Once upon a time there was a girl who lived a simple life. She enjoyed the land, the ocean and the sun. She didn't really need expensive things, although if expensive things were available she would enjoy them. There was really no particular hatred against things with high or low cost.

Jessica was the girl's name. She had long, round curls that played with her face when the breeze touched her gently. The sand under her feet was soft. A Seagal glided above the skies like a kite and it dived from the clouds into the surface of the ocean. It swam and then ducked its head with its large bag beak. When its head came up, his beak was filled with fish, some of them were wiggling their tails.

The girl enjoyed watching the Seagal feed itself. She sometimes sat on the shore to watch it fly and fish. Her skin was the color of cinnamon because of the sun. Her favorite thing was listening to the waves because the sound of them brought her peace.

Sometimes her skin smelled like coconut. Jessica owned a small bottle of coconut oil which she enjoyed to put both on her skin and hair. Other times she smelled like vanilla. Her scents were always soft to the nose. One afternoon as she walked through the beach and the fresh water covered her feet, she saw a glass bottle floating in the water. She picked it up and noticed that there was a rolled paper in it. 

 She opened the top of the bottle and pulled the rolled paper out. She frowned curiously, wondering what this was all about. There was a note in it that read the following.

"Dear World. I'm busy, but I'm still here. I have been writing letters, doing decrees, expanding my kingdom and doing business as usual. P.S. The King."

"The King?" Jessica wondered. She had remembered seeing the King a long time ago when she was a little girl. She didn't know much about him except that he was always very busy. She thought the letter was strange because she had dreamt with him during the winter. In her dream they were at a banquet in the castle. Everyone who was important was there. They had eggs and ham, a very simple breakfast and she remembered that everyone was complaining about the dish. Everyone, but her. Maybe since she was such a simpleton, she didn't understand the inadequacy of the meal. People were complaining. Eggs and ham? That's it? What kind of a meal is this, coming from the castle? But Jessica ate it and actually did enjoy it. She looked up from her plate and said to everyone complaining about the breakfast that it wasn't a big deal. The king saw her and clapped at her. Jessica smiled back and that was the dream.

She wondered if this note was somehow related to that dream. She placed the note back in the bottle and closed the top. She stayed a little bit longer, feeling the water splash on her feet. The breeze gently blowing on her face and clothes. She allowed the sun to sink into her pores for a while and then decided to walk back into the house. As she walked into the house, she held the bottle in her hand. The palm trees waved at her as she entered. There was a table and a chair in the corner of the hall. Jessica sat down and placed the bottle on the table.

"I am going to write back to him," she said out loud. She grabbed a paper and pen, but when it was time to write, she didn't know what to write. She didn't know if she should and how he would take it. In fact, she thought that maybe the King wouldn't even see the note. It probably wouldn't reach him anyway. So, she put the pen away and didn't write the note, but she continued to think about the note and the dream. What if she really was meant to meet him? After days of thought, she decided to write him a note. She sat on the chair, took a piece of paper and wrote the note.

"Dear King. I'm glad to read that you're here. I can see by the note that you are very busy. I wish you well and I wish you success with your expansion. One of the plebs, Jessica."

She rolled the piece of paper and placed inside the bottle. She placed the top and then ran outside to the beach. There she gazed at the bottle, smiled and tossed into the ocean.

"Well... that's it," she said and thought nothing of it. The next day though, something strange happened. She saw the bottle on the shore. The waves were digging it in the sand. Jessica ran to it.

"Damn... he never received it," she said, but then she noticed something glittering in it. It was a ruby the size of a pebble.

"Wait a minute. I don't remember leaving a pebble in there," she said to herself. She grabbed it and brought it into the house. She took the top off and retrieved the paper. It had a note, but it was a new note. She couldn't believe it. He had actually received her first note. Jessica couldn't believe it. The note said.

"Thank you, but you are nothing but a pleb. Signed the King." You could imagine her shock when she read this. She couldn't believe it. Why would the King insult her like that? He didn't even know her. Jessica was sad. Tears streamed down her face and she decided to tear the letter up and throw it in the trashcan along with the bottle. She decided not to keep the ruby either. It would mean that she would have to accept the humiliation. She didn't. She showered and cried a little in bed, then fell asleep.