Beauty and the Beast by Charles Perrault is one of the BIG fairy tales and it’s long been a favourite on Storynory. We’ve re-recorded it with music, sound effects, and an edited text.

The acoustic guitar and sitar music add to its exotic atmosphere.

Beauty and the Beast is one of those stories that is told and retold in different guises. The powerful myth of tenderness concealed within ugliness can be found in Jane Eyre, and King Kong.

Read by Natasha. Duration 28 minutes.

A long time ago, in a far away land, a merchant was returning home after a long journey. As night fell, he entered a deep forest. His head was full of thoughts of his six daughters. He had left home in summer, and now he was returning in deep winter. The most bitter sleet and snow came down, and his horse stumbled on a patch of ice. He heard wolves howling, and soon he realised that he was lost.

At last, he saw some sort of track. At the beginning it was rough and slippery, but soon it led him into an avenue of orange trees covered with flowers and fruit – but here there was no snow.

He saw a flight of stone steps. He went up them into a great castle. Inside he passed through several splendid rooms. Everywhere in the castle there was a deep silence. At last, he stopped in a small room where a fire was burning. He lay down on a couch and very soon fell into a sweet sleep.

He woke up feeling hungry. He was still alone, but a good dinner had been laid on a little table. He began to eat, hoping that he might soon have an chance to thank his kind host, whoever it might be. But no one appeared.

Then he went down into the garden, and though it was winter everywhere else, here the sun shone, and the birds sang, and the flowers bloomed, and the air was soft and sweet. The path had a hedge of roses on each side of it, and the merchant thought he had never seen or smelt such beautiful flowers. Then he remembered a promise he had made to his youngest daughter, who was so lovely that every one knew her as Beauty. Before setting out on his journey, he had asked his daughters what presents they would like him to bring back for them. The five eldest wished for jewels and fine clothes, but Beauty asked only for a single rose. Now, as he stopped to pick a rose to take home to Beauty, he was startled by a strange noise behind him. Turning round, he saw a frightful ugly Beast, which seemed to be very angry and sad and said in a terrible voice:

“Who said that you could pick my roses? Was it not enough that I let you say in my palace and was kind to you? This is the way you thank me, by stealing my flowers! But you shall not go unpunished!”
The merchant was terrified by these furious words. He dropped the fatal rose, and, throwing himself on his knees, cried: “Pardon me, noble sir. I am truly grateful to you for your kindness. I could not imagine that you would mind so much if I took such a little thing as a rose.”

But the Beast was still furious. He cried:
“Excuses and flattery will not save you from the death you deserve!”

“Alas!” thought the merchant, “My daughter’s rose has put me in this terrible danger.”

And he began to tell the Beast of his journey, not forgetting to mention how Beauty had asked him for a rose.

“I beg you to forgive me, for I meant no harm,” he pleaded.

The Beast thought for a moment, and then he said, in a less terrible voice :

“I will forgive you on one condition – that is if you will give me one of your daughters.”

“Ah!” cried the merchant, “What excuse could I invent to bring her here?”

“No excuse!” answered the Beast. “She must come willingly. Go home. I give you a month to see if one of your daughters will save you. If none of them is willing to come to me, you must come back alone. And do not think that you can hide from me, for if you do not keep your word I will come and fetch you!”

The poor merchant, more dead than alive, went to the stable where his horse was ready for his journey. It carried him off so swiftly that in an instant he had lost sight of the palace, and he was still wrapped in gloomy thoughts when it stopped before the door of his house.

His daughters rushed to meet him. At first he told them nothing of The Beast, but as he gave Beauty her the rose he said sadly:
“Here is what you asked me to bring you; you little know what it has cost.”
Later that evening he told his family of his adventures from beginning to end, and then his daughters wept loudly. The girls were very angry with Beauty, and said to her that it was all her fault, and complained bitterly that they should have to suffer for her foolish wish.

Poor Beauty said to them:

“Who could have guessed that asking for a rose in the middle of summer would cause so much misery? But as I made this mistake, it is only right that I should be the one to suffer for it. I will go back to the Beast with father.”

When the fatal day came she said good-by to her sisters and everything she loved. She mounted a horse together with her father, and it seemed to fly rather than gallop. They soon reached the avenue of orange trees, where statues were holding flaming torches, and when they got nearer to the palace, music sounded softly from the courtyard.

Her father led her to the little room where he had stayed, and there they found a splendid fire burning, and a delicious supper set out on the table.

After they had finished their meal they heard the Beast’s footsteps, approaching, and Beauty clung to her father. But when the ugly Beast appeared , she tried hard to hide her terror, and she nodded to him politely.

This clearly pleased the Beast. After looking at her he said, in a voice that might have struck fear into the boldest of hearts:
“Good-evening, old man. Good-evening, Beauty.”

The merchant was too terrified to reply, but Beauty answered sweetly: “Good-evening, Beast.”

“Have you come willingly?” asked the Beast.

Beauty answered bravely that she had come willingly to save her father.

“I am pleased with you,” said the Beast. “As for you, old man,” he added, turning to the merchant, “at sunrise to- morrow you will go.”

Then turning to Beauty, he said:

“Take your father into the next room, and help him to choose presents for your sisters. Take everything they would wish for.”
Then he left them saying, “Good-by, Beauty; good-by, old man”.

In the next room they found splendid dresses fit for a queen. And when Beauty opened the cupboards she was quite dazzled by the gorgeous jewels that lay in heaps upon every shelf. After choosing a vast quantity, she opened the last chest, which was full of gold.

“I think, father,” she said, “that gold will be more useful to you. We had better take out the other things again, and fill the trunks with gold.” So they did this; And at last the trunks were so heavy that an elephant could not have carried them!

“The Beast was making fun of us,” cried the merchant. “He pretended to give us these things, knowing that I could not carry them away.”

“Let us wait and see,” answered Beauty.

At sunrise, they went down into the courtyard, where two horses were waiting, one loaded with the two trunks, the other for the merchant to ride. And as soon as he climbed into the saddle, he went off at such a pace that Beauty lost sight of him in an instant. Then she began to cry and she went back to her room and fell into a deep sleep.

She dreamed that she was walking by a stream when a young prince came up to her and said, in a voice that went straight to her heart:

“Ah, Beauty! you are not so unlucky as you suppose. Only try to find me, no matter how I may be disguised, as I love you dearly. Make me happy and you shall be happy. Be as true-hearted as you are beautiful, and we shall have nothing left to wish for.”

“What can I do, Prince, to make you happy?” said Beauty.

“Do not trust your eyes,” he answered, “And set me free from my misery.”

When Beauty awoke, she began to think about the charming Prince she had seen in her dream.

“He said I could make him happy.” said Beauty to herself. “It seems that this horrible Beast keeps him a prisoner. How can I set him free? I don’t understand it. But, after all, it was only a dream, so why should I worry about it?”

