Long ago in France there lived a King and Queen.  More than anything, they longed for a child.  At last, to their great happiness, the Queen gave birth to a little girl.  All the bells in the land were rung with joy. The King and Queen invited all the fairies in the kingdom to the Naming Party for the baby.  And what a party it was!  Plates and silverware of pure gold were set with care before each guest. 

But one fairy, Maleficent, who had left 50 years before and had not been seen in all that time, showed up at the door.  Quickly the King and Queen found a place setting for the new guest.  But alas, the plate and the silverware were not of pure gold.  This made the old fairy very angry.

Soon it was time for each Fairy to give her blessing to the baby.  When it came to Maleficent’s turn, she stood up and pointed her long finger at the sleeping baby girl in the cradle.

“I declare, before all of you,” Maleficent called out, “that this child, on her 16 birthday, shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel, and die!”

With a whoosh of smoke, the evil fairy vanished.  Everyone cried out with alarm, as you can imagine.  But one fairy had not yet given her blessing.  The King and Queen asked this fairy, whose name was Merryweather, to reverse the curse.  Merryweather shook her head sadly –  that was not possible.  But she could soften the curse. 

On her 16 birthday she, when the princess pricks her finger on the spinning wheel, instead of dying she will fall asleep for 100 years.

One hundred years! After our daughter turns 16, we will not know her anymore!

The King ordered every spinning wheel in the kingdom to be brought to the palace and burned.  To be extra sure the princess would not be anywhere near a spinning wheel, he also ordered the fairy Merryweather, along with two other fairies, Flora and Fauna, to take the baby far away.  The fairies would raise the child in a cottage, deep in the woods.  There, they would keep her safe until after her 16

Aurora grew up knowing no others than the three fairies, whom she knew as her aunts.  The animals of the forest were her friends. The birds and the deer, the chipmunks and the rabbits, followed her around as she fed them treats and cooed to them.  From the time she was little, Aurora was told she must stay inside the hills that surrounded them.  She did not mind that in the least.  The woods were wide and deep inside the hills, and there was plenty of room for her to play.

One day, Aurora came home to the cottage to find her three aunts preparing for a party.  “What’s going on?” she said.

“Tonight we will celebrate your 16 birthday!” said Flora. 

 “It is?” said Aurora.  “That means tomorrow I go back to the castle!”

“Yes!” said Merryweather.  “We have kept you safe from that spinning wheel for 16 years. Soon it will be time for you to take up your royal life as a princess.”

 “And the first thing for you will be to get married,” said Fauna.

“Married, already?” said Aurora.  “Do you know who I’m supposed to marry?”

“We do,” said Fauna with a wave of her hand, “but there’s no need to worry about that.  Even if he’s a bit strange, some might say a bit horrid,  you won’t have to spend much time with him,after all.”

“And he does come from a fine family,” Flora added with a quick smile.

“Wait a minute!” said Aurora, pulling back.  “Why do you say he’s a bit horrid?”

“It’s best not focus on such things, dear,” said Merryweather. 

“Just do everything your husband tells you to do,” said Flora, “and you will be fine.”

“This is not turning out like I thought!” cried Aurora.  “How long do I have to stay married?”

“For the rest of your life, of course,” said Fauna.

“No, no, this is all wrong!” cried Aurora.  She turned away, then said in a firm voice,  “I would rather prick my finger on a spinning wheel and fall asleep for 100 years than have to marry someone I don't want to marry! Maybe by the time I wake up, people won’t have to get married if they don’t want to!”  And she ran out the door.

“Dear me,” said Merryweather to the other two fairies.  “I don’t believe that went over very well.”

Aurora ran deep into the woods where her animal friends lived. 

A deer hopped beside her, along with the rabbits and chipmunks.  “We have to get out of here,” she said to all of them. Then pointing to a mountain pass, she said, “We will go right through the hills.”

Soon Aurora came to a road.  In the distance was a carriage, coming closer to her.  As the rider approached, her animal friends scattered.

“Hail!” said the stranger.  “I’m afraid my carriage scared away your pets.  May I give you a lift?”

Aurora had never seen a man before.  But she couldn’t think about that – unless she could find a spinning wheel, the very next day her aunts would take her back to the palace. 

“Actually,” said Aurora to the stranger, “there is something I need a great deal.”

“What’s that?” said the stranger, hopping out of the carriage.  Very nicely dressed was he, and well mannered, too.