Puss in Boots (~10 mins)

There was once a miller who, when he died, had nothing to leave to his three sons but a mill, a donkey, and a cat. The mill he left to his eldest son, the donkey to the second, and to the youngest he left the cat.

The youngest son was very unhappy. "Alas!" he said, "This cat is of no use to me and I am too, poor to feed her."

"Do not grieve, dear master," said the cat. "You have only to give me a bag and get a pair of boots made for me, so that I may scamper through the dirt and brambles, and you shall find that you are not so badly off as you think."

Now this surprised the miller's son very much, and he thought to himself, a cat that can speak is perhaps wonderful enough to do as she promises. So he brought her the bag and had the boots made for her.

Puss put on the boots with a proud air, slung the bag over her shoulder, and went to the garden. There she gathered some lettuces and put them into the bag. Next she went across the field until she came to a rabbit hole. Then she lay down as if dead, leaving the top of her bag open. A plump rabbit soon peeped out of the hole and, smelling the lettuce, came nearer. It was too tempting. The rabbit's head followed his nose into the bag. The cat quickly pulled the strings and the rabbit was dead.

Proud of her prey, Puss marched with it to the palace and asked to see the king. She was brought before the throne and there, with a low bow, Puss said, "Sire, pray accept this rabbit as a gift from my lord the Marquis of Carrabas, who commanded me to present it to Your Majesty with the assurance of his respect."

"Tell your master," said the king, "that I accept his gift and am much obliged."

A few days later, Puss again went to the field. Again she lay down
as if dead with her sack open beside her. This time she captured two fine partridges. Again the cat went to the king and presented the partridges as she had done the rabbit. They, too, were accepted, and the king was so pleased that he ordered the cat to be taken to the kitchen and fed. In this manner, at least once a week, the cat continued to take presents of game to the king from the Marquis of Carrabas.

One day, Puss heard that the king and his beautiful daughter were going to drive along the riverside. The daughter was said to be the most beautiful princess in the world.

"My master," said the cat to the miller's son, "if you will do as I tell you, your fortune is made."

"What would you have me do?" asked the miller's son.

"Only this, dear master. Bathe in the river at a spot I shall show you and believe that you are not yourself but the Marquis of Carrabas."

The miller's son was in a gloomy mood, and did not mind much what he did, so he answered, "Very well, Puss." He went to the river and while he was bathing, the king and all his court passed by and were startled by the cry, "Help, help! My Lord the Marquis of Carrabas is drowning!"

When the king put his head out of the carriage, he saw the cat who had brought him so many presents. He ordered his attendants to go to the assistance of the Marquis of Carrabas. While they were dragging the marquis out of the water, the cat ran to the king, made a low bow, and said, "Your Majesty, what shall my poor master do, for a thief has stolen his clothes?" Now the truth was that the cunning cat had hidden the clothes under a large stone.

"That is most unfortunate," said the king, and he gave orders to a servant to fetch a suit from the castle.

When the miller's son was dressed in the fine clothes he looked like a gentleman, and very handsome. The princess was taken with his appearance, and the Marquis of Carrabas had no sooner cast upon her two or three respectful glances than she fell in love with him. The king insisted that he get into the carriage and take a ride with them.

The cat ran on ahead of the carriage and, reaching a meadow where mowers were cutting the grass, he said to them, "Unless you tell the king when he asks you that these meadows belong to the Marquis of Carrabas, you shall be chopped as fine as mincemeat."

When the king drove by and asked the mowers who owned the meadows they answered, trembling, "They belong to the Marquis of Carrabas, Your Majesty." The king then turned to the miller's son and said, "You indeed own fine meadows, my lord."

Meantime, Puss had run on farther and reached a cornfield in which there were reapers busy at work. "Now, if the king drives by,"
said the cat to the reapers, "and inquires to whom these fields belong, you must say that they are the property of the Marquis of Carrabas. If you do not, you shall be chopped as fine as mincemeat." So when the king drove by and asked whose fields these were, the frightened reapers answered, "They belong to the Marquis of Carrabas, Your Majesty. "

"What a rich man he must be and how handsome he looks!" said the king to himself as he looked at the miller's son. "I do believe he would be a good husband for my daughter."