She got up to explore the castle, but she did not see anyone or hear any sound, and she began to find it rather dull.

Only that evening, after supper, she heard the Beast coming, and she trembled with fear at what it might do.

But he only said: “Good-evening, Beauty.”

She answered cheerfully and managed to hide her terror. He spoke politely to her for about an hour, and asked her all about her life with her family.

Then he said in a gruff voice:

“Do you love me, Beauty? Will you marry me?”

“Oh! what shall I say?” cried Beauty, for she was afraid to make the Beast angry by refusing.

“Say `yes’ or `no’ without fear,” he replied.

“Oh! no, Beast,” said Beauty hastily.

“Since you will not, good-night, Beauty,” he said.

And she answered, “Good-night, Beast,” very glad to find that he had not attacked her. And after he was gone, she was very soon in bed and asleep, and dreaming of her unknown Prince. He came to her and said to her:

“Ah, Beauty! why are you so unkind to me? I fear I will be unhappy for many a long day still.”

The next morning, she decided to amuse herself in the garden, for the sun shone, and all the fountains were playing. When she was tired she went back to the palace, and found a new room full of rare birds, so tame that they flew to Beauty as soon as they saw her, and perched upon her shoulders and her head. Some of them were parrots and cockatoos that could talk, and they greeted Beauty by name;

“Pretty little creatures,” she said, “Oh how I wish that your cage was nearer to my room, that I could often hear you sing!

When she left, she opened a door and found that it led straight into her own room.

After supper, the Beast paid her his usual visit, and before he left he asked her as before: “Beauty, will you marry me?” And when she refused, he gave her a gruff “good-night” and left her. The days passed, and every evening the Beast asked her the same question and she gave him the same answer.

And Beauty felt that that when she said, “No, Beast,” he went away quite sad. But her happy dreams of the handsome young Prince soon made her forget the poor Beast.

Her prince always told to let her heart guide her, and not her eyes, and many other equally baffling things, which she could not understand.

At last, happy as she was, Beauty began to long for her family. One night, seeing her look very sad, the Beast asked her what was the matter. Beauty was no longer afraid of him. Now she knew that he was really gentle in spite of his ferocious looks and his dreadful voice. So she answered that she was longing to see her home once more. When he heard this, the Beast cried miserably.

“Ah! Beauty, have you the heart to leave an unhappy Beast like me? Is it because you hate me that you want to escape?”

“No, dear Beast,” answered Beauty softly, “I do not hate you, and I should be very sorry never to see you any more, but I long to see my father again. Only let me go for two months, and I promise to come back to you and stay for the rest of my life.”

The Beast replied with a sigh:

“I cannot refuse you anything you ask, even though it should cost me my life. You may go. But remember your promise and come back when the two months are over, or you may be sorry, for if you do not come in good time you will find your faithful Beast dead.”

And then she went to bed, but could hardly sleep for joy. And when at last she did begin to dream of her beloved Prince she saw him stretched upon a grassy bank, sad and weary, and hardly like himself.

“What is the matter?” she cried.

He looked at her reproachfully, and said:

“How can you ask me, cruel one?”

“Ah! don’t be so sad,” cried Beauty; “I am only going to let my father know that I am safe and happy. I have promised my Beast that I shall come back. I would not cause him pain by breaking my word. He told me he would die if did not keep my promise to him.”

“What do you care for an ugly Beast?” asked the prince.

“Oh,” said Beauty, “It is not his fault that he is so ugly. He is a very kind beast.”

Just then, she heard someone speaking not very far away. She got up and then she suddenly heard her father’s voice. She rushed out and greeted him. She was home. Her sisters were quite astonished to see her, and there was no end to their questions about her life with the Beast.

Then Beauty asked her father what he thought could be the meaning of her strange dreams . After much thought, he answered: “You tell me yourself that The Beast, frightful as he is, loves you dearly and is kind and gentle to you. I think the Prince means that you should do as The Beast wishes in spite of his ugliness.”

But Beauty’s thoughts were full of her handsome dream-prince, and she could not imagine marrying The Beast.

When the two months were over, Beauty’s sisters begged her not to return to the ugly beast, but to stay with her family. At first she could not refuse them, and she stayed on for a few days more. Then one night she had a different dream from usual. She saw not her prince, but the Beast. He was lying in a cave and he looked ill and in pain. And then Beauty remember his words that he might die if she did not stay true to her word.

The next day, Beauty said goodbye to her father and all her brothers and sisters, and as soon as she was in bed she turned her ring round upon her finger, and said firmly, “I wish to go back to see my Beast again.”

Then she fell asleep instantly, and only woke up to hear the clock saying “Beauty, Beauty” twelve times in its musical voice, which told her at once that she was in the palace once more. Everything was just as before, and her birds were so glad to see her! But Beauty thought she had never known such a long day, for she was so anxious to see The Beast again that she felt as if suppertime would never come.

But when it did come and no Beast appeared she was really frightened; She ran down into the garden to search for him. Up and down the paths and avenues ran poor Beauty, calling him in vain, for no one answered.

At last, quite tired, she stopped for a minute’s rest, and saw that she was standing opposite a cave, and in it lay the Beast–asleep. Quite glad to have found him, she ran up and stroked his head, but, to her horror, he did not move or open his eyes.

“Oh! he is dead; and it is all my fault,” said Beauty, crying bitterly.

But then, looking at him again, she fancied he still breathed. She fetched some water from the nearest fountain and sprinkled it over his face. Slowly, he began to open his eyes.

“Ah Beauty,” he said faintly, “now you see what happens when you do not keep your word.”

“Oh! Beast,” she cried. “I never knew how much I loved you until now, when I feared I was too late to save your life.”

“Can you really love such an ugly creature as I am?” asked the Beast. “You only came just in time. I was dying because I thought you had forgotten your promise. But go back now and rest, I shall see you by and by.”

Beauty went back to the palace, where supper was awaiting her; and afterward the Beast came in as usual, and asked about the time she had spent with her family, and if they had all been very glad to see her.

And when at last the time came for him to go, and he asked, as he had so often asked before, “Beauty, will you marry me?” She answered softly,

“Yes, dear Beast.”

As she spoke a blaze of light sprang up before the windows of the palace; fireworks crackled and guns banged, and across the avenue of orange trees, in letters all made of fire-flies, was written: “Long live the Prince and his Bride.”

Beauty meant to ask the Beast what it all meant: but he had gone. In his place stood her long-loved Prince! At the same moment, two ladies entered the room. Both were splendidly dressed, but one especially so. Her companion said:

“Well, Queen, this is Beauty, who has had the courage to rescue your son from the terrible magic spell that turned him into a Beast. They love one another, and your consent to their marriage is all they need to make them perfectly happy.”

“I agree with all my heart,” cried the Queen.

And then she tenderly embraced Beauty and the Prince.

“Now,” said the Fairy to Beauty, “I suppose you would like me to send for your father and sisters ?”

