Once upon a time, a King and Queen wished and wished for a baby. At last a little princess was born, and they named her Rose. The whole kingdom rang its bells, ding-dong, ding-dong, to celebrate.
The King planned a big party and wrote invitations to the thirteen wise fairies of the land. But on the way to the misty hills, a gust of wind snatched the thirteenth letter and blew it into a pond. So that fairy never heard about the party at all.
At the party, the fairies gave baby Rose their wishes, one by one. "A kind heart." "A happy laugh." "A voice for singing." "Brave, curious eyes." Eleven fairies had spoken when the door swung open. In came the thirteenth fairy, wrapped in a grey cloud of mist. "Nobody invited me," she said, and her voice wobbled, because she felt left out and sad. "So here is my gift. When Rose is fifteen, she will touch the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall asleep, and so will everyone in this castle!" She tapped her wand crossly and swept away.
Everyone gasped. But the twelfth fairy hadn't given her wish yet. She stepped forward softly. "I can't undo that spell, but I can make it gentle. It will only be a cosy, peaceful nap, and no one will be hurt. When someone comes with a kind heart and a good-morning song, everyone will wake up rested and happy."
The King put all the spinning wheels away, just in case. Rose grew up kind, funny and curious. She sang to the birds, helped in the kitchen and asked a hundred questions a day.
On her fifteenth birthday, Rose found a winding staircase she had never seen. Round and round, up and up she went. At the top sat an old woman in a grey shawl, spinning thread. Whirr, whirr went the wheel. It was the thirteenth fairy. She had come back hoping to say sorry, but she was too shy to go downstairs. "Hello!" said Rose. "What's that? May I try?" Before the fairy could say "Wait," Rose touched the spindle.
Rose gave a big, slow yawn. "Oh... I feel so sleepy." She lay down on a soft cushion and fell fast asleep. Then the yawns floated all through the castle. The King yawned on his throne. The Queen yawned beside him. The cook yawned over the soup, the dog curled up in his basket, the cat tucked in her paws, and the pigeons on the roof tucked their heads under their wings. Soon the whole castle was snoring softly. Zzz... zzz... zzz.
"Oh dear, oh dear," said the thirteenth fairy. "I didn't really want this. I was only lonely." So she grew soft pink roses all around the castle, like a big flowery blanket, to keep everyone safe and cosy. Then she sat by the gate to wait, looking after the roses and humming. Seasons came and went, and travellers passing by whispered, "Shh, the castle is napping."
One day a young prince came riding by, whistling. He saw the fairy sitting alone. "Why are you here all by yourself?" She told him everything. "I want to say sorry, but I can't wake them on my own." The prince smiled. "Then let's do it together. I know a good-morning song."
The roses opened like doors to let them through. They climbed the winding stairs to Rose's room. The fairy took Rose's hand. "Rose, I'm sorry. I was lonely, and I was unkind." Then the prince sang softly, "Good morning, good morning, the sun is up high. Wake up, sleepy castle, and open your eyes."
Rose's eyelashes fluttered. She yawned and stretched. "Good morning! I had the loveliest dream." Down below, the King stretched, the Queen stretched, the dog wagged his tail, and the pigeons cooed. Rose hugged the fairy. "I forgive you. Will you come to my birthday party?" "And we'll make a thirteenth golden plate, just for you," said the King.
That evening there was music and cake and dancing. Rose and the prince became good friends, and the thirteenth fairy laughed more than anyone. When the party ended, everyone felt pleasantly tired. Rose climbed into bed, and the fairy sang a quiet lullaby at the door. One by one, the candles went out. Rose snuggled under her blanket, closed her eyes and drifted into a gentle, ordinary sleep, ready to wake with the sun. Goodnight, Rose.
Parent tip: Yawn big and slow each time someone in the castle falls asleep, and invite your child to yawn and stretch along with you.
Ask your child: After the story, you can ask: “Who was kind in this story, and what did they do?”
This gentle retelling has no harmful spell, only a cosy nap that ends with everyone waking up happy.