Welcome to Forget-Me-Not Fairy Tales Bedtime Edition.
Classic stories for book lovers of all ages.
Don't worry about missing the action.
Just let your mind and body relax.
Each story is read slowly and softly two times with soothing sounds to help you drift off to sleep.
Before we start our story,
Let's prepare both mind and body.
It's time to let your mind be calm and let your body relax.
Breathe in and exhale.
Relax your mind.
Relax your body.
Place your worries or busy thoughts in my box.
I'll hold them for you.
Let sleep wrap around you like a warm,
Gentle love.
It's your time to unwind,
To let go,
And enjoy the good story.
The Grimm's Brothers Rumpelstiltskin Written by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm Illustrated by Ray Wilson By the side of a wood in a country a long way off ran a fine stream of water and upon the stream there stood a mill.
The miller's house was close by and the miller,
You must know,
Had a very beautiful daughter.
She was,
Moreover,
Very shrewd and clever and the miller was so proud of her that he one day told the king of the land who used to come and hunt in the wood that his daughter could spend gold out of straw.
Now,
This king was very fond of money and when he heard the miller's boast his greediness was raised and he set for the girl to be brought before him.
Then he led her to a chamber in his palace where there was a great heap of straw and gave her a spinning wheel and said,
All this must be spun into gold before morning as you love your life.
It was in vain that the poor maiden said that it was only a silly boast of her father for that she could do no such thing as spin straw into gold.
The chamber door was locked and she was left alone.
She sat down in one corner of the room and began to bewail her hard fate when on a sudden the door opened and a troll-looking little man hobbled in and said,
Good morrow to you,
My good lass.
What are you waiting for?
Alas,
Said she,
I must spin this straw into gold and I know not how.
What will you give me,
Said the hobgoblin,
To do it for you?
My necklace,
Replied the maiden.
He took her at her word and sat himself down to the wheel and whistled and sang,
Round about,
Round about,
Lo and behold,
Reel away,
Reel away,
Straw into gold.
And round about the wheel went merry on and the straw was all spun into gold.
When the hobgoblin saw this,
He was greatly astonished and pleased,
But his heart grew still more greedy of gain and he shut up the poor mellow's daughter again with a fresh task.
Then she knew not what to do and sat down once more to weep,
But the dwarf soon opened the door and said,
What will you give me to do your task?
The ring on my finger,
Said she.
So her little friend took the ring and began to work at the wheel again and whistled and sang,
Round about,
Round about,
Reel away,
Reel away,
Straw into gold.
Till long before morning all was done again.
The king was greatly delighted to see all this glittering treasure,
But still he hadn't.
He took the mellow's daughter to a yet larger heap and said,
All this must be spun tonight and if it is,
You shall be my queen.
As soon as she was alone,
That dwarf came in and said,
What will you give me to spend gold for you this third time?
I have nothing left,
Said she.
Then say you will give me,
Said the little man,
The first little child that you may have when you are queen.
That may never be,
Thought the mellow's daughter as she knew no other way to get her task done.
She said she would do what he asked.
Round went the wheel again to the old song and the mannequin in the morning and finding all he wanted was forced to keep his word.
So he married the mellow's daughter and she really became queen.
At the birth of her first little child,
She was very glad and forgot the dwarf and what she had said.
But one day he came into her room when she was sitting playing with her baby and put her in mind of it.
Then she grieved sorely at her misfortune and said she would give him all the wealth of the kingdom if he would let her off.
But in vain.
Till all at last her tears softened him and he said,
I will give you three days grace and if during that time you tell me my name,
You shall keep your child.
Now the queen lay awake all night thinking and she sent messengers all over the land to find out new ones.
Little man came and she began with Timothy,
Ichabod,
Benjamin,
Jeremiah and all the names she could remember.
That is not my name.
The second day she began with all the comical names she could hear.
Bandy legs,
Hunchback,
Crookshanks and so on.
But the little gentleman still said to every one of them,
Madam,
That is not my name.
The third day one of the messengers came back and said,
I have traveled two days without hearing of any other names.
But yesterday as I was climbing a high hill among the trees of the forest where the fox and the hare bid each other good night,
I saw a little hut and before the hut burnt a fire and round about the fire a funny little dwarf was dancing upon one leg and singing,
Merrily the feast I'll make today I'll brew,
Tomorrow I'll bake.
Merrily I'll dance and sing for next day will a stranger bring.
Little does my lady dream one full still skin is my name.
When the queen heard this she jumped for joy and as soon as her little friend came she sat down upon her throne and called all her court round to enjoy the fun and the nurse stood by her side with the baby in her arms as if it was quite ready to be given up.
Then the little man began to chuckle at the thought of having the poor child to take home with him to his hut in the woods and he cried out,
Now lady,
What is my name?
Is it John?
Asked she.
No,
Madam.
Is it Tom?
No,
Madam.
Is it Jimmy?
It is not.
Can your name be Rumpelstiltskin?
Said the lady slyly.
Some witch told you that?