She did so. The marriage was celebrated the very next day, and Beauty and the Prince lived happily ever after.

And that was the story of Beauty and the Beast.

Puss in Boots has found renewed fame through his starring role in Shrek, but for many centuries he has been well known as one of the most cunning cats in all fairy tale literature. Like all cats though, he is more than just a fluffy bundle of cuddles. He has claws and he uses them. This is the Charles Perault version, as presented in English by Andrew Lang. The pictures are by Walter Crane, and you might enjoy this flip book of some of the classic artists fairytale illustrations.

Read by Natasha. Duration 14.50.

If you like cat stories, also try The Cat’s Elopement, and Kissa.

Once upon a time there was a poor miller who had three sons. The years went by and the miller died, leaving nothing but his mill, his donkey, and a cat. The eldest son took the mill, the second-born son rode off on the donkey, and the youngest son inherited the cat .

“Oh, well”, said the youngest son, “I’ll eat this cat, and make some mittens out of his fur. Then I will have nothing left in the world and shall die of hunger.”

The Cat was listening to his master complain like this, but he pretended not to have heard anything. Instead, he put on a serious face and said:

“Do not look so sad, master. Just give me a bag and a pair of boots, and I will show you that you did not receive such a poor inheritance in me.”

The Cat’s master had often seen him play a great many cunning tricks to catch rats and mice, as when he used to hang by the heels, or hide himself in the grain, and pretend to be dead; Thinking this over, he thought that it wasn’t impossible that the cat could help him after all. And so he gave the cat his bag and spent his last pennies on ordering a fine pair of boots to be made especially for the cat.

The cat looked very gallant in his boots, and putting his bag around his neck, he held the strings of it in his two forepaws and lay by a rabbit warren which was home to a great many rabbits

He put bran and corn into his bag, and stretching as if he were dead, he waited for some young rabbits, still not acquainted with the deceits of the world, to come and rummage in his bag for the bran and corn.

Not long after he lay down, he had what he wanted. A rash and foolish young rabbit jumped into his bag, and Monsieur Puss, immediately drew close the strings and caught him. Proud of his prey, he went with it to the palace and asked to speak with his majesty. He was shown upstairs into the King’s apartment, and, making a low bow, said to him:

I have brought you, sir, a rabbit of the warren, which my noble lord the Marquis of Carabas” (for that was the title which puss was pleased to give his master) “has commanded me to present to your majesty from him.”

“Tell thy master,” said the king, “that I thank him and that he does me a great deal of pleasure.”

Another time he went and hid himself among a corn field, holding still his bag open, and when a brace of partridges ran into it he drew the strings and so caught them both. He went and made a present of these to the king, as he had done before of the rabbit. The king, in like manner, received the partridges with great pleasure, and ordered him some money for drink.

In this way, the Cat continued for two or three months to bring presents to the king, always saying that they were from his master, the Marquis of Carabas. One day in particular, he heard at the palace that the King was planning to drive in his carriage along the river-bank, taking with him his daughter, the most beautiful princess in the world. Puss in Boots said to his master.

“If you will follow my advice your fortune is made. You have nothing else to do but go and wash yourself in the river, in the place that I shall show you, and leave the rest to me.”

The miller’s son did what the Cat advised him to, without knowing why or wherefore. While he was washing the King passed by, and the Cat began to cry out:

“Help! help! My Lord Marquis of Carabas is going to be drowned.”

At this noise the King put his head out of the coach- window, and, finding it was the Cat who had so often brought him such good game, he commanded his guards to run immediately to the assistance of his Lordship the Marquis of Carabas. While they were drawing the poor Marquis out of the river, the Cat came up to the coach and told the King that, while his master was washing, there came by some rogues, who went off with his clothes, though he had cried out: “Thieves! thieves!” several times, as loud as he could.

This cunning Cat had hidden the clothes under a great stone. The King immediately commanded the officers of his wardrobe to run and fetch one of his best suits for the Lord Marquis of Carabas.

The King was very pleased to meet the Marquis of Carabas, and the fine clothes he had given him suited him extremely well, for although poor, he was a handsome and well built fellow. The King’s daughter took a secret inclination to him, and the Marquis of Carabas had no sooner cast two or three respectful and somewhat tender glances but she fell in love with him to distraction. The King invited him to sit in the coach and ride along with them, with the lifeguards in glittering uniform trotting along side. The Cat, quite overjoyed to see his project begin to succeed, marched on before, and, meeting with some countrymen, who were mowing a meadow, he said to them:

“Good people, you who are mowing, if you do not tell the King that the meadow you mow belongs to my Lord Marquis of Carabas, those soldiers will chop you up like herbs for the pot.”

The King did not fail asking of the mowers to whom the meadow they were mowing belonged.

“To my Lord Marquis of Carabas,” answered they altogether, for the Cat’s threats had made them terribly afraid .

“You see, sir,” said the Marquis, “this is a meadow which never fails to yield a plentiful harvest every year.”

The Master Cat, who went still on before, met with some reapers, and said to them:

“Good people, you who are reaping, if you do not tell the King that all this corn belongs to the Marquis of Carabas, you shall be chopped up like herbs for the pot.”

The King, who passed by a moment after, wished to know to whom all that corn, which he then saw, did belong.

“To my Lord Marquis of Carabas,” replied the reapers, and the King was very well pleased with it, as well as the Marquis, whom he congratulated.

Then the King said, “Let us now go to your castle.”

The miller’s son, not knowing what to reply, looked at puss who said: “If your Majesty will but wait an hour, I will go on before and order the castle to be made ready for you. ”

With that she jumped away and went to the castle of a great ogre and asked to see him saying he could not pass so near his home without having the honor of paying his respects to him.

The ogre received him as civilly as an ogre could do, and made him sit down.

“I have been assured,” said the Cat, “that you have the gift of being able to change yourself into all sorts of creatures as you wish; you can, for example, transform yourself into a lion, or elephant, and the like.”

“That is true,” answered the ogre very briskly; “and to convince you, you shall see me now become a lion.”

Puss was so terrified at the sight of a lion so near him that he immediately climbed up the curtains, not without difficulty, because his boots were no use to him for climbing. A little while after, when Puss saw that the ogre had resumed his natural form, he came down, and admitted he had been very much frightened.

“However,” said the cat, “I fear that you will not be able to save yourself even in the form of a lion, for the king is coming with his army and means to destroy you.”

The ogre looked out of the window and saw the king waiting outswide with his soliders, and said,

“What shall I do? How shall I save msyelf?”

Puss replied: “If you can also change yourself into something very small, then you can hide”.

And in an instant, the ogre himself into a mouse, and began to run about the floor. Puss no sooner saw this but he fell upon him and ate him up.

Puss, who heard the noise of his Majesty’s coach running over the draw-bridge, ran out, and said to the King:

“Your Majesty is welcome to this castle of my Lord Marquis of Carabas.”