Now the fields really belonged to an ogre who lived in a castle a little farther on. When the cat reached the castle she knocked at the door, which was opened by the ogre himself.

"Sir," said Puss, "I am on a journey, and since I have often heard how wonderful you are, I have taken the liberty to call to see you."

"Come in," said the ogre, who was always pleased to be thought wonderful.

"I have heard," continued Puss, "that you can change into any animal you like."

"I can," said the ogre and he instantly changed into a lion. The cat got such a fright that she ran up the wall nearly to the ceiling. But the ogre at once became an ogre again, and the cat jumped down.

"Sir, you really frightened me. But you must admit that it is not so wonderful for such a big gentleman to change into a big animal as it would be if he could change into a little one. I suppose you could not, for instance, change into a mouse."

"Could not?" cried the ogre. "You shall see." And in a moment Puss saw a little brown mouse running about the floor. With one spring she pounced upon it and gobbled it up. And that was the end of the ogre.

By this time the king had arrived at the castle. Puss, hearing the carriage wheels, ran to the gate and cried, "Welcome, Your Majesty, to the castle of the Marquis of Carrabas!"

"What, my lord!" cried the king, turning to the miller's son, "Does this castle also belong to you? I have nothing so fine in my whole kingdom."

The miller's son did not speak, but gave his hand to the princess to help her to alight from the carriage. They entered the castle and, in the dining hall, found preparations for a grand feast, which the ogre had planned to serve to some guests he had expected. But the ogre's friends did not arrive, since news reached them that the king was in the castle.

Every moment the king became more and more charmed with the miller's son. After they had feasted he said, "There is no one in the world I should like so much to be my son-in-law. I now create you a prince."

Then the prince said there was no one in the world he would like so much for his wife as the princess. And the princess said there was no one in the world she would like so much for a husband as the prince. So the two were married and lived happily ever after in the ogre's castle.

And Puss was made a lady-in-waiting. She was the greatest favorite with the king and the prince and the princess. Never again did she have to hunt mice for a meal, but she was served all kinds of delicacies until the end of her days.

Sleeping Beauty ( ~9 mins)

There once lived a king and queen who had no children, which made them very sad. Then one clay, to the queen's delight, she found she was going to have a baby. She and the king looked forward with great excitement to the day of the baby's birth.

When the time came, a lovely daughter was born and they arranged a large party for her Christening. As well as lots of other guests, they invited twelve fairies, knowing they would make wishes for their little daughter, the princess.

At the Christening party, the guests and the fairies all agreed that the princess was a beautiful baby.

 
One fairy wished on her the gift of Happiness, another Beauty, others Health, Contentment, Wisdom, Goodness . . . Eleven fairies had made their wishes when suddenly the doors of the castle flew open and in swept a thirteenth fairy. She was furious that she had not been invited to the Christening party, and as she looked around a shiver ran down everyone's spine. They could feel she was evil. She waved her wand over the baby's cradle and cast a spell, not a wish.

"On her sixteenth birthday," she hissed, "the princess will prick herself with a spindle.

And she will die." With that a terrible hush fell over the crowd.

The twelfth fairy had still to make her wish and she hesitated. She had been going to wish the gift of joy on the baby but now she wanted to stop the princess dying on her sixteenth birthday. Her magic was not strong enough to Sleeping Beauty break the wicked spell but she tried to weaken the evil. She wished that the princess would fall asleep for a hundred years instead of dying.

Over the years the princess grew into the happiest, kindest and most beautiful child anyone had ever seen. It seemed as though all the wishes of the first eleven fairies had come true. The king and queen decided they could prevent the wicked fairy's spell from working by making sure that the princess never saw a spindle.

So they banned all spinning from the land. All the flax and wool in their country had to be sent elsewhere to be spun. On their daughter's sixteenth birthday they held a party for the princess in their castle. They felt sure this would protect her from the danger of finding a spindle on her sixteenth birthday.

People came from far and wide to the grand birthday ball for the princess and a magnificent feast was laid out. After all the guests had eaten and drunk as much as they wanted and danced in the great hall, the princess asked if they could all play hide-and-seek, which was a favourite game from her childhood. It was agreed the princess should be the first to hide, and she quickly sped away.

