nce upon a time, there was a little princess with hair as fine and pale as cornsilk. With utmost care her mother brushed, combed, trimmed and curled these tender tresses. Though appreciative of the ministrations of her dear mother, all the little princess wanted was to have long shiny braids like Rapunzel. So great was her desire, she would braid pieces of hemp taken from her father’s pile of twine and pin them to her veils.

As the years went by, the little princess grew strong and healthy under the care of her doting parents. Then the Age of Aquarius dawned and the realm was filled with tidings of peace and love. Soon the marketplaces and fairs were crowded with people in colorful costumes and long hair. Our princess knew her time had come! Taking the cue, her darkening locks seemed to grow in direct proportion to her desire to see them long and free flowing. She encircled this long sleek hair with bejeweled headbands and gossamer scarves to match the vibrant sashes that sat on her hips. Sometimes she braided her thick tresses just like another princess, Summerfall Winterspring. And she danced and twirled to the beat of the New Age.

Of course, her fresh looks and winning smile were noticed by many, and she was soon carried off to a distant land to become the wife of a handsome prince. Together they raised another generation of princes and princesses. For many years our heroine worked hard to make their castle a home. She put aside the things of a princess and devoted herself to the people around her, knowing that true joy was to be found in the happiness and contentment of those she loved.

The Great Wheel of life turned and the seasons followed one after another. The occupations of youth and young adulthood behind her, our princess now traveled the Path of mystics, witches and wizards. Her nearly knee length hair, though still shiny and luxurious, was shot through with strands of silver. Our tale has been one of fulfillment and joy and, you might ask, where was the curse, where was the spell? For surely every princess and every fairy tale is incomplete without the toil and trouble! As sunshine is followed by shadow, every wish fulfilled also brings with it a lesson.

Luckily, Fate smiled kindly on the heroine of our tale and her problem was a small one. In the natural course of the regenerative process, we all shed hair in order that new growth can occur. As the princess cleaned her castle, one vacuum cleaner after another became bound up by the long strands of her hair, which had the tensile strength of piano wire. They were truly strong enough for Rumplestiltskin’s spinning wheel! She tried many ways to pick up the hair before vacuuming, but always there was enough remaining on the carpets to wind itself around the brushes, the gears and the motor to stop the vacuum in its tracks. This wise crone was at a loss how to avoid ruining her good machines.

In her travels, the princess had befriended a powerful wizard named Howard the Fair. His flock of snow white sheep was the loveliest in the land. Ever resourceful, Howard had devised wonderful brushes, combs and cards to groom these animals and thought he might have a solution for the princess’ dilemma. He brought her a rake with a handle she could adjust. The head of it was studded with hundreds of fine tines bent at just the right angle to snag the hairs on her carpets. Excitedly, she ran around raking and then vacuuming all the rugs in the castle. The spell was broken! The machines ran without a glitch, no longer ensnared by long strands of hair!

Our princess, her growing family tree, the carpets and the vacuums, and the Howard rug rake lived happily ever after. And the moral of our story is – yes, every fairy tale has to have a moral as surely as it has to have a spell – be careful what you wish for and always have a Howard Brush to smooth the tangles of life!