“What! my Lord Marquis,” cried the King, “and does this castle also belong to you? There can be nothing finer than this court and all the stately buildings which surround it; let us go into it, if you please.”

The Marquis gave his hand to the Princess, and followed the King, who went first. They passed into a spacious hall, where they found a magnificent rum punch, which the ogre had prepared for his friends, who were that very day to visit him. The friends, however dared not to enter, knowing that the King was there. His Majesty was perfectly charmed with the good qualities of my Lord Marquis of Carabas, as was his daughter, who had fallen violently in love with him, and, seeing the vast estate he possessed, said to him, after having drunk five or six glasses:

“If you do not, my Lord Marquis, become my son in law, it will be of your own choosing.”

The Marquis, making several low bows, accepted the honor which his Majesty conferred upon him, and forthwith, that very same day, married the Princess.

Puss became a great lord, and never ran after mice any more, except for pleasure.

This famous tale is short but very SNAPPY !

We bring you the Charles Perrault version – and he doesn’t mince his words. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED ! You may have heard this story before with a happy twist at the end. In this one that doesn’t happen. There’s NO HAPPY ENDING !!!. The Brothers Grimm were more kind to Little Red Riding Hood. (Compare versions if you are interested).

The moral of the tale should ring through today “DON’T TALK TO STRANGERS !!” This is Red Riding Hood’s fatal mistake when she meets the wolf on the way to Grandma’s.

Read by Natasha. Duration 7 minutes 10.
Original Pictures for Storynory bySophie Green.

Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl, the prettiest creature who was ever seen. Her mother was excessively fond of her; and her grandmother doted on her still more. This good woman had a little red riding hood made for her. It suited the girl so extremely well that everybody called her Little Red Riding Hood.

One day her mother, having made some cakes, said to her, “Go, my dear, and see how your grandmother is doing, for I hear she has been very ill. Take her a cake, and this little pot of butter.”

Little Red Riding Hood set out immediately to go to her grandmother, who lived in another village.

As she was going through the wood, she met with a wolf, who had a very great mind to eat her up, but he dared not, because of some woodcutters working nearby in the forest. He asked her where she was going. The poor child, who did not know that it was dangerous to stay and talk to a wolf, said to him, “I am going to see my grandmother and carry her a cake and a little pot of butter from my mother.”

“Does she live far off?” said the wolf

“Oh I say,” answered Little Red Riding Hood; “it is beyond that mill you see there, at the first house in the village.”

“Well,” said the wolf, “and I’ll go and see her too. I’ll go this way and go you that, and we shall see who will be there first.”

The wolf ran as fast as he could, taking the shortest path, and the little girl took a roundabout way, entertaining herself by gathering nuts, running after butterflies, and gathering bouquets of little flowers. It was not long before the wolf arrived at the old woman’s house. He knocked at the door: tap, tap.

“Who’s there?”

“Your grandchild, Little Red Riding Hood,” replied the wolf, counterfeiting her voice; “who has brought you a cake and a little pot of butter sent you by mother.”

The good grandmother, who was in bed, because she was somewhat ill, cried out, “Pull the string, and the latch will go up.”

The wolf pulled the string n, and the door opened, and then he immediately fell upon the good woman and ate her up in a moment, for it been more than three days since he had eaten. He then shut the door and got into the grandmother’s bed, expecting Little Red Riding Hood, who came some time afterwards and knocked at the door: tap, tap.

“Who’s there?”

Little Red Riding Hood, hearing the big voice of the wolf, was at first afraid; but believing her grandmother had a cold and was hoarse, answered, “It is your grandchild Little Red Riding Hood, who has brought you a cake and a little pot of butter mother sends you.”

The wolf cried out to her, softening his voice as much as he could, “Pull the string, and the latch will go up.”

Little Red Riding Hood pulled the string, and the door opened.

The wolf, seeing her come in, said to her, hiding himself under the bedclothes, “Put the cake and the little pot of butter upon the stool, and come sit on the bed with me.”

Little Red Riding Hood sat on the bed. She was greatly amazed to see how her grandmother looked in her nightclothes, and said to her, “Grandmother, what big arms you have!”

“All the better to hug you with, my dear.”

“Grandmother, what big legs you have!”

“All the better to run with, my child.”

“Grandmother, what big ears you have!”

“All the better to hear with, my child.”

“Grandmother, what big eyes you have!”

“All the better to see with, my child.”

“Grandmother, what big teeth you have got!”

“All the better to eat you up with.”

And, saying these words, this wicked wolf fell upon Little Red Riding Hood, and ate her all up.

—-

Children who enjoy getting an education in music may have life-long interests in the subject they should pursue.

Dear Kidz,

These are wonderful Little Red Riding Hood illustrations

fairytale for our recording on Storynory. A Special thanks to Sophie Green who designed the picture’s. I hope they help bring the Story to life as you’re listening.

The pictures will be used as the backdrop for Little Red Riding, Digital Storytelling to come

So look out and Keep Listening!

Bye for now

N*

Read PRC ( post recording review) Fairytale Times

Illustrated for Storynory by Sophie Green.

Read by Natasha. Duration 17.36 Minutes. English text by Andrew Lang.

Read PRC Fairytale Times

and Fairytales & Rules of Three

ONCE there was a gentleman who married, for his second wife, the proudest and most haughty woman that was ever seen. She had been married before, and already had two daughters who were exactly like her in all things. He had likewise, by his first wife, a young daughter, but of unequalled goodness and sweetness of temper, which she took from her mother, who was the best creature in the world. This sweet little girl missed her mother, who had died, terribly much.

No sooner was the wedding ceremony over, than the new wife began to show herself in her true colours. She could not bear the goodness of the gentleman’s pretty girl, and especially as she made her own daughters appear the more horrid. She made her do the meanest jobs in the house: the girl scoured the dishes and tables, and scrubbed the step-mother’s bathroom, and those of her daughters; she slept in a little attic, upon a wretched straw bed, while her sisters lay upon beds with the softest pillows, in fine rooms, with floors covered with beautiful carpets, and walls on which hung looking-glasses so large that they might see themselves at their full length from head to foot.

The poor girl bore all patiently, and dared not tell her father, who would have been angry with her; for his new wife ruled him entirely. When the little girl had done her work, she used to go into the chimney corner, and sit down among cinders and ashes, which led her to be called Cinderwench; but the youngest step-daughter, who was not quite so rude and unkind as the eldest, called her Cinderella. However, Cinderella, even though she was dressed in rags, was a hundred times prettier than her sisters, though they were always dressed very richly.

It happened that the King’s son gave a ball, and invited all finest gentlemen and ladies of the city. Our young misses were also invited, for they were always to be seen at fashionable parties. They were truly delighted at this invitation, and wonderfully busy in choosing such gowns, petticoats, and head-dresses as might suit them. This was a new trouble to Cinderella; for it was she who washed and ironed her sisters’ clothes and got all their things ready. Meanwhile, the sisters talked all day long of nothing but what they should wear to the ball.

