Sleeping Beauty Once upon a time, there lived a King and a Queen, who said every day: "If only we had a child!” After many years, their wish came true, and a baby girl was born. Oh, how happy they were! They shared their joy by inviting seven wise fairies to the palace. When the fairies sat down to eat, they each found a gift made of gold by the side of their plate. Now there was one other fairy whose magic was more powerful than all the wise ones put together. Unfortunately, this fairy had an evil heart. When she heard of the celebrations for the baby princess, and found out that she had not been invited, she took great offence. Towards the end of the evening, each of the wise fairies gave a magical gift to the baby princess. The first wished her the gift of reason. The second wished her the gift of beauty. The third wished her the gift of grace. The fourth wished her the gift of music. The fifth wished her the gift of dance. The sixth wished her the gift of ... Well, we do not know what gift she would have wished for, because at that moment the Evil Fairy appeared in the centre of the great hall, her mouth fixed in a false smile, and her eyes delighting in spite. “Do forgive me for dropping by uninvited,” she said, “I will not keep you for long. I have come to wish my own gift upon the baby princess.” While the Evil Fairy held everyone’s attention, the seventh good fairy hid behind the curtains. The wicked one continued: “I do so wish that the dear little princess shall grow up to be a radiant, accomplished and beautiful girl of sixteen years, the delight of her parents’ eyes, and then, on her seventeenth birthday, she shall prick her finger on the needle of a spinning wheel and DIE! How do you like that? Ha ha ha!” Still laughing dreadfully, she strode from the hall. Amid the uproar, the seventh wise fairy stepped out of hiding and waved her wand to cast the spell of silence. “There remains a seventh and final wish that is mine to make,” she said.