Hello, and welcome back to Sleepy Stories. I'm your host, Lucy,
and my friends and I will be reading you a sleepy bedtime story every week
to relax you and to help you to drift off into a RESTful sleep.
From time to time, we will also read you a relaxing, peaceful meditation
that will take you somewhere beautiful and calming. Once we have read the stories,
we will then read them a second time, but this time they will
be read even slower. This will help you to relax even more. Before
we begin, I would like you to close your eyes and breathe in and
out nice and deeply. Take a few seconds to inhale, and then hold
your breath for a few seconds more, and then release and breathe out.
Do this a few times if you need to. While you listen to the
music and you listen to my voice, give yourself time to let your body
relax and your mind settle. It's important that we allow time for us to
feel safe, cozy, and completely at ease. And now it's time for
this week's story. There was once upon a time a widow who had two
daughters. The eldest was so much like her in the face in humor that
whoever looked upon the daughter saw the mother. They were both so disagreeable and
so proud that there was no one living with them. The youngest, who
was the very picture of her father for courtesy and sweetness of temper, was
one of the most beautiful girls ever seen. As people naturally love their own
likeness, this mother even doated on her eldest daughter, and at the same
time had a horrible aversion for the youngest. She made her eating a kitchen
and work continually. Among other things, this poor child was forced twice a
day to draw water about a mile and a half from the house and bring
home a picture full of it. One day, as she was at this
fountain, there came to her a poor woman who begged of her to let
her drink. Oh ay, with all my heart goody, said this pretty
little girl, and rinsing immediately the picture, she took up some water from
the clearest place of the fountain and gave it to her, holding up the
picture all the while so that she might drink easier. The good woman,
having drunk, said to her, you are so very pretty, my dear,
so good and so manly, that I cannot help giving you a gift,
For this was a fairy who had taken the form of a poor countrywoman
to see how far the civility and good manners of this pretty girl would go.
I will give you a gift, continued the fairy, that at every
word you speak, there shall come out of your mouth either a flower or
a jewel. When this pretty girl came home, her mother scolded her for
staying so long at the fountain. I beg your pardon, mamma, said
the poor girl, for not making more haste. And in speaking these words,
there came out of her mouth two roses, two pearls, and two
diamonds. What is it I see there? Said the mother, quite astonished.
I think I see pearls and diamonds come out of the girl's mouth.
How happens this child? This was the first time she had ever called her
child. The poor creature told her frankly what had happened? Not without dropping
out infinite numbers of diamonds in good faith, cried the mother. I must
in my child thither. Come hither, Fanny, Look what comes out of
thy sister's mouth when she speaks. Wouldst thou not be glad, my dear
to have the same gift given thee thou hast nothing else to do but go
and draw water out of the fountain. And when a certain poor woman asked
you to let her drink, to give it to her very civilly. It
would be a very fine sight, indeed, said this ill bred minx,
to see me go draw water. You shall go, hurry, said the
mother, And this minute so away she went, but grumbling all the way,
taking with her the best silver tankard in the house. She was no
sooner at the fountain than she saw coming out of the wood a lady most
gloriously dressed, who came up to her and asked to drink. This was,
you must know, the very fairy who appeared to her sister, but
now had taken the air and dress of a princess, to see how far
this girl's rudeness would go. Am I come hither, said the proud saucy
one, to serve you with water, prey. I suppose the silver tankard
was brought purely for your ladyship, was it? However, you may drink
out of it if you have a fancy. You are not over and above
mannerly, answered the fairy, without putting herself in a passion. Well,
and since you have so little breeding and are so disobliging, I give you
a gift that at every word you speak, this shall come out of your
mouth, a snake or a toad. So soon as her mother saw her
coming, she cried out, well daughter, Well, mother answered the pert
hussy, throwing out of her mouth two vipers and two toads. Oh mercy,
cried the mother, what is this I see? Oh? Is it
that wretch of the sister who has occasioned all this? But she shall pay
for it, And immediately she ran to beat her. The poor child fled
away from her and went to hide herself in the forest. Not far from
there. The king's son, then, on his return from hunting, met
her, and, seeing her so very pretty, asked her what she did
there alone and why. She cried, alas, sir, my mamma has
turned me out of the door. The king's son, who saw five or
six pearls and as many diamonds come out of her mouth, desired her to
tell him how this has happened. She therefore told him the whole story,
and so the king's son fell in love with her, and, considering himself
that such a gift was worth more than any marriage. Potion conducted her to
the palace of the King his father and married her. As for the sister,
she made herself so much hated that her own mother turned her off,
and the miserable wretch, having wandered about a good while without finding anybody to
take her in, went to a corner of the wood, and there died
the end. There was once upon a time a widow who had two daughters.
