The Princess and the Pea

Once upon a time, there was a prince who wanted to marry a real princess. He travelled all over the world to find one. He met tall princesses and short princesses, loud princesses and quiet princesses. But somehow, he was never sure that they were real princesses. There was always something not quite right. So he came home again, feeling a little sad, because he did so want to find a true princess.

One evening there was a terrible storm. The thunder rumbled, boom, boom! The lightning flashed, and the rain poured down like a waterfall. Then, knock, knock, knock! Someone was knocking at the castle gate. The old king went to open it himself. And there stood a young lady in the rain. Water ran from her hair and down her cloak, into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. "Good evening," she said. "I am a princess, and I have lost my way."

"A real princess? We shall soon see," thought the old queen. But she said nothing. She went into the guest bedroom, took off all the bedding, and put one tiny green pea right on the bottom of the bed. Then she put twenty soft mattresses on top of the pea. And on top of the mattresses, she piled twenty fluffy feather quilts. The bed was so high that you needed a ladder to climb into it!

"Your bed is ready, my dear," said the queen. The princess looked up, and up, and up. She climbed the long ladder, one step, two steps, all the way to the very top. "Good night," said the queen, and she blew out the candle. The princess lay down on the tall, soft bed. The wind whistled outside. The rain pattered on the windows. And the princess turned this way, and then that way.

She turned to the left. She turned to the right. She curled up small, and she stretched out long. But no matter what she did, something was poking her! "Oh dear," she whispered, "what can it be?" She counted sheep. She counted stars. She hummed a little lullaby. But she could not fall asleep. All night long, she tossed and turned, until the birds began to sing in the morning.

In the morning, the queen asked, "Did you sleep well, my dear?" "Oh, I'm so sorry, but I hardly slept a wink," said the princess politely. "There was something hard in the bed. It felt like a little stone. I'm black and blue all over!" The queen smiled. The king smiled. And the prince smiled most of all. Only a real princess could feel one tiny pea through twenty mattresses and twenty feather quilts!

"You are a real princess!" said the prince. And he soon found out that she was also brave, and kind, and very good at telling funny stories. They walked together in the garden every day. They talked about the stars, and the stormy night, and the long ladder. And before long, the prince asked her to marry him, and she said yes.

And the little pea? It was put in a glass case in the castle museum, on a soft velvet cushion, where you can still see it today, unless someone has taken it away. And every night, the princess slept in a cosy bed with just one mattress, one quilt, and no peas at all. She slept so well, all through the night, just like you will tonight. Good night.