“For my part,” said the eldest, “I will wear my red velvet suit with French trimming.”

“And I,” said the youngest, “shall have my usual petticoat; but then, to make amends for that, I will put on my gold-flowered gown, and my diamond belt, which is far from being the most ordinary one in the world.”

But in truth, they were still not absolutely sure what would be best to wear to the ball, so they sent for the best fashion designer they could find to advise on their evening dresses, and they had their nails manicured at Mademoiselle de la Poche.

Cinderella was likewise called up to them for advice, for she had excellent judgement, and advised them always for the best, indeed, and offered her services to make up their hair, which they were very willing she should do. As she was doing this, they said to her:

“Cinderella, would you not be glad to go to the ball?”

“Alas!” said she, “you only jeer me; it is not for a poor girl like me to go there.”

“You’re quite right,” replied they; “it would make the people laugh to see a Cinderwench at a ball.”

Anyone but Cinderella would have dressed their heads all wrong, but she was very good, and dressed them perfectly well.

The step-sisters were almost two days without eating, so much were they thrilled and excited. They broke above a dozen corsets in trying to be laced up tightly, so that they might have a fine slender shape, and they were continually at their looking-glass. At last the happy day came; they went to Court, and Cinderella followed them with her eyes as long as she could, and when she had lost sight of them, she fell a-crying.

Just then, her fairy godmother, who used to watch over her secretly, saw her all in tears, and appeared at her side and asked her what was the matter.

“I wish I could–I wish I could–”; she was not able to speak the rest, being interrupted by her tears and sobbing.

This fairy godmother of hers said to her, “You wish you could go to the ball; is it not so?”

“Y–es,” cried Cinderella, with a great sigh.

“Well,” said her godmother, “be but a good girl, and I will see that you shall go to the ball.” Then she took her into her secret room, and said to her, “Run into the garden, and bring me a pumpkin.”

Cinderella went immediately to gather the finest she could get, and brought it to her godmother, not being able to imagine how this pumpkin could make her go to the ball. Her godmother scooped out all the inside of the big vegetable, leaving nothing but the rind; which done, she struck it with her wand, and the pumpkin was instantly turned into a fine coach, gilded all over with gold.

She then went to look into her mouse-trap, where she found six mice, all alive, and ordered Cinderella to lift up a little the trapdoor. As each mouse went out, she gave it a little tap with her wand, and the mouse was that moment turned into a fine horse, which altogether made a very fine set of six horses of a beautiful mouse-colored dapple-grey. But they still needed a coachman,

“I will go and see,” says Cinderella, “if there is a rat in the rat-trap–we may make a coachman of him.”

“You’re a smart one,” replied her godmother; “go and look.”

Cinderella brought the trap to her, and in it there were three huge rats. The fairy made choice of one of the three which had the largest beard, and, having touched him with her wand, he was turned into a fat, jolly coachman, who had the smartest whiskers eyes ever beheld. After that, she said to her:

“Go again into the garden, and you will find six lizards behind the watering can, bring them to me.”

She had no sooner done so but her godmother turned them into six footmen, who skipped up immediately behind the coach, with their uniforms all bedaubed with gold and silver, and clung as close behind each other as if they had done nothing else their whole lives. The Fairy then said to Cinderella:

“Well, you have here transport fit to take you to the ball; are you not pleased with it?”

“Oh! yes,” cried she; “but must I go there as I am, in these nasty rags?”

Her godmother only just touched her with her wand, and, at the same instant, her clothes were turned into cloth of gold and silver, all beset with jewels. This done, she gave her a pair of glass slippers, the prettiest in the whole world. Being thus decked out, she got up into her coach; but her godmother, above all things, commanded her not to stay till after midnight, telling her, at the same time, that if she stayed one moment longer, the coach would be a pumpkin again, her horses mice, her coachman a rat, her footmen lizards, and her clothes become just as they were before.

She promised her godmother she would not fail to leave the ball before midnight; and then away she drives, scarce able to contain herself for joy. The King’s son who was told that a great princess, whom nobody knew, was come, ran out to receive her; he gave her his hand as she alighted out of the coach, and led her into the ball, among all the company. There was immediately a profound silence, they left off dancing, and the violins ceased to play, so attentive was everyone to contemplate the singular beauties of the unknown newcomer. Nothing was then heard but a confused noise of:

“Ha! how lovely she is! Ha! how lovely she is!”

The King himself, old as he was, could not help watching her, and telling the Queen softly that it was a long time since he had seen so beautiful and lovely a creature.

All the ladies were busied in considering her clothes and headdress, that they might have some made next day after the same pattern, provided they could meet with such fine material and as able hands to make them.

The King’s son led her to the most honorable seat, and afterward took her out to dance with him; she danced so very gracefully that they all more and more admired her. A fine banquet was served up, of which the young Prince ate not a morsel, so intently was he busied in gazing on her.

She went and sat down by her sisters, showing them a thousand polite gestures, giving them part of the oranges and lemon blossoms which the Prince had presented her with, which very much surprised them, for they did not recognise her. While Cinderella was thus amusing her sisters, she heard the clock strike eleven and three-quarters, whereupon she immediately made a curtsy to the company and hasted away as fast as she could.

When she got home she ran to seek out her godmother, and, after having thanked her, she said she could not but heartily wish she might go next day to the ball, because the King’s son had desired her.

As she was eagerly telling her godmother whatever had passed at the ball, her two sisters knocked at the door, which Cinderella ran and opened.

“How long you have stayed!” cried she, gaping, rubbing her eyes and stretching herself as if she had been just waked out of her sleep; she had not, however, any manner of inclination to sleep since they went from home.

“If you had been at the ball,” said one of her sisters, “you would not have been tired . There came there the finest Princess, the most beautiful ever was seen with mortal eyes; she was a thousand times nice to us, and gave us orange and lemon blossoms.”

Cinderella seemed very indifferent in the matter; indeed, she asked them the name of that Princess; but they told her they did not know it, and that the King’s son was very uneasy on her account and would give all the world to know who she was. At this Cinderella, smiling, replied:

“She must, then, be very beautiful indeed; how happy you have been! Could not I see her? Ah! dear Miss Charlotte, do lend me your yellow suit of clothes which you wear every day.”

“Ay, to be sure!” cried Miss Charlotte; “lend my clothes to such a dirty Cinderwench as you! I should be a fool.”

Cinderella, indeed, expected well such answer, and was very glad of the refusal; for she would have been sadly put to it if her sister had lent her what she asked for jokingly.