The eldest was so much like her in the face in humor, that
who ever looked upon the daughter saw the mother. They were both so disagreeable
and so proud that there was no one living with them. The youngest,
who was the very picture of her father, of a courtesy and sweetness of
temper, was one of the most beautiful girls ever seen. As people naturally
love their own likeness, this mother even doated on her eldest daughter, and
at the same time had a horrible aversion For the youngest. She made her
eat in the kitchen and work continually. Among other things, this poor child
was forced twice a day to draw water about a mile and a half from
the house and bring home a picture full of it. One day, as
she was at this fountain, there came to her a poor woman who begged
of her to let her drink. Oh, I with all my heart goody,
said this pretty little girl, and rinsing immediately the picture. She took
up some water from the clearest place of the fountain and gave it to her,
holding up the picture all the while so that she might drink easier.
The good woman, having drunk, said to her, you are so very
pretty, my dear, so good and so mallly, that I cannot help
giving you a gift. For this was a fairy who had taken the form
of a poor countrywoman to see how far the civility and good manners of this
pretty girl would go. I will give you a gift, continue the fairy,
that as every word you speak, there shall come out of your mouth
either a flower or a jewel. When this pretty girl came home, her
mother scolded her for staying so long at the fountain. I beg your pardon,
mamma, said the poor girl, for not making more haste, And
in speaking these words, they came out of her mouth two roses, two
pearls, and two diamonds. What is it I see there? Said the
mother quite astonished, I think I see pearls and diamonds come out of the
girl's mouth. How happens this child? This was the first time she had
ever called her child. The poor creature told her frankly what had happened,
Not without dropping out infinite numbers of diamonds in good faith, cried the mother.
I must send my char thither. Come hither, Fanny, Look what
comes out of thy sister's mouth when she speaks. Wouldst thou not be glad,
my dear to have the saying gift given thee Thou hast nothing else to
do but go and draw water out of the fountain. And when a certain
poor woman asks you to let her drink, to give it to her very
civilly. It would be a very fine sight, indeed, said this ill
bred minx, to see me go draw water. You shall go, hurry,
said the mother, And this minute so away she went, but grumbling
all the way, taking with her the best silver tankard in the house.
She was no sooner at the fountain than she saw coming out of the wood
a lady most gloriously dressed, who came up to her and asked to drink.
This was you must know the very fairy, who appeared to her sister,
but now had taken the air and dress of a princess to see how
far this girl's rudeness would go. Am I come hither, said the proud
saucy one, to serve you with water, prey. I suppose the silver
tankard was brought purely for your ladyship, was it? However, you may
drink out of it if you have a fancy. You are not over and
above mannerly, answered the fairy, without putting herself in a passion. Well,
and since you have so little breeding and are so disobliging, I give
you a gift that at every word you speak, this shall come out of
your mouth a snake or a toad. So soon as her mother saw her
coming, she cried out, well daughter, Well, mother, answered the
pet hussy, throwing out of her mouth two vipers and two toads. Oh
mercy, cried the mother, what is this I see? Oh? Is
it that wretch of the sister who has occasioned all this? But she shall
pay for it, And immediately she ran to beat her. The poor child
fled away from her and went to hide herself in the forest. Not far
from there, the king's son, then, on his return from hunting,
met her, and, seeing her so very pretty, asked her what she
did there alone, and why she cried, alas, sir, my mamma
has turned me out of the door. The king's son, who saw five
or six pearls and as many diamonds come out of her mouth, desired her
to tell him how this had happened. She therefore told him the whole story,
and so the king's son fell in love with her, and, considering
himself that such a gift was worth more than any marriage, potion, conducted
her to the palace of the king his father and married her. As for
the sister, she made herself so much hated that her own mother turned her
off, and the miserable wretch, having wandered about a good while without finding
anybody to take her in, went to a corner of the wood, and
there died. The end