The Cairn and the Cairns
a Tiny Kingdom short story about traditions, August 2026
As always, Prince Dingus was travelling with the Queen, King and Prince Donder when they came across a curious sight on one of their hikes.
All along the forest path stood small towers of red stones, carefully balanced by people who had passed through before them.
The Queen explained that it was a tradition. Travellers added a stone of their own, leaving a small sign that they had been there.
Dingus inspected the first cairn carefully.
Then the next.
And the one after that.
Soon he was standing right among them, his dark, scruffy fur surrounded by the red stones.
The Queen began to laugh.
“A Cairn among the cairns.”
Dingus looked up at her.
He stayed exactly where he was while the Queen and King chose a stone to add to one of the little towers. Donder waited nearby, watching the proceedings with interest.
Once their stone was in place, the family continued along the path.
A little farther on, the Queen looked back at Dingus standing between the red cairns and laughed again.
There he was: one scruffy little Cairn, right in the middle of the cairns.