A long time ago and far away there lived a King and a Queen. They were very happy, for their first child, a girl, had been born.

　　" We must have a grand christening for her," said the King , who was delighted to have a daughter.

　　"We must invite all the fairies of the kingdom to bless her," said the Queen.

　　"How many are there now ?" asked the King.

　　"Twelve or thirteen," said his wife. "Send the invitations . We'll soon find out ."

　　There were twelve fairies, and they were all sent invitations. A thirteen fairy had not been heard of for so long that it was presumed that she was dead. No invitation was sent. The day of the christening was sunny and bright. The Princes was named Briar Rose, and the fairies began to give their gifts.

　　"She shall be beautiful, "said the first.

　　"She shall be wise ,"said the second.

　　"She shall be good," said the third.

　　"She shall be kind ," said the fourth.

　　The gifts continued in this way, wishing all that was good for Briar Rose. Eleven of the twelve fairies had given their gifts when the room suddenly went dark. After a great flash of light a small dark figure stood in front of the King and Queen.

　　It was the thirteenth fairy.

　　"why wasn't I invited to the christening?" she screamed.

　　She was furious at being left out.

　　"All the fairies of the kingdom have given their blessings. Well, here's mine for the Princess. On her sixteenth birthday she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die."

　　Another flash of light and the fairy was gone.

　　"But we thought she was dead," said the King. "What can we do ?"

　　The Queen was in tears.

　　The twelfth fairy stepped forward.

　　There is still my gift for Briar Rose," she said. "The fairy's curse cannot be undone, but I can change it a little. She will fall into a deep sleep that will last one hundred years," There was a great hubbub in the hall as everyone discussed the events.

　　The following day the King issued a proclamation, ordering that all spinning wheels and spindles were to be destroyed. Throughout the land there were great fires as the spinning wheels were burned.

　　Over the years, the Princess grew into a lovely girl. All who met her were enchanted by her.

　　Eventually, the bad fairy's wish was forgotten. All spinning wheels and spindles had been destroyed ,so there was no reminder. And the fairy was not heard of again.

(Continuing)