Sleeping Beauty

          The king and queen were celebrating the birth of their only daughter. The fairies of the kingdom came to the palace to celebrate the new born baby. And, as tradition marked, each one gave a gift to the child. But as the youngest fairy was about to bestow her gift upon the baby, a witch came in! The witch was very angry because she hadn’t been invited to the party.

          “ One day the princess will prick her finger on a spindle and die! ” she shouted bitterly.

          “ No! ” intervened the youngest fairy, “ Instead, she will sleep for a hundred years. ’’

          The youngest fairy didn’t have the power to cancel the witch’s spell, but she could change the spell and help the princess. The following day, the king ordered his people to burn any spindles in the kingdom. He thought by doing so, he could save the princess from the curse. Time passed by. The king and queen were happy to see their daughter grow up happily and healthily. One sunny spring day. The princess took a walk together with her lady companions. The lady companions were so busy talking that they didn’t see the princess opening an old wooden door with full of curiosity.  

          “ Well! ” said the princess, “ I’ve never been her before. ”

          After going up a long flight of stairs, the princess found a room with an old woman spinning with a spindle. The young lady had never seen one before and was very curious!

The princess went in and asked, “ What are you doing , old lady ? ’’

          “ I’m spinning a spindle. Come never and you will be able to do it, I’ll show you how, ”  said the evil witch. Soon after, the lady companions found the young princess lying on the floor. When they saw the spindle, they immediately understood what had happened.

          “ Oh, no! She has pricked herself! The young princess has pricked herself and will now sleep for one hundred years!” they cried.

         

The king ordered the princess to be taken to the best room in the palace and sent his messengers to find the youngest fairy. When the youngest fairy came, she waved her magic wand and everybody who accompanied the princess immediatelyfell asleep, too.

          The years went by. Nobody remembered the princess and the curse anymore until, one day, a young prince decided to climb up the tallest tree and see what the abandoned palace was hiding. There he saw the princess and fell in love with her.

          The prince went into the palace. He thought the sleeping princess was so beautiful that he kneeled next to her bed to kiss her cheek. Magically, the “ Sleeping Beauty ” and the whole palace awoke.

          The following year, the prince asked the princess to marry him. Eventually, they became the happiest couple in the kingdom and lived happily ever after.