Vince was a handsome prince who never talked.The abundance of his wealth cascaded upon him like a mountain's waterfall.The royal magnificence of his palace exceeded that of the majestic castle of King Solomon. He was as healthy as he could be. His parents loved him, body, soul, and spirit. But Vince was yet very unhappy. That is because he never met a girl that he liked.

Vince was a lonesome prince who never talked. He didn't care to talk about his barren love life. So he didn't care to talk about anything at all. The queen tried everything to make Vince talk. But he wouldn't say a single word.

One day she told her servants to spread her message all over the Kingdom.
"Any girl, who can make my son talk, shall have him for her husband."
Pretty girls came from near, and from afar, to try their luck.

Mary came to talk about food. She brought carrots and peas.
But those things just made Vince go, "YUCK." They only made him sneeze.

Jane told Vince her most private secret. She hoped he'd surely tell.
But Vince forgot Jane's secret. He kept it very well.

Suzi dressed like a clown, to see what Vince would say.
When Vince saw Suzi's funny clothes, he laughed at her all day.

Donna tickled Vince's toes, with the feather of parrot bird.
That made Vince wiggle and giggle, but didn't say a word.

Joan gave Vince enough sugar and spice, to last him for a week.
That made Vince smack a happy snack. But it didn't make him speak.

Peggy colored pictures, with crayons and with chalk.
Vince liked Peggy's pictures, but they didn't make him talk.

Then one shiny summer's eve Vince stood on the balcony outside his lounge courting his muse.
Suddenly upon a distant winding pathway an uncommon lovely girl came passing by. She brought nothing to make Vince talk. All she did was continually walk.

Vince saw her beam when she saw him see her. Her smile made her look friendly and agreeable.
She walked pass the palace kept walking down the winding pathway and disappeared into the woodland.

Vince watched her until he could no longer see her. Then he spoke to himself.
"Pink ribbons. Golden hair. Where have you gone? Where? Oh, where?"

Another girl came wearing a red bonnet, with a partridge nestled upon it.
Another offered him a wagon load of fun games to play.
Vince rejected them all, with nothing to say.

One girl tumbled to the ground and played like she was dead.
Vince helped her to her feet, without a word said.

One girl asked Vince to kiss her, to hear him say, "yes," or "no".
But Vince gave her a hug, and then he let her go.

Vince was thinking about the girl who wouldn't say her name.
He spoke to himself, his words were the same.

"Pink ribbons. Golden hair. Where have you gone? Where? Oh, where?

One girl wore lizard skin shoes, that matched her lizard purse.
Vince felt sorry for the lizard. But that didn't make him converse.

A girl gave Vince a chocolate bar, with creamy peanut butter.
He licked his fingers clean, without a word to utter.

One girl told him that she was smarter than he, a try to start a debate.
But Vince yawned disregarding her, without a word to state.

A girl told him that he looked like a bat, to get an argument started.
Vince leered at that instigating brat, but his lips never parted.

Vince was thinking about the girl who just walked on by.
He strained his brain, wondering why, oh, why? He spoke to himself...
"Pink ribbons. Golden hair. Where have you gone? Where? Oh, where?"

Vince saw a girl come adorned in flirtatious clothes.
She twirled like a carousel, and struck a striking pose.
But this she did for naught, because Vince's tongue was froze.

Vince was thinking about....
Suddenly! He saw her. When she saw Vince she just smiled and kept walking.
She walked right pass the palace.

Vince watched her walk down the winding pathway, and disappear into the woodland.
Vince said to himself...

"Pink ribbons. Golden hair. Where have you gone? Where? Oh, where?"

A girl came with a blue poodle dog.
Another came with a red bull frog.
One came with a monkey on her back.
A girl came carrying a snake in a sack.
One came with a puppet, that danced by himself.
Another came with a dwarf, an imp, and an elf.

A pretty ballet dancer floated gracefully on her toes.
Vince watched her passively, and wrinkled his nose.
This girl looks sweet, but she can't compete, with Goldie.
Her beauty is rare, but she can't compare, with Goldie.

The queen saw her son sitting there watching the ballet dancer glide across the court yard.
She secretly surveyed his daydream for a short time. Then she asked....
"Have you seen one that you like yet, my son?"

He looked at his mother with a far away look in his eyes.
Then he shook his head up and down to say yes, to her surprise.
The queen hurried over and peered out the window.

