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There
was once a king and queen. They were so happy to be celebrating the christening
of their baby daughter that they invited the country' s seven fairies to attend
the party. Each fairy could give her a magic gift, and she would then possess
every good quality. At the splendid christening banquet, each fairy was given a
present of a set of magnificent solid gold knives and forks in a gold case,
studded with precious jewels. But a eighth fairy appeared who had not been
invited, because it was thought she was dead. The king and queen were unable to
find an eighth gold case and the fairy flew into a terrible rage because her
present was not as beautiful as the others.
The fairies then bestowed their magic gifts on the baby
princess. The first gave her beauty, the second, wit, and the third gave her
grace. The fourth blessed her with the ability to dance, the fifth gave the gift
of song, song and the sixth, the gift of music. Then it was the old fairy's turn
and she said, ''The princess will prick her finger on a spindle and die!''
The guests gasped in horror. But the seventh fairy, who had been
suspicious of the old fairy and had not yet bestowed her gift, stepped forward.
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'I'm afraid cannot undo the wicked curse completely, ''she said. ''The princess
will prick her finger on a spindle but will not die. She will sleep for a
hundred years, after which a handsome prince will wake her with a kiss. ''
To try and prevent the wicked fairy's cause from coming true,
the king forbade the possession and use of spindles, on pain of death.
''Throughout my kingdom, all spindles and
spinning wheels must burn, ''he announced.
 One day, when the princess was about sixteen
years old, she was wandering from room to room in the enormous castle. She found
herself at the top of a tower where an old woman, who had never heard of the
ban, was spinning wool. The princess had never seen such a thing before and
wondered if she might try spinning. It would be fun to try, she thought.
She turned the spindle, pricked her finger,
and fainted. The old woman shouted for help and all the courtiers came running,
but there was nothing they could do the princess was fast asleep. The king
hurried into the room and when he saw princess should be carried to the most
beautiful room in the palace. She was placed on a a bed covered with gold and
silver embroidery, dressed in her most magnificent clothes, and left to sleep.
It was clear she was not dead for she was still breath softly. She looked as
beautiful as an angel.
The good fairy who had saved her was sent
for. Anxious that the princess should not feel lonely when she awoke, she
touched everyone except the king and queen with her magic wand and they
immediately fell into a deep sleep. Pages, ladies-in-waiting, servants, cooks,
lords, footmen, and musicians all fell asleep, curled up, seated or lying down,
with kindly smiles on their faces. The king and queen kissed their daughter
good-bye and within a few moments, huge thorny brambles, tangled creepers, thick
bushes, and trees had sprung up around the castle, making it impossible to
reach.
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Ah un dared years passed adorned ayah and some prince was hunting nearby with his
servants. He was curious to know who owned the strange castle whose towers could
be seen above the thick forest. But no one could tell him. Some said it was
certainly the home of witches, others thought a wicked ogre lived there. Then a
very old man who lived in the wood approached the prince and said,
''My grandfather used to say, that in the
most magnificent room in the castle lies a beautiful princess. She was cursed by
a wicked fairy and has been asleep for a hundred years. Only a prince's kiss can
wake her. ''The prince's only thought was to reach the princess. But how was he
to cross the wall of thorny brambles and creepers?
 However, as he rode nearer, the brambles and
trees slowly drew apart to let him through, then suddenly closed behind him,
leaving his men on the other side. He found himself alone in a strange and
silent world, listening to the barking of his dogs trapped on the other side of
the thicket. Not a single leaf rustled on the trees. All around the castle, men,
women, and animals were sleeping. After stepping over the sleeping guards and
crossing many rooms, he discovered the princess who looked about sixteen years
old.
Her remarkable beauty and radiance won his
heart and he leaned over and kissed her. She immediately awoke. ''Are you my
prince?'' she asked. The spell was broken and everyone in the palace woke up.
The deathly silence was ended and a joyful commotion was heard all over the
castle. Everyone ran around talking and laughing at once. The musicians began to
play and great celebrations began.
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