Some witch told you that?
Cried the little man and dashed his right foot in a rage so deep into the floor that he was forced to lay hold of it with both hands to pull it out.
Then he made the best of his way off while the nurse laughed and the baby crowed and all the court cheered at him for having had so much trouble for nothing and said,
We wish you a very good morning and a merry feast,
Mr.
Rumpelstiltskin.
The end.
I hope you liked this story.
The Grimm's Brothers Rumpelstiltskin.
Fairy tales contain many morals.
One lesson from this story is being greedy or making quick decisions under pressure can lead to trouble.
And now it's time for Aesop's Fables.
The Hare and the Tortoise A hare was making fun of the tortoise one day for being so slow.
Do you ever get anywhere?
He asked with a mocking laugh.
Yes,
Replied the tortoise,
And I get there sooner than you think.
I'll run you a race and prove it.
The hare was much amused at the idea of running a race with the tortoise.
But for the fun of the thing,
He agreed.
Those who had consented to act as judge marked the distance and started the runner's mall.
The hare was soon far out of sight and to make the tortoise feel very deeply how ridiculous it was for him to try a race with a hare,
He laid down beside the course to take a nap until the tortoise should catch up.
The tortoise,
Meanwhile,
Kept going swiftly but steadily and after asked the place where the hare was sleeping.
But the hare slept on very peacefully and when at last he did wake up,
The tortoise was near the goal.
The hare now ran with the tortoise but he could not overtake the tortoise in time.
The moral of the story is slow and steady wins the horse,
The fisherman and the little fish.
A poor fisherman who lived on the fish he caught had bad luck one day and caught nothing but a very small fry.
The fisherman was about to put it in his basket when the little fish said,
Please spare me,
Mr.
Fisherman.
I am so small.
It is not worthwhile to carry me home.
When I am bigger,
I shall make you a much better meal.
But the fisherman quickly put the fish in his basket.
How foolish should I be,
He said,
To throw you back.
However small you may be,
You are better.
The moral of the story is a small win is worth more than a large promise.
The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf A shepherd boy tended his master's sheep near a dark forest not far from the village.
Soon he found life in the pasture very dull.
All he could do to amuse himself was to talk to his dog or play on his shepherd's pipe.
One day,
As he sat watching the sheep in the quiet forest and thinking what he would do should he see a wolf,
He thought of himself.
His master had told him to call for help should a wolf attack the flock and the villagers would drive it away.
So now,
Though he had not seen anything that even looked like a wolf,
He ran toward the village shouting at the top of his voice,
Wolf!
Wolf!
As he expected,
The villagers who heard the cry dropped their work and ran in great excitement to the pasture.
But when they got there,
They found the boy doubled up with laughter at the trick he had played on them.
A few days later,
The shepherd boy again shouted,
Wolf!
Wolf!
Again,
The villagers ran to help him only to be laughed at again.
Then one evening,
As the sun was setting behind the forest and the shadows were creeping out over the pasture,
A wolf really did spring from the underbrush and fall upon the sheep.
In terror,
The boy ran toward the village shouting,
Wolf!
Wolf!
But though the villagers heard the cry,
They did not run to help before.
He cannot fool us again,
They said.
The wolf killed a great many of the boy's sheep and then slipped away into the forest.
The moral of the story is liars are not believed even when they speak the truth.
By the side of a wood in a country a long way off ran a fine stream of water and upon the stream there stood a mill.
The miller's house was close by and the miller,
You must know,
Had a very beautiful daughter.
She was,
Moreover,
Very shrewd and clever and the miller was so proud of her that he one day told the king of the land who used to come and hunt in the wood that his daughter could spend gold out of straw.
Now this king was very fond of money and when he heard the miller's boast his greediness was raised and he sent for the girl to be brought before him.
Then he led her to a chamber in his palace where there was a great heap of straw and gave her a spinning wheel and said all this must be spun into gold before morning as you love your life.
It was in vain that the poor maiden said that it was only a silly boast of her father for that she could do no such thing as spin straw into gold.
The chamber door was locked and she was left alone.
She sat down in one corner of the room and began to bewail her hard fate when on a sudden the door opened and a troll looking little man hobbled in and said good morrow to you my good lass what are you weeping for?
Alas said she I must spin this straw into gold and I know not how.
What will you give me said the hobgoblin to do it for you?
My necklace replied the maiden.
He took her at her word and sat himself down to the wheel and whistled and sang round about,
Round about,
Lo and behold wheel away,
Wheel away,
Straw into gold.
The work was quickly done and the straw was all spun into gold.
When the king came and saw this he was greatly astonished and pleased but his heart grew still more greedy of gain and he shut up the poor mellow's daughter again with a fresh task.
Then she knew not what to do and sat down once more to weep but the dwarf soon opened the door and said what will you give me to do your task?
The ring on my finger said she.
So her little friend took the ring and began to work at the wheel again and whistled and sang round about,
Round about,
Lo and behold wheel away,
Wheel away,
Straw into gold till long before morning