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Long ago, there lived a king and queen who said every day, “If only we had a child!” But no child ever came.
One day, while the queen was bathing in a crystal spring and dreaming of having a baby, a frog crawled out of the water and said to her, “Your wish shall be fulfilled. Before a year has passed, you will bring a daughter into the world.”
And since frogs are such magical creatures, it was no surprise that, before the year was over, the queen gave birth to a little girl. The child was so beautiful and sweet that the king could hardly contain his joy. He prepared a magnificent feast and invited all his friends, family, and neighbors. He also invited the fairies, so they would bless the child with kindness and goodwill.
There were thirteen fairies in his kingdom, but because the king possessed only twelve golden plates for them to dine from, one of the fairies was left uninvited. None of the guests felt sorry about this, for the thirteenth fairy was well known for being cruel and spiteful.
A splendid celebration was held, and when the feast came to an end, each fairy presented the child with a magical gift. One fairy granted her virtue, another beauty, a third wealth, and so on – every blessing that anyone could ever wish for.
After eleven of the fairies had bestowed their gifts, the thirteenth fairy suddenly appeared. She was furious and determined to take revenge because she had not been invited to the celebration. Without hesitation, she cried out in a loud voice:
“When the princess reaches the age of fifteen, she shall prick her finger on a spinning wheel and fall down dead!”
With those words, she turned without another sound and left the great hall.
The guests were horrified, and the queen collapsed to the floor in tears. But the twelfth fairy, whose blessing had not yet been given, stepped quietly forward. Her magic could not undo the curse, but she could soften it, and so she said:
“No, your daughter shall not die. Instead, she will fall into a deep sleep that will last for one hundred years.”
As the years passed, the fairies’ blessings came true one by one. The princess grew into a beautiful, humble, kind, and wise young woman. Everyone who saw her could not help but love her.
The king and queen were determined to prevent the evil fairy’s curse from coming true. They ordered that every spinning wheel throughout the kingdom be destroyed. No one in the kingdom was allowed to tell the princess about the curse that had been placed upon her, for they did not want her to worry or become sad.
On the morning of her fifteenth birthday, the princess woke up early, excited to be another year older. She rose so early that she discovered everyone else in the castle was still asleep. She wandered through the halls, trying to keep herself occupied until the rest of the castle awoke. She explored every room and grand hall she pleased, and at last she came upon an old tower. She climbed the narrow, winding staircase until she reached a small door. A rusty key was already in the lock, and when she turned it, the door swung open.
Inside the little room sat an old woman, busily spinning.
The old woman was so deaf that she had never heard the king’s command that every spinning wheel in the kingdom should be destroyed.
“Good morning, grandmother,” said the princess. “What are you doing?”
“I am spinning,” replied the old woman.
“And what is that merry little thing that spins around so cheerfully?” asked the princess, taking hold of the spinning wheel and trying to spin as well.
But the moment she touched the spindle, it pricked her finger. At that very instant, she fell onto the bed nearby and lay perfectly still in a deep sleep.
The king, the queen, and all the servants had already begun their morning routines, and in the middle of their work, they too fell asleep. The horses fell asleep in the stable, the dogs in the courtyard, the pigeons upon the roof, and even the flies upon the walls. The fire in the fireplace died down and slept as well. The kitchen maid, who sat with a chicken before her ready to pluck its feathers, fell asleep. The cook was in the middle of scolding the kitchen boy for the mess he had made, but both of them also drifted into a deep sleep. The wind grew still, and not a single leaf stirred in the trees surrounding the castle.
Around the castle, a hedge of thorny rose bushes began to grow. Year after year it grew taller and thicker until nothing of the sleeping castle could be seen anymore.
Throughout the land, there was a legend about the lovely Sleeping Beauty, as the king’s daughter came to be called. From time to time, princes arrived and tried to force their way through the thorny hedge to reach the castle. But it was impossible, for the thorny branches seemed alive. They seized anyone who came near and refused to let them pass.
Many years later, another prince came to the kingdom and heard an old man tell the story of the castle hidden behind the hedge of roses and of the beautiful princess who had slept there for one hundred years. He also heard that many princes had tried to break through the hedge, but none had succeeded. Many had become trapped among the thorns and died.
Then the young prince said,
“I am not afraid. I must go and see this Sleeping Beauty.”
The kind old man did everything he could to persuade him not to go, but the prince would not listen.
Now the hundred years had finally passed.
As the prince approached the hedge of roses, it was covered with magnificent blossoms. The bushes parted by themselves and allowed him to pass through unharmed.
In the courtyard, the prince saw the horses and dogs lying asleep. On the roof sat the sleeping pigeons with their heads tucked beneath their wings. When he entered the castle, the flies still slept upon the walls, and the servants lay sleeping in the hallways. Beside the throne, the king and queen slept peacefully next to one another. In the kitchen, the cook, the kitchen boy, and the kitchen maid all slept with their heads resting upon the table.
The prince continued onward. Everything was so silent that he could hear his own breathing.
At last he reached the tower and opened the door to the little room where the princess lay sleeping.
There she rested, so beautiful that he could not take his eyes off her.
He bent down and gently kissed her.
The moment his lips touched hers, Sleeping Beauty opened her eyes and smiled up at him.
At once, everyone and everything throughout the castle awoke and looked around in astonishment. Within a month, the prince and Sleeping Beauty were married, and they lived happily together for the rest of their lives.
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