A humble crab

A humble crab fell in love with a beautiful lobster princess, but her father, the king, forbade the relationship on the grounds that the crab was of lowly stock.

The unsuitable suitor was a crushed crustacean.

“Why does your father disapprove of me so?” he wailed.

The princess replied tearfully: “Daddy says you’re not a well-dressed crab, but in truth, he doesn’t care much for crabs anyway.

He says they’re common and, above all, they have that silly sideways walk.

I’m so sorry, my darling, but it appears that we can never be together.”

The crab was determined to prove the king wrong and win the claw of his fair daughter.

The perfect opportunity to prove his worth was the forthcoming Grand Lobster Ball, an occasion that attracted lobsters from far and wide to feast, drink and dance.

While the king sat on his throne, the lobster princess sat sombrely at his side, her heart longing for her absent lover.