Fairy Tales:

The Sleeping Beauty

Once upon a time there was a queen who had a beautiful baby daughter. She asked all the fairies in the kingdom to the christening, but unfortunately forgot to invite one of them, who was a bit of a witch as well. She came anyway, but as she passed the baby’s cradle, she said:

“When you are sixteen, you will injure yourself with a spindle and die!” “Oh, no!” screamed the queen in horror. A good fairy quickly chanted a magic spell to change the curse.

When she hurt herself, the girl would fall into a very deep sleep instead of dying.

The years went by, the little Princess grew and became the most beautiful girl in the whole kingdom. Her mother was always very careful to keep her away from spindles, but the Princess, on her sixteenth birthday, as she wandered through the castle, came into a room where an old servant was spinning.

“What are you doing?” she asked the servant.
“I’m spinning. Haven’t you seen a spindle before?”

“No. Let me see it!” The servant handed the girl the spindle ... and she pricked herself with it and with a sigh, dropped to the floor. The terrified old woman hurried to tell the queen. Beside herself with anguish, the queen did her best to awaken her daughter but in vain.

“In a year’s time, ten years or twenty?” the fairy said she would wake.
“Maybe even in a hundred years’ time. Who knows?” said the fairy.
“Oh! What would make her wake?” asked the queen weeping.

“Love,” replied the fairy. “If a man of pure heart were to fall in love with her, that would bring her back to life!”

“When she wakes, who is she going to see around her? Strange faces and people she doesn’t know? I can never let that happen”. So the fairy cast a spell and everyone who lived in the castle - soldiers, ministers, guards, servants, ladies, pages, cooks, maids and knights - all fell into a deep sleep, wherever they were at that very moment.

“Now,” thought the fairy, “when the Princess wakes up, they too will awaken, and life will go on from there.”.

Now, it so happened that a prince arrived in these parts. He was the son of a king in a country close by. Young, handsome and melancholy, he sought in solitude everything he could not find in the company of other men. Wandering on his trusty steed he arrived, one day, at the dark forest. Being adventurous, he decided to explore it. A few hours later, losing heart, he was about to turn his horse and go back when he thought he could see something through the trees . . . He pushed back the branches . . . Wonder of wonders! There in front of him stood a castle with high towers.

The young man stood stock still in amazement, “I wonder who this castle belongs to?” he thought. The young prince rode on towards the castle. He saw the inhabitants draped all over the steps, the halls and courtyards, and said to himself,

“Good heavens! They’re dead!” But in a moment, he realised that they were sound asleep. “Wake up! Wake up!” he shouted, but nobody moved. Still astonished, he went into the castle and again discovered more people, lying fast asleep on the floor.

The Prince finally reached the room where the beautiful Princess lay fast asleep. For a long time he stood gazing at her face, so full of serenity, so peaceful, lovely and pure, and he felt spring to his heart that love he had always been searching for and never found.

Overcome by emotion, he went close, lifted the girl’s little white hand and gently kissed it...

At that kiss, the princess quickly opened her eyes, and wakening from her long long sleep, seeing the Prince beside her, murmured:

“Oh, you have come at last! I was waiting for you in my dream. I’ve waited so long!” Just then, the spell was broken. The Princess rose to her feet, holding out her hand to the Prince. And the whole castle woke up too. Everybody rose to their feet and they all stared round in amazement, wondering what had happened. When they finally realised, they rushed to the Princess, more beautiful and happier then ever. A few days later, the castle rang with the sound of singing, music and happy laughter at the great party given in honour of the Prince and Princess, who were getting married. They lived happily ever after, as they always do in fairy tales, not quite so often, however, in real life.

- Internet