Long ago, in a faraway land there lived a King and his Queen. They were sad and wished for a child, “If only we had a child!”
One day, the Queen was sitting beside the pond. Suddenly, a frog jumped out of the water and said, “Your wish shall be fulfilled and you shall have a daughter soon.”
Then, a miracle happened and a beautiful girl was born to the King and his Queen. All the bells in the kingdom rang to announce the birth of a beautiful Princess.
The King organised a grand celebration and all the fairies in the kingdom were invited. They arrived at the palace with precious gifts and blessed the little Princess.
Suddenly, the castle was filled with blue smoke. When the smoke settled, the King and his Queen were shocked to see an old wicked black fairy.
She was angry at not being invited and cursed the little Princess. “On your 16th birthday, before the sun sets, you’ll touch a spindle and die,” she screamed and vanished.
Everyone was shocked. The Queen fell on the floor, weeping. Suddenly, a young fairy stepped forward and said, “I cannot take away the old fairy’s curse but I can help. The Princess shall not die but shall fall into a deep sleep. She could only be awakened with a kiss from a Prince who loves her.”
To prevent the curse, the King ordered that all the spindles in the kingdom should be destroyed. Years passed by and the Princess grew into a beautiful and kind girl.
On her 16th birthday, while roaming in the castle, she saw a stairway leading to an old tower. She went upstairs and reached a little door. Inside, she saw an old woman bent over a spinning wheel. The Princess had never seen it before.
The Princess touched the needle of the spindle and fell to the ground. The old woman laughed. She was, in reality, the evil witch. Her curse came true.
The King arrived and was upset to see his daughter. He remembered the Black Fairy’s curse. The Princess was taken to the grand room where she would lie for many years.
The fairies saw her sleeping and called her, ‘Sleeping Beauty’. The whole kingdom fell asleep with her. Years passed by. A thick forest grew around the castle and hid it.
About a hundred years later, a handsome Prince was passing through the forest. He saw the strange palace surrounded by the trees. All the people and animals were in a deep sleep.
He went in. He was surprised to see people sleeping everywhere. Judging by their clothes, they had been there for a century!
At last, the Prince reached the grand room where the Princess lay asleep. He saw Sleeping
Beauty and fell in love with her. The Prince leaned forward and kissed her.
Immediately, the spell was lifted and the Princess woke up. The whole kingdom also woke up. The Prince and
the Princess got married and lived happily ever after.
