The Sleeping Princess

Description: Very short story I wrote as an exercise. A fairy tale with an unexpected ending.
Rating: K
Warning:

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Everyone talked about the castle behind the high, thorny hedges. For as long as anyone could remember, it had been there, vaguely discernible above the hedge which was as tall as a man. It was said that in there, a beautiful princess was sleeping. An evil fairy had spoken the words that had made the princess and everyone else in the castle fall asleep.

Now and then, over the years, adventurous youths had attempted to penetrate the hedges, but they had all failed – until the day the fearless young prince had arrived. He stood, torn by the thorns, but still more or less intact, above the beautiful princess.

Eagerly, the prince bent to kiss her. Slowly, she opened her eyes, which were blue as a summer sky.

“No! Let me sleep a little longer. I’m tired.”

Mouth agape, the prince stood, staring down at the young, beautiful princess, who was turning away from him and going back to sleep.

In the end, he turned and left the way he had come. He never told anyone what had occurred inside the sleeping castle.

FIN

© Camilla