The princess ran to a far corner of the castle and found herself climbing a spiral staircase in a turret she did not remember ever visiting before. "They will never find me here," she thought as she crept into a little room at the top. 'there to her surprise she found an old woman dressed in black, sitting on a chair spinning.

"What are you doing?" questioned the princess as she saw the spindle twirling, for she had never seen anything like it in her whole life.

"Come and see, pretty girl," replied the old lady. The princess watched fascinated as she pulled the strands of wool from the sheep's fleece on the floor, and twirling it deftly with her fingers fed it on to the spindle.

"Would you like to try?" she asked cunningly.

With all thoughts of hide-and-seek gone, the princess sat down and took the spindle. In a flash she pricked her thumb and even as she cried out, she fell clown as though dead. The wicked fairy's spell had worked.

So did the twelfth good fairy's wish. The princess did not die, but fell into a deep deep sleep. The spell worked upon everyone else in the castle too. The king and queen slept in their chairs in the great hall. The guests dropped off to sleep as they went through the castle looking for the princess.

In the kitchen the cook fell asleep as she was about to box the pot boy's ears and the scullery maid nodded off as she was plucking a chicken. All over the castle a great silence descended.

As the years went by a thorn hedge grew up around the castle. Passers-by asked what was behind the hedge, but few people remembered the castle where the king and queen had lived with their lovely daughter. Sometimes curious travellers tried to force their way through, but the hedge grew so thickly that they soon gave up.

One clay, many many years later, a prince came by.

 
He asked, like other travellers, what was behind the thorn hedge, which was very tall and thick by now. An old man told him a story he had heard about a castle behind the thorns, and the prince became curious. He decided to cut his way through the thorns. This time the hedge seemed to open out before his sword and in a short while the prince was inside the grounds. He ran across the gardens and through an open door into the lovely old castle.

Everywhere he looked — in the great hall, in the kitchens, in the corridors and on the staircases — he saw people asleep. He passed through many rooms until he found himself climbing a winding staircase in an old turret. There in a small room at the top he found himself staring in wonder at the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. She was so lovely that without thinking he leaned forward and gently kissed her.

As his lips touched her, the princess began to stir and she opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was a handsome young. man. She thought she must be dreaming, but she looked again and saw he was really there. As she gazed at him she fell in love.

They came down the turret stairs together and found the whole castle coming back to life. In the great hall the king and queen were stretching and yawning, puzzled over how they could have dropped off to sleep during their daughter's party. Their guests too were shaking their heads, rubbing their eyes, and wondering why they felt so sleepy. In the kitchen, the cook boxed the ears of the pot boy, and the scullery maid continued to pluck the chicken. Outside horses stamped and neighed in their stables, dogs barked in the yards, while in the trees birds who had stayed silent for so long burst into song. The hundred-year spell had been broken.

The princess told her parents how much she loved the handsome young man who had kissed her, and they were delighted to find he was a prince from a neighbouring country. The king gave them his blessing and a grand wedding was arranged.

At the wedding party the princess looked more beautiful than ever, and the prince loved her more every moment. The twelve good fairies who had come to her Christening were invited once again and were delighted to see the happiness of the prince and princess. Towards evening the newly married pair rode off together to their new home in the prince's country, where they lived happily ever after.

Cinderella (~13 mins)

Once upon a time, a well-to-do merchant decided he wanted to remarry. His first wife had been lovely, intelligent, and kind, and had born him a lovely, intelligent, and kind daughter named Cinderella. Unfortunately, Cinderella's mother died when the girl was quite young. Her father, the Merchant, came under the spell of the proudest and most arrogant woman in the village. A short time later they were married, and the woman (who was a widow herself) and her two daughters moved into the Merchant's house.

As soon as the wedding was over, the new mother-in-law began to complain and nag. The house was too small and dirty, and the girl, Cinderella was far too cheerful.

So, the stepmother put Cinderella to work. She gave her all the menial chores.