The next day the two sisters were at the ball, and so was Cinderella, but dressed more magnificently than before. The King’s son was always by her, and never ceased his compliments and kind speeches to her; to whom all this was so far from being tiresome that she quite forgot what her godmother had recommended to her; so that she, at last, counted the clock striking twelve when she took it to be no more than eleven; she then rose up and fled, as nimble as a deer. The Prince followed, but could not overtake her. She left behind one of her glass slippers, which the Prince took up most carefully. She got home but quite out of breath, and in her nasty old clothes, having nothing left her of all her finery but one of the little slippers, fellow to that she dropped. The guards at the palace gate were asked: If they had not seen a Princess go out. They replied that had seen nobody go out but a young girl, very meanly dressed, and who had more the air of a poor country wench than a gentlewoman.

When the two sisters returned from the ball Cinderella asked them: If they had been well diverted, and if the fine lady had been there.

They told her: Yes, but that she hurried away immediately when it struck twelve, and with so much haste that she dropped one of her little glass slippers, the prettiest in the world, which the King’s son had taken up; that he had done nothing but look at her all the time at the ball, and that most certainly he was very much in love with the beautiful person who owned the glass slipper.

What they said was very true; for a few days after the King’s son commanded it to be proclaimed, by sound of trumpet, that he would marry the young woman whose foot would perfectly fit the slipper. He sent out his most trusted advsiers from the palace, who began to try it upon the Princesses, then the duchesses and all the Court, but in vain; it was brought to the two sisters, who each did all that she possibly could to thrust her foot into the slipper, but neither sister could manage to do so. Cinderella, who saw all this, and knew her slipper, said to them, laughing:

“Let me see if it will not fit me.”

Her sisters burst out a-laughing, and began to tease her. The gentleman who was sent to try the slipper looked earnestly at Cinderella, and, finding her very handsome, said: it was only right that that she should try, and that he had orders to let every girl try.

He asked Cinderella to sit down, and, putting the slipper to her foot, he found it went on very easily, and fitted her as if it had been made of wax. The astonishment her two sisters were in was excessively great, but still abundantly greater when Cinderella pulled out of her pocket the other slipper, and put it on her foot. Thereupon, in came her godmother, who, having touched with her wand Cinderella’s clothes, made them richer and more magnificent than any of those she had before.

And now her two sisters found her to be that fine, beautiful lady whom they had seen at the ball. They threw themselves at her feet to beg pardon for all the ill  treatment they had dished out to her. Cinderella took them up, and, as she embraced them, cried that she forgave them with all her heart, and desired them always to love her.

She was brought by carriage to the young Prince, dressed as she was; he thought her more charming than ever, and, a few days after, married her. Cinderella, who was no less good than beautiful, gave her two sisters rooms in the palace, and that very same day matched them with two great lords of the Court.

The Queen Mother was of the race of the Ogres, and the King would never have married her had it not been for her vast riches; it was even whispered about the Court that she had Ogreish inclinations, and that, whenever she saw little children passing by, she had all the difficulty in the world to avoid falling upon them and eating them up. Soon after the King went to make war with the Emperor Contalabutte, his neighbor, she went into the Kitchen and said to her clerk:

I have a mind to eat little Morning for my dinner tomorrow.

Ah! madam!

I will have it so ! – and this she spoke in the tone of an Ogress who had a strong desire to eat fresh meat. And I will eat her with a cranberry sauce!

——-
This little known sequel to The Sleeping Beauty is clearly a Rather Scary Story, but it’s a fairy story, so the good survive and the bad meet their fate.

The Sleeping Beauty has married her handsome prince and now he has become King. She should be living happily ever after with her two children ….

In our Pond Life introduction, Sadie the Swan wants to hear a romantic tale of love, but Colin the Carp overrules her.

Read by Natasha Lee-Lewis. Duration: 15 minutes.

The Sleeping Beauty Part Two
If you listened to the first part of this Storynory, you will know that a handsome Prince discovered a sleeping beauty in a palace in the woods. She had been fast asleep for one hundred years, but when he kissed her hand she work up and fell in love with him. They were married that very day – but did they live happily ever after? Do you want to know? You do? Well listen quietly, and I will tell you the second and final part of the The Sleeping Beauty in the woods.

