The Kingdom of Almost

Princess Nora rides her pony into an unfamiliar valley and finds things that stop before they are done: a bridge that ends mid-river, a roofless house, and a sign naming the place the Kingdom of Almost. In the town square she meets people who enjoy starting projects but seldom complete them, along with a tired mayor named Bramble and a small moss troll called Gran Mossback who has observed the valley's habits for years. With Pip, a cheerful boy balancing a kite, a boat and a treehouse at once, Nora starts to see why so little in the valley works as it should.

The heart of the trouble is an unfinished dam upstream. Gran Mossback warns that coming rains could flood the valley, and Nora encourages the villagers to treat finishing what they began as its own kind of excitement. She forms teams to collect stones, mix clay and carry water, and helps Pip and the others keep going when the tasks grow tiring. Written by Yavuz DEMİRKIRAN for young readers and for adults reading aloud, the tale can be read on Online Masal.