The twin stacks of recounted ballots for Al Franken and Norm Coleman, each nearing a million votes in height Tuesday night, are like the mattresses piled high in the fable “The Princess and the Pea.” Franken has 976,187 to Coleman’s 978,751 — only a 0.0011 percent difference out of the total 2,354,080 recounted so far, according to official figures.

In Hans Christian Andersen’s story, the princess’ sleeplessness at night and bruises by morning — all from a tiny pea many mattresses below her — are proof of her royalty. In Minnesota’s recount story, neither man rests well, tossing and turning because at the bottom of each pile lies a growing bundle of the other man’s challenged ballots. Franken can brag of a bigger bruise caused by Coleman’s 1,836 challenges, but Franken’s forces have challenged 1,758 ballots that sure make Coleman sore.

Who is the real princess? Coleman has 238 more votes than Franken as of 8 p.m. Tuesday, according to Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie’s office. It has to be one of these jokers.

A more interesting question might be who is the real queen. Which person or body will determine who is Minnesota senatorial royalty? Is it the four wise men and one wise woman of the State Canvassing Board, who meet Wednesday morning on whether they can count rejected absentee ballots? Or is it Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who may name someone to fill a senatorial absence? Or the U.S. Senate itself, or a judge or judges somewhere?

The only thing that’s certain is that Hans C. Andersen lost the governorship to Ole Rolvaag in 1962 in the last Great Minnesota Recount. Check your storybooks.