The morning after the handsome Prince had married the sleeping beauty, he left her and returned home to the City where his father, the King, was anxiously waiting for him.
When he reached home, the prince said that he had lost his way in the forest as he was hunting, and that he had slept in the cottage of a farmer, who gave him cheese and brown bread. He did not say a word about the sleeping beauty, let alone how he had married her.
The King, his father, who was a good man, believed him; but his mother could not be persuaded it was true; and seeing that he went almost every day a-hunting, and that he always had some excuse ready for so doing, though he had slept out three or four nights together, she began to suspect that he was married, for he lived with the Princess for over two whole years, and they had two children, the eldest of which, who was a daughter, was named Morning, and the youngest, who was a son, they called Day.
The Queen spoke several times to her son, to ask him how he passed his time. But he never dared to trust her with his secret; he feared her, though he loved her, for she was of the race of the Ogres, and the King would never have married her had it not been for her money; it was even whispered about the Court that she had Ogreish inclinations, and that, whenever she saw little children passing by, she had all the difficulty in the world to stop herself pouncing on them and gobbling them up for a snack. . And so the Prince would never tell her one word about his beautiful wife and two little children. .
The King died about two years later, and although the prince was very sad, he became lord and master both of the people and of himself. A month later, he announced his marriage to the cheering crowds; and he led his beloved wife, the former sleeping beauty, in a great procession to the palace. They made a magnificent entry into the capital city, she riding between her two children. And now she became his Queen.
Soon after the King went to make war with the Emperor Contalabutte, his neighbor. He left his wife, the Sleeping Beauty, and his two children, Prince Day and Princess Dawn, in the care of his mother. His war went on war all summer, and after a while his mother said to the Sleeping Beauty, “Why don’t you go to visit your old palace in the forest, my dear, and see that everything is in order there? And I will look after little Princess Dawn and little Prince Day.” And so the Sleeping Beauty went to visit her old Palace in the forest to see that everything was in order there, and she left the great city, and she left little Princess Dawn and little Prince day in the care of the king’s mother, for she did not know that she was an ogress who craved to eat little children for dinner,
As soon as the Sleeping Beauty was gone, the Queen went into the Palace kitchen. She said,
“I have an idea to eat little Morning for my dinner to- morrow.”
“Ah! madam,” cried the chief cook of the kitchen.
“I will have it so,” replied the Queen (and this she spoke in the tone of an Ogress who had a strong desire to eat fresh meat), “and I will eat her with a cranberry sauce.”
The poor man, knowing very well that he must not play tricks with Ogresses, took his great knife and went up into little Morning’s chamber. She was then four years old, and came up to him jumping and laughing, to take him about the neck, and ask him for some sugar-candy. Upon which he began to weep, the great knife fell out of his hand, and he went into the back yard, and killed a little lamb, and dressed it with such good sauce that his mistress assured him that she had never eaten anything so good in her life. He had at the same time taken up little Morning, and carried her to his wife, to conceal her in a hut he had at the bottom of the courtyard.
About eight days afterward the wicked Queen said to the chief cook of the kitchen, “I will eat little Day for my supper.
He answered not a word, being resolved to cheat her as he had done before. He went to find out little Day, and saw him with a little sword in his hand, with which he was fencing with a great monkey, the child being then only three years of age. He took him up in his arms and carried him to his wife, that she might conceal him in her chamber along with his sister, and in the room of little Day cooked up a young goat, very tender, which the Ogress found to be wonderfully good.
And so far all was well; but one evening this wicked Queen said to her chief cook of the kitchen:
“I will eat the Sleeping Beauty with the same sauce I had with her children.”
It was now that the poor clerk of the kitchen despaired of being able to deceive her. The young Queen was turned of twenty, not reckoning the hundred years she had been asleep; and how to find in a beast of he size and shape and firmness puzzled him. He decided that, toi save his own life, he must cut the Sleeping Beauty’s throat; and so he went to her Palace in the forest with meaning to do just that. He put himself into as fould a mood as he could possibly, and came into the Sleeping Beauty’s room in the Palace with his dagger in his hand. When he saw her beautiful face he could, not, bring himself to kill her, but told her, with a great deal of respect, the orders he had received from the Queen-mother.
“Do it; do it” (said she, stretching out her neck). “Execute your orders, and then I shall go and see my children, my poor children, whom I so much and so tenderly loved.”
For after hearing of the queen’s orders, she thought that they must be dead.
“No, no, madam” (cried the poor chief cook of the kitchen, all in tears); “you shall not die, and yet you shall see your children again; but then you must go home with me to my lodgings, where I have concealed them, and I shall deceive the Queen once more, by giving her in your place a young dear for her dinner.’
And so he led her to his house, where, leaving her to embrace her children, and cry along with them, he went and dressed a young deer, which the Queen had for her supper, and devoured it with the same appetite as if it had been the Sleeping Beauty. She was so delighted with her cruelty, and she had invented a story to tell the King, on his return, how the mad wolves had eaten up his wife and her two children.
One evening, as she was, according to her custom, rambling round about the courts and yards of the palace to see if she could smell any fresh meat, she heard, in a ground room, little Prince Day crying, for his mamma was sending him to bed without supper because he had been naughty; and she heard, at the same time, little Morning begging pardon for her brother.
The Ogress presently knew the voice of the Sleeping Beauty and her children, and being quite mad that she had been tricked, she commanded next morning, by break of day (with a most horrible voice, which made everybody tremble), that they should bring into the middle of the great court a large tub, which she ordered to be filled with toads, vipers, snakes, and all sorts of serpents, in order to have thrown into it the Sleeping Beauty and her children, the chief cook of the kitchen, his wife and maid; all whom she had given orders should be brought there with their hands tied behind them.
They were brought out, and the executioners were just going to throw them into the tub, when the King (who was not so soon expected) entered the court on horseback (for he came post) and asked, with the utmost astonishment, what was the meaning of that horrible spectacle.
No one dared to tell him, when the Ogress, all enraged to see what had happened, threw herself head first into the tub, and was instantly gobbled up by the ugly creatures she had ordered to be thrown into it for the others. The King was very sorry, for the ogress had been his own mother; but he soon comforted himself with his beautiful wife and his pretty children, and they lived happily ever after.

This is one of the most romantic fairy tales. Its themes are love and chivalry. The ending is, of course, happy, but not quite ever after. There is a little known second part, which you can find here.

Read by Natasha. Version by Andrew Lang (from Charles Perrault). Duration 20 Minutes.

