The Princess and the Pea

                            The Original Tale was by Hans Christian Anderson (1835) 

This story is based on Anderson’s tale but the words have been updated

THERE was once a Prince who wished to marry a Princess; but she must be a real Princess, of course. He travelled all over the world in hopes of finding such a lady; but there was always something wrong. He found many Princesses; but whether they were real Princesses it was impossible for him to decide, first one thing, and then another, seemed to be not quite right about the ladies. At last, he returned to his palace quite upset, because he wished so much to have a real Princess for his wife and could not find the right one.

One evening, a fearful storm arose, the thunder and lightning and the rain poured down from the sky in heavy torrents: it was also as dark as pitch which means no stars or moon. It was really dark. All at once, a violent knocking at the door, and the old King, the Prince's father, went out to open it wondering who could be out on a night like this.

Standing outside the door, a tiny princess looking quite wet and bedraggled, what with the rain and the wind blowing her hither and yon.  She was in a sad condition; the water trickled down from her hair, and her clothes clung to her body. However, she said  to the King that she was a real Princess.

"Ah! We shall soon see about that!" thought the old Queen-mother; however, she said not a word of what she was going to do; but went quietly into the bedroom, took all the bed-clothes off the bed, and put three little peas on the bedstead. She then laid twenty mattresses one upon another over the three peas, and put twenty feather beds over the mattresses.

Upon this bed, the Princess was to pass the night. The Princess looked longingly at a chance to sleep since she was tired and wet. After getting dry and climbing high upon the bed, she closed her eyes.

The next morning she was asked how she had slept by the prince’s mother "Oh, very badly indeed!" she replied. "I have scarcely closed my eyes the whole night through. I do not know what was in my bed, but I had something hard under me, and am all over black and blue all over my body. It has hurt me so much!" She did indeed look as if she had not slept a wink!

Now, it was plain to see that the lady must be a real Princess, since she had been able to feel the three little peas through the twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds. None but a real Princess could have had such a delicate sense of feeling. We know this must be true. This made the King, Queen and Prince very happy indeed.

Happily, the Prince made her his wife; being convinced that he had found his real Princess. The three peas were  put into the cabinet of curiosities in a museum, where they are still to be seen, provided they have not been stolen. And the Prince and his Princess lived happily ever after.