Inventing Happy Endings for the Six Planet Adults

[Gothica Noctua]

OK, so I know the six planets, and their six respective adults, represent the silly things we seek and devote ourselves to as adults, but after I’d read the book, I couldn’t help but imagine happier endings for them all.

For a start, they all have to meet - maybe in a moment of shared relief when The Little Prince returns to B-612 safely in his new body (assuming the snake told the truth), meeting each other when they all go to his planet to welcome him back. Then...

The King, having found friends, no longer feels the need to command authority in vain. He learns to be open-hearted and generous, and wins everyone’s respect for that. They revere him without the need for his royal title... although, assuming he is a genuine king, maybe our Little Prince will become heir to his planet, too.

The Conceited Man goes through a similar experience - his new friends make him feel that he doesn’t need flattery to be respected. In fact, he’s now far more likely to doff his hat to them when he pays them compliments, remarking on their character rather than their appearance. That said, he never really loses his love of style - that’s just a quirk of his, but he dresses well to simply feel happy and confident, rather than as a way to tease out flattery.

The Tippler is encouraged by his friends to give up the drink, saying he doesn’t need to feel ashamed of his past, but to focus on the future. He becomes the joker of the pack and the life of any party, but now has all the fun he wants without alcohol.

The Businessman is slower to change, but gets there in the end. He begins by slowly offering his “owned” stars as “presents” to the others... and their grateful but bemused response helps him to truly see their beauty, moving him to “sell” them so everyone can share in their majesty.

The Lamplighter? This poor guy needs time off work, pronto. The recovering Tippler offers to take over his lamp for a while (to help keep his own mind off drink) so he can spend a few days’ holiday on Earth, with the Little Prince’s encouragement. There, he learns about lights on automatic timers, and brings the technology back home. With his orders fulfilled and his schedule freed up, he finds the trip has caused him to be bitten by the travel bug, and this lets him help out...

The Geographer! The Lamplighter takes to exploring the galaxy, and sends word of his amazing discoveries to the Geographer. This allows him to become a genuine specialist in the field of universal geography - although he always credits his wonderful explorer assistant! - and his books become must-reads across the planets.

What really doesn’t help this headcanon of mine is the fact I have been listening to the musical "Six" on repeat recently, and I keep imagining a "Little Prince" version of the finale/title song where the Six Planet Adults each explain their own new, happier fates.