Cinderella had to do all the laundry, all the dishes, all the cleaning and scrubbing and mending and washing. Not only did she have to take care of her stepmother, but she was also responsible for every mess her stepsisters made. They took away her clothing and made her wear old rags. Still worse, the two stepsisters moved Cinderella out of her own bedroom, which had a lovely view of the garden, and made her sleep on a bed of straw up in the attic on the top floor of the house.

Poor Cinderella felt quite sad, sitting crouched on her bed, darning her stepsisters’ socks, while downstairs the three women drank hot tea and ate cakes. Still, she did not dare to tell her father, because his new wife already had the poor man terrified. All the stepmother had to do was to open her mouth and cough, and her husband was standing at her side, begging her pardon and asking what he might do next.
Despite all this hard work, hardship, and heartache, and even in the ragged dress she was forced to wear, Cinderella was still more beautiful, kind, and intelligent than her two step sisters put together.

Now, it happened that the King decided to give a ball in honor of his son, the Prince. Invitations were sent out to all the best houses, and of course the merchant's three daughters were all invited.

Immediately, the Stepmother began purchasing gowns and linens and silks and shoes to dress up her daughters for their appearance before the prince.

“If you look well and act well,” the Stepmother advised, “then the Prince will fall in love, and our future will be assured.”

Cinderella, of course, was put to work sewing the gowns, taking up the hems, and letting out the waists. The dresses really were quite beautiful. The eldest sister's was made of red velvet from France, and the youngest wore a diamond petticoat from Italy.

Cinderella helped them with their choices and even braided their hair in beautiful plaits.

“Oh, Cinderella,” teased the eldest, “wouldn't you like to come to the ball.”

“Hush,” taunted the younger stepsister. “You know that someone as dirty as she would never be admitted.”

“Still,” Cinderella agreed, “it would be lovely to see.”

Both stepsisters looked at each other and laughed merrily at the thought of their dirty servant standing in rags at the ball.

At last the stepsisters were ready, and their carriage pulled up before the front door. Cinderella waved and watched the carriage roll down the street until it was completely out of sight.

Then the poor girl burst into tears.

“Why are you crying, child?” said a voice.

“Who's there?” said Cinderella.

“I am,” said the voice.

Cinderella looked down and saw standing on the table a tiny woman no larger than a tea cup. “Who are you?” the teary-eyed girl asked.

“I am your fairy godmother,” said the woman in a sparkly voice. “Why are you so sad?”

“I wish … I wish … “ Cinderella began, but every time she tried to finish, her words were choked off by her tears.

“You wish you could go to the ball?” The Fairy Godmother finally asked.

“Yes,” wept Cinderella. “But I am too poor and too ugly, and everyone would laugh.”

“Nonsense,” laughed the Fairy. “You are beautiful and kind and quite rich. I'll just give you a little help. Shall I?”

“Oh, please,” Cinderella said.
“Run into the garden and bring me a pumpkin,” said the Fairy.

Cinderella hurried to the garden and brought back the biggest and finest pumpkin she could find.

The Fairy Godmother scooped out the insides, and then touched the pumpkin with her wand. Instantly it was transformed into a golden coach.

Then she sent Cinderella to the mousetrap for the six mice that were caught there, and with another wave the mice became six fine horses of a beautiful mouse-colored dapple grey. In the rat trap they found three rats who became two coachmen and one coach driver with a fine long beard of white rat whiskers. Two lizards from the garden became two footmen in green silk.

“Now,” said the Fairy Godmother, “you have your carriage, we must see to your gown.”

“I have nothing but this to wear,” Cinderella said, and she began to cry.

“Oh, tush,” said the Fairy. She touched Cinderella with her wand, and instantly the raggedy dress was transformed into a beautiful white gown of silk, with beads and pearls and diamonds glittering here and there. Even her slippers, which were worn and torn and dirty transformed into a pair of glass slippers, the most beautiful shoes the world has ever seen.

“Now, go to the ball,” said the Fairy Godmother. “But be sure to leave before midnight, because at the last stroke of midnight, the coach will be a pumpkin again, the horses will become mice, the coachmen rats, and the footmen will be lizards. And, of course, your gown will resume its old form.”

