As children, my cousin and I played a game when our families met for dinner, creating stories about other customers. Often, we found a beautiful woman and made her a princess in distress, waiting for Prince Charming. Eventually we grew older and our princess stories became childhood memories. Last week, my cousin and I met at a Thai restaurant to catch up. As we talked, I noticed a young girl curled up on a couch. Her blonde curls were slightly covering her thick Harry Potter book and you could tell by her brown eyes that she was enraptured by the story. At that moment, the memory of our game resurfaced and I nudged my cousin.

"See that little girl?" I nodded in the girl's direction. My cousin turned.

"What about her?" she asked, puzzled.

"She's six. She has two sisters and a brother." My cousin's face morphed from a look of confusion to a smile at the remembrance of our old game. I continued, "She taught herself how to read. She has already read the entire Junie B. Jones series. This year, she will administer reading tests to her classmates because she is already at a fifth grade reading level. In second grade, she will earn fifty-seven "crowns" for winning every spelling bee. When she takes a spelling test, she will always add a bonus word, "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," because she is proud that she can spell it. She will bring home extra math workbooks. In fourth grade, she will be shy; however, she will create a game for herself that forces her to participate. As she grows, she will lose and gain friends, but she will not change herself for anyone. When she is in high school, she will be proud that she stayed true to herself because it will teach her to be independent and it will make her strong. She will continue to push herself academically. She will develop strong relationships with her teachers, who will nominate her as a finalist for a good citizen award. They choose her because they see her passion for learning and her determination. Most importantly, she will find she loves making a difference in the lives of others. She will be there for her friends when they need her, and she will be compassionate and trustworthy. She will be open to new experiences and, as a result, she will learn new things every day. She will go to college with a confidence in her abilities and the knowledge that she will make a difference." I finished my story. My cousin smiled knowingly at me.

"Are you sure that's the story about the little girl, Alyx?" she asked. I could see her flashing back to images of me as a little girl, waiting for her family to arrive with my own face in a Harry Potter book. I just smiled.

"Oh, and one more thing," I added. "That little girl will never need a Prince Charming to save her. She can do it herself."