The Sleeping Beauty

Once upon a time, there lived a king and a queen, who had no children. They were so sorry about having no children, that I cannot tell you how sorry they were. At last, however, after many years, the Queen had a daughter.
The was a very fine christening for the baby Princess. The King and Queen looked throughout the kingdom for fairies to be her godmothers, and they found seven fairies. Each fairy godmother was to give the princess a gift, as was the custom of fairies in those days. In this way, the Princess had all the perfections imaginable.
After the christening ceremony was over, the whole party returned to the King’s palace, where there was prepared a great feast for the seven fairy god-mothers. There was placed before each one of them a magnificent case of gold, in which were a spoon, knife, and fork, all of pure gold set with diamonds and rubies. But as everyone was sitting down at the table, they saw come into the hall a very old fairy, whom they had not invited, because she had not left the tower where she lived for over fifty years, and she was believed to be either dead or under an evil spell.
The King ordered could not give her a case of gold as the others had, because they had only seven made for the seven fairies. The old Fairy felt insulted and muttered some threats between her teeth. One of the young fairies who sat by her, overheard how she grumbled; and, guessing that she might give the little Princess an unlucky gift, went, as soon as they rose from table, and hid behind the curtains, so that she might make the last wish for the little princess, and use it to put right any evil that the old fairy might do with her magic spell.
In the meanwhile all the fairies began to give their gifts to the Princess. The youngest wished that she should be the most beautiful person in the world; the next, that she should have the intelligence of an angel; the third, that she should have a wonderful grace in everything she did; the fourth, that she should dance perfectly well; the fifth, that she should sing like a nightingale; and the sixth, that she should play all kinds of music to the utmost perfection.
The old Fairy’s turn came next, and shaking her head more with spite than anger, she said that one day the Princess would have her hand pricked by a needle on a spinning wheel and that she would die of the wound. This terrible gift made the whole company tremble, and everybody began to cry.
At this very instant the young Fairy came out from behind the curtains, and spoke these words aloud:
“Assure yourselves, O King and Queen, that your daughter shall not die of this disaster. It is true, I have no power to undo entirely what the elder fairy has done. The Princess shall indeed pierce her hand with a needle on a spinning wheel; but, instead of dying, she shall only fall into a deep sleep, which shall last a hundred years, at the end of which a king’s son shall come and awake her.”
The King, to avoid the misfortune foretold by the old Fairy, immediately made a law by which everybody was forbidden, on pain of death, to use a spinning wheel, or to have to have any spinning wheel in their houses.
About fifteen or sixteen years later, on a day when the King and Queen were busy in a far corner of the vast Palace, the young and beautiful Princess amused herself by running up and down the corridors and going up from one apartment to another. Eventually, she came into a little room at the top of the tower, where a good old woman, alone, was spinning with her wheel, for this good old woman had never heard of the King’s law against spinning wheels.
The Princess said, “What are you doing there, good old woman?”
[old lady’s voice] “I am spinning sheep’s wool into thread so that I can knit it into a cardigan,”
“Ha!” said the Princess, “that’s very clever; I’ve never seen that done before. How do you do it? Give it to me, so that I may see if I can do the same.”
Now whether it was because she was in too much of a hurry, or whether it was because she was clumsy, or whether it was because the old fairy had wished it so, – I cannot say – but no sooner than the Princess took the spinning wheel, than she pricked her hand on the needle, and she fell down in a faint.
The good old woman, not knowing what to do, cried out for help. People came rushing from all over the palace and they came in great numbers. When they saw the Princes lying in a deep, deep sleep on the floor, they threw cold water on her face, they loosened her clothes, they struck her on the palms of her hands, and they rubbed her temples with smelling salts, but nothing the could do would awake the Princess.
And now the King, who heard the great commotion from the far end of the palace, remembered the terrible warning of the fairies, and, guessing what had happened, came rushing to the tower. There he saw the Princess lying in a deep, deep sleep, and he ordered her to be carried into the finest apartment in his palace, and to be laid upon a bed all embroidered with gold and silver.
If you had seen her, you might have taken her for a little angel, she was so very beautiful; for her swooning away had not paled her complexion; her cheeks were like roses, and her lips were like sea-coral; indeed, her eyes were shut, but she was heard to breathe softly, which persuaded everyone that she was not dead. The King commanded that they should not disturb her, but let her sleep quietly till her hour of awaking was come.
When this accident happened to the Princess, the good Fairy who had saved her life by condemning her to sleep for a hundred years, was in the kingdom of Matakin, twelve thousand miles away, but she quickly heard the terrible news from a little dwarf, who had one hundred mile boots, that is boots with which he could tread over one hundred miles of ground in a single step.. The Fairy came immediately, and she arrived at the Palace , about an hour later , in a fiery chariot drawn by dragons.
The King took her hand as she stepped out her out of the chariot, and they both went to look at the sleeping princess. As the Fairy was very good at thinking and planning ahead, she realized that in one hundred years time when the Princess would wake up, she might not know what to do with herself, being all alone in this old palace; and this was what she did: she touched with her wand everything in the palace (except the King and Queen)- nannies, maids of honor, ladies of the bedchamber, gentlemen, officers, stewards, cooks, undercooks, cleaners, guards, with their beefeaters, pages, footmen; she also touched all the horses in the stables and fields,, the fierce guard dogs in the outer court and pretty little Mopsey too, the Princess’s little puppy, which lay by her on the bed.
Immediately, as soon as she touched them they all fell asleep, so that they might not awake before their Princess, and that they might be ready to serve her when she wanted them. Even the great fires in the ovens of the Kitchen, that were just then roasting partridges and pheasants, fell asleep too. All this was done in a moment. Fairies do not take long to finish their business.
And now the King and the Queen, having kissed their dear child without waking her, went out of the palace and made an order that nobody should dare to come near it.
This, however, was not necessary, for in a quarter of an hour’s time there grew up all round about the palace grounds such a vast number of trees, great and small, bushes and brambles, entwining one within another, that neither man nor beast could pass through; so that nothing could be seen but the very top of the towers of the palace. Nobody doubted but the Fairy had demonstrated very extraordinary sample of her power, that the Princess, while she continued sleeping, might have nothing to fear from any curious people.
When a hundred years had passed by, the son of a king from another family had gone a-hunting in that part of the country where the palace used to be. He asked:
“What are those towers in the middle of that great thick wood?”
Everyone answered with the rumors that they had heard. Some said that it was a ruinous old castle, haunted by spirits. Other that all the sorcerers and witches of the country used to meet there at midnight when there was a full moon.
Most people believed was that an ogre lived there, and that he used take to there all the little children he could catch, so that he could eat them up whenever he pleased, without anybody being able to follow him, as only he had the power to pass through the wood.
The Prince was all in a quandary, not knowing what to believe, when a very good countryman spoke to him as follows:
“May it please your royal highness, it is now about fifty years since I heard from my father, who heard my grandfather say, that there was then in this castle a princess, the most beautiful was ever seen; that she must sleep there a hundred years, and should be waked by a king’s son.”
The young Prince was all on fire at these words, believing, without thinking things through, that he could save the Princess; and, pushed on by love and honor, he swore that moment that he would do just that.
As he rode on his horse toward the wood, all the great trees, the bushes, and brambles gave way to let him pass through; he walked up to the castle which he saw at the end of a large avenue and he went into it; And what rather surprised him, was that none of his people could follow him, because the trees closed again as soon as he had passed through them. However, he did not stop; a young and amorous prince is always brave
He came into a wide, wide outer court, where everything he saw might have frozen the most fearless person with horror. There was a most frightful silence; the image of death everywhere showed itself, and there was nothing to be seen but stretched-out bodies of men and animals, all seeming to be dead. But the prince realized when he saw the red faces and pimled noses of the guards, that they were only asleep; and that their glasses, in which there still remained some drops of wine, showed plainly that they had fallen asleep, while drunk.
He then crossed a court paved with marble, went up the stairs and came into the corridor where guards were standing, with their rifles upon their shoulders, snoring as loud as they could. After that he went through several rooms full of gentlemen and ladies, all asleep, some standing, others sitting. At last he came into a chamber all gilded with gold, where he saw upon a bed, the most wonderful sight that had even met his eyes – a princess, who appeared to be about fifteen or sixteen years of age, and whose bright and rosy beauty was quite angelic. He approached with trembling and admiration, and fell down before her upon his knees and kissed her hand.
And now, as the evil fairy’s spell was at an end, the Princess opened her blue eyes for the first time in one hundred years and looking at him, said,
“Is it you, my Prince? You have waited a long time.”
The Prince, charmed with these words, and much more with the manner in which they were spoken, knew not how to show his joy and gratitude; he assured her that he loved her more than anyone or anything the whole wide world. Their conversation did not make much sense – they spoke with little reason but a great deal of love. He was more lost for words she, and we need not wonder at it; she had time to think what to say to him; for it is very probable (though history mentions nothing of it) that the good Fairy, during so long a sleep, had given her very agreeable dreams about handsome princes coming to her rescue. In short, they talked four hours together, and yet they said not half what they had to say.
In the meanwhile, al the palace awaked; and as all of them were not in love, they felt most desperately hungry after 100 years without a bit to eat. . The chief lady of honor grew very impatient, and told the Princess aloud that supper was served up. The Prince helped the Princess to rise; she was entirely dressed, and very magnificently, but his royal highness took care not to tell her that she was dressed in the fashion of one hundred years ago, like his great-grandmother. she looked not a bit less charming and beautiful for all that.
They went into the great hall of mirrors, where they at supper, and were served by the Princess’s officers. The orchestra played old tunes, but very nice ones, and after supper, without losing any time, the priest married them in the chapel of the castle, and the chief lady of honor drew the curtains. They had but very little sleep–the Princess had had too much of it recently – and the Prince left her next morning to return to the city, where the King, was anxiously waiting for him.
And that’s the end of the first part of The Sleeping Beauty. If you want to know what happened to the Prince and the Sleeping Beauty after that, you’ll have to listen to the next Storynory.
Prince Bertie The Frog would like to meet all his new friends at his lovely green and purple website. You can see what he looks like there. So drop by at Storynory.Com.
For now, from me, Natasha, Bye Bye.