Cinderella nodded eagerly, promised her Fairy Godmother that she would be home by midnight, and kissed the tiny woman softly on the top of the head.

“Now, hurry, child,” said the Fairy.

The footmen opened the door, Cinderella hopped into the coach, and away they rode to the palace.

Now, the ball had been a little bit tiresome, but when the Prince heard that a beautiful princess had arrived in a golden carriage drawn by six marvelous grey horses, he hurried out to greet her. He gave her his hand as she stepped from the coach and led her into the great hall.

As soon as the two made their entrance, the assembly fell silent. The people stopped talking, and even the musicians ceased their playing. So beautiful a pair were the Prince and the strange girl that no one could say a word.

At last, at a signal from the Prince, the musicians picked up their instruments and began to play a waltz. He took Cinderella into his arms, and together they began to dance.

“What a fine dancer she is,” said the Stepmother, not recognizing the young girl.

“Her dress is more lovely than mine,” complained the oldest stepsister.

“Her shoes are more lovely than mine,” echoed the younger one.

“Quiet, you two,” hissed the Stepmother, as Cinderella and the Prince waltzed by. All three women smiled and waved at the Prince, but he had eyes only for Cinderella.

The hours passed like minutes. Cinderella danced and ate and talked with the Prince and danced some more.

Then she heard the clock sound the hour of twelve. She thought it was only eleven, but a glance at the clock showed her that doom was near. Terrified that she might be discovered, she had time only to kiss the Prince softly on his cheek and hurry from the Palace. She rushed down the steps, hopped into her coach, and was gone in an instant.
So quickly did Cinderella run away that one of her slippers fell off, and it was picked up by the Prince who had turned to follow the girl whose name he hadn't even learned.

Just as they were out of sight from the palace, at the last stroke of midnight, the pumpkin and rats and mice and lizards all returned to their original selves, quite confused I might add. Even though her clothing was once again rags, Cinderella did not feel sad. All that was left of her wonderful gown was the second glass slipper, which she put into her pocket. She remembered the warmth of the Prince's cheek against hers, walked all the way home, and went up to her attic bed of straw, quite happy and content.

The next morning, her stepsisters told her all about the ball, that the most beautiful princess had appeared and stolen the Prince's heart.

That afternoon, a proclamation was declared in the town square that the Prince himself would be visiting every house in the town to find the owner of the missing glass slipper.

The Prince tried the slipper on all the other princesses and duchesses in the court, but none of their feet fit.

The two stepsisters knew that he would soon come to their house. They fluttered about all excited.

“Calm down,” said the Stepmother. “If the shoe fits, then surely he will make you his wife.” The doorbell rang. “Open the door for the Prince.”

“Welcome, your Highness,” said the first Stepsister. Her face turned as red as a mottled turnip.

“Hi,” waved the second Stepsister, giggling.

The Prince frowned, but asked the two girls to remove their shoes.

The Stepsisters tried to make the shoe fit. They shoved and pried and pushed and squeezed, but it refused to take hold on their large and ugly feet.

At last, Cinderella peeked her head around a corner.

“May I try?” she asked meekly.

“You?” said the Stepmother.

“That's just the cleaning girl,” said the oldest Stepsister.

“She's a nobody,” said the second Stepsister.

“Let her try,” said the Prince.

Cinderella sat down in the chair and the Prince lifted the slipper to her foot.

It fit beautifully.

“Are you my Princess?” the Prince asked.

“I am,” Cinderella whispered, shyly.

“She can't be!” said the Stepmother.

“Impossible!” shouted the two Stepsisters.

From her pocket, Cinderella pulled the other glass slipper and slipped it onto her other foot.

Just then, her fairy godmother came in and touched her with her magic wand. In an instant, Cinderella was clothed in a gown even more beautiful than the one she had worn to the ball.

When they saw the transformation, her two sisters and stepmother threw themselves at her feet. “Please forgive us,” they begged. “We had no idea.”

“I forgive you,” Cinderella said kindly. She hugged the three women to her, and some say that at that moment their wicked hearts melted and they became kind.

Then the Prince took Cinderella's hand and led her off to the palace, where they were married in splendor and lived happily ever after.