Princess Maja Takes the Bus

Princess Maja had a secret list. She kept it in a small notebook under her pillow. The cover was pale green. On the first page, she had written four words: Things Normal People Do.

There were twenty-two items on the list. Number seventeen said: Take the bus.

Maja often saw buses from the window of the royal car. They were big, slow, and orange. She always wondered what it felt like in there. Did it smell like rain? Did anyone ever miss their stop?

Today, she decided to find out.

She did not tell her assistant, Kira. She did not tell Brandon, her head of security, either.

She put on a grey coat and a blue scarf. She wore plain shoes that she bought online. Then she left through the side door, near the kitchen garden. She stepped into the city like anyone else.

The morning was cool and soft. The sky was the colour of milk.

The bus stop was a short walk from the palace. It had a small glass roof and a metal sign.

Maja looked for the number she wanted. It was Bus 14. Her friend Clara took it to the market every Saturday.

"It's easy," Clara once told her. "You get on, tap your card, and sit down."

Maja had a card. She practised using it at home, very gently.

She waited. The bus arrived with a long, tired sigh. Maja got on.

Inside, it was warm. It smelled of wet umbrellas and coffee. Some people were on their phones. Others watched the street. An old woman was knitting something bright yellow. Her needles made a soft clicking sound, like a small clock.

Maja tapped her card. The machine gave a short beep. She felt a little rush of pride. She sat by a window, halfway down the bus. Outside, the city moved past. She saw bookshops, bakeries, and a flower stall with yellow roses.

Clara told her it was seven stops to the market. So Maja counted quietly. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. The knitting woman got off, with her yellow wool in her bag. Six.

Then her phone buzzed. It was a message from Kira. "Your eleven o'clock meeting is now at ten thirty. Where are you?"

Maja glanced up. She had lost count. Nothing outside looked familiar. The buildings were old, with dark brick and plants in the windows. She did not know this part of the city at all.

She had missed her stop.

She got off at the next one, on a quiet street called Velden Lane. The bus drove away. Then it began to rain. It was not heavy. It was soft and gentle, almost polite. But she had no umbrella. She never thought anything would go wrong.

A woman came out of a nearby doorway. She had short grey hair and a dark green coat. She carried fresh bread from the shop next door. She watched Maja kindly, like someone who has found a lost cat.

"Are you waiting for something?" the woman asked.

"The next bus, I think," Maja said. "I missed my stop."

"Ah," the woman said. "Bus 47 comes in about twelve minutes. Would you like to wait inside? It's dry in there, and I was going to make tea."

Maja looked at the door. It was painted dark red, with a little pot of herbs on the step. She had been told many times not to enter a stranger's home. But she had also been told that normal life was full of small kindnesses.

"Yes, please," she said. "Thank you."

The woman's name was Elsa. Her flat was small and warm. There were shelves full of old books. A cat was asleep on a blue chair.

Elsa made tea in a yellow pot. She brought out simple biscuits on a plate. They had a little sugar on top. Maja ate two. They were the best she had ever tasted.

They talked about the rain and the neighbourhood. Elsa never asked who Maja was. She did not seem to know. She simply treated her like a friend who came at the right moment.

When it was almost time, Elsa walked her back to the stop. "Bus 47 goes to the central square," she said. "From there, everything connects."

"Thank you," Maja said. "For the tea, and for the biscuits."

Elsa smiled. "You're welcome. And next time, keep counting."

Maja laughed. It came easily, and that surprised her. "I will," she said.

She got on Bus 47, and she counted every stop. She reached the palace just before her meeting. Her scarf was still a little wet. Kira raised an eyebrow when she came in. Maja said she had gone for a walk. It was almost true.

That night, she opened the green notebook. She found number seventeen and crossed it out. Then she wrote two new lines underneath. Get lost at least once. Accept tea from a stranger.

She held the notebook close for a moment. Outside, the city was getting quiet. The last buses made their slow trips home.

Somewhere on Velden Lane, Elsa was probably reading by a lamp. Her cat was asleep on the blue chair. Maja thought about all the people like her. People who offer tea to strangers in the rain. She wanted to meet them all. And one day, she would.

She put the notebook back under her pillow and turned off the lamp. The rain tapped softly on the window, like a good friend saying goodnight.

And now, it's time for you to rest too. Maybe you did something small today. Maybe you did something brave.

Either way, you showed up. Close your eyes, and let your thoughts go quiet. The world will still be here in the morning. It will be full of buses, bakeries, and small kindnesses you haven't found yet. Goodnight, and sleep well.