"The Black Pearl Princess…”

“The Black Pearl Princess”, we christened her, (from) “The Land of Black Snow”.

My youngest daughter, Michele brought me some chocolate cookies with salty, crystal sprinkles on top…kosher salt, y’all. Very strange…

The bottom of the individual cookie package had slivers of kosher salt, among its tasty crunchy chocolate crumbs.

I stick my fingers in to enjoy the remnants of the crisp cookies, to discover my fingertips covered in salt particles…I lick them…mmm. 😋

‘Holy Smokes’🎆🧨🎊Madam Muse there she goes…

Suddenly I drift to a short time of when I was a little girl.

…It reminded of a childhood friend, who was Judy Shiner, who loved to put kosher salt in her palm then eat it. Peculiar habit I admit.

But that triggered the dormant episode of this person as a child and our connection so suddenly! How could tasting the salty crystals unleash my brain to send this short-lived time in my life?

Crazy I last saw Judy was in1951… we were about 10 years old.

She was so pretty with her blonde wavy hair and brown round eyes. Judy was chubby and sweet…she was the baby of her family of 4 kids.

We both lived on Stone Avenue in old Brooklyn. A noisy elevated train ran on our corner. Our elementary school was one block away.

Many times, we would have a playdate at her apartment, after school. My own tenement flat was lonely as my mother worked.

As we drank a glass of milk, (warmed to just take the chill off), with a cookie served by Mrs. Shiner, I felt comfort. 🥰

Then as was our habit, we’d go to her parents' bedroom in rear of the railroad apartment.

The old fashion bedroom with pictures of foreign looking European folks sat on the ancient Tudor dresser. Beaded ecru lampshades covered the wall sconces, that kept the dark room only dimly lit. Mr. & Mrs. Shiner’s room looked down over the backyard, from its 2nd floor only window.

On the piano bench that we pulled from the parlor; we’d place it close to this window… to sit hypnotized…transfixed on “Her”. “The Black Pearl Princess”, we christened her, (from) “The Land of Black Snow”.

Against the back rickety fence, in the far corner, of her on a lone, mossy rock. She oversaw the sad remnants of a probably once cherished backyard…as its reigning Queen.

She was striking standing in this ignored, treeless space with a clothesline dangling above it. An ebony sculpted goddess, modestly holding her gown, closed over her partially nude body of about 3' tall. The statue was very beautiful in her demure modest way, yet so regal. Judy and I go on dreamy flights of fancy…about her.

She was sculptured of a black shiny stone.

“Our Princess” had a young woman’s face, with a secret smile on it like she had a pleasant secret, but horrors…her nose was gone. 😱

To Judy & I this flaw made her even more intriguing…

Us little girls made up endless fairytales about her. She was the source of sunshine 🌞and splendor that sparked our vivid imaginations in our tired neighborhood.

We’d spin tales of mystery, unrequited love, even kidnapping. Wicked stepmother, etc. (Remember we spent time at our Public Library, where the Childrens’ section was filled with Arabian Nights fantasies, along with olden day fairy tales, & faraway places).

You see we were 1st generation American children…born in a Brooklyn Hospital.

Me and my girlfriend were thus not to know a real country history of Kings, Queens, Princes & Princesses. (Nor thank goodness of one of tsars, or his family). We only read about them in books, & tales told to us at bedtime, in our parents’ accented voices.

…” Princess Black Pearl” …

So many scenarios played out between Judy & I as we used our young, creative minds.

How did she from “The Land of Black Snow” come to live in Judy’s yard? We fretted about that many times. Of course, we were thrilled she chose to be near us…on Stone Avenue. That’s why our street was named Stone Avenue, for “Our Stone Goddess"… we shook our heads in agreement.

We wondered just how far away was “The Land of Black Snow”?

Could it be “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” 🌈 (where the other Judy), (Garland), wandered with Toto, the Tinman & the Lion? Maybe…

If “The Prince from The Land of Black Snow”, find “The Black Pearl Princess” then kiss her, would she wake up to play with us, or would he carry her off… for them to live happily ever after? 👑👑🎵🎵💚💞

Oh, how our minds worked their magic…as we shared times on the piano stool.