"Hmmm, interesting," she hummed, "should I invite her in?"
Vince extended both palms toward the dancer.
He shook his head back and forth to say that no, was his answer.

"Why not, Vincent? If not her, whom?"
Vince just stood, and went to his room.

As he dropped himself upon his bed he spoke to himself....
"Pink ribbons. Golden hair. Where have you gone? Where? Oh, Where?"

When Vince woke up he felt as if he had slept forever, yet his dream ended far to soon.
He dreamed that he had been combing every inch of the woodland searching for Goldie.
He had searched every where but he had failed to find her. And he woke up before he did.

He went to the balcony to court his muse. His meditation drifted through the trees on a balmy breeze.
Birds sang songs of liberty, as they fluttered, from tree to tree. He trained his eyes on the shady winding pathway. He spoke to himself...

"Pink ribbons. Golden hair. Where have you gone? Where? OH!!!!"
Suddenly! Vince saw her. He saw the girl who vanished before his eyes. "Goldie! There you are," he thought. "Goldie You've come back to me. Goldie! Goldie! it's you!"

When she saw Vince he saw her just smile and keep walking. She walked right pass the palace, down the winding pathway, and...."WAIT! WAIT!" he called out to her. "Tell me your name." The girl didn't answer.
She kept walking.

"NO! Don't go!" He cried, "You must have a name. Tell me. Where do you roam? Where is your home?"
The girl didn't answer. She kept walking. Vince hastened to catch up. Then he walked beside her.

He talked every step of the way. "Why won't you talk?" He asked. "It's so stupid, not to talk."
The girl said nothing. She kept walking. "Please," he begged, "say just one word to me. Any word.
Say Scram, tell me to go away, get lost. Say, leave me alone. Say anything. Just talk. Talk to me. Please."

The girl didn't answer. She kept walking. And she kept smiling.
"Very well," said Vince. His words sounded easy and calm.

"I'll just follow you to the end of the earth, and right into heaven. If you won't talk to me then, I'll do all the talking. Now...what do you have to say to that?"

The girl didn't answer. She just looked at Vince with starry eyes and smiled her pretty smile. But she kept walking. Vince walked beside her talking and talking, and talking about talking and still talking, and.... soon they came upon a one room hut. It was made of aged logs, and it was nested at the top of a green hill.

Goldie opened the door and stepped in. Vince paused..."May I come in?" She looked back at him.
The beckoning twinkle in her eyes answered..."yes." So Vince stepped in, and shut the door behind them.

Inside Vince saw the most shoddy place that he could imagine. It was plain for him to see that it was well kept. Goldie offered him an old rickety wooden chair. "Thank you," he said as he sat scanning the scanty room.

Goldie immediately begun sweeping the boards of the worn wooden floor. Vince hastened over, grasped her sweeping broom with her, and began helping her sweep. When her eyes met his eyes he said to her...."Please." Goldie released the broom to his hands and began doing other chores.

For the following few moments Vince just swept and watched Goldie work around the room. Mounted on the wall above the fireplace he noticed a photograph of a man and a woman. They were cuddled lovingly together, cheek to cheek, and happily smiling at the world.

"Where is everybody?" he asked, "I mean your family."

"Mom and Dad are in heaven."

"Oooh. So that's where you're from. That explains why..."

"I'm from right here, home."

What's your name?"

"Dora."

"Hi, Dora."

"Hi," Vincent."

"How do you know my name?"

"Everybody knows your name."

"You live here all alone?"

"Just me."

"You must feel lonesome too'"

"Not any more."

"Not any more?"

"You're here with me."

"Am I?...I mean...yes, I am...uh-heh...aren't I?"

"Do you mind?"

"No. I don't mind, Dora."

"Wonderful. Make yourself at home."

"I am at home."

"Your home is in the palace."

"My home is where my heart is. And my heart is here."

"Your heart is, HERE?"

Where my treasure is, there my heart is also."

"You're sweet, Vincent. I like you."

"I like you too, Dora."

"Well...I guess that means we like each other."

"Yes, Dora, Yes. Yes we do like each other."

"Then you might as well stay for a while."

"How about I stay for a life time?"

"Okay, Vincent. But if you're going to stay with me for a life time, we might as well get..."

"Yes, Dora. We might as well get..."

That's what Vincent and Dora did. And they lived happily ever after.