing will come of your foolishness. At worst, they simply won’t be allowed back into the jewelry store.”

The ant queen stumbled backwards. “A fate worse than exile from the hill! A lone ant with no hive! Can you imagine, empress, a life without necklaces?”

“Please, call me Christine, and the only thing worse than a monarch without necklaces is a ruler without a crown. Isn’t that so, fairest queen?”

“As long as we are being so informal, Christine, you can call me Josephine. And oh, you are so right, dear. How can one even preside over court without a proper crown?”

Wilma the witch sat heavily on a wooden stool in her kitchen. She sighed. “Let’s focus here, children. The crown. If we want the crown, we need Poople and Noople out of the picture, yes?”

Christine nodded. Josephine raised her hand.

“This isn’t a classroom honey, you can say whatever you want without my permission.”

“Oh, well. I mean, we don’t have to hurt them, do we? I mean, they did save our lives and our empires, didn’t they?”

Christine nodded again. “Yes, they did, she’s right, you know.”

“Yes. Well, children, we just have to get them in actual trouble, not just give them a bad reputation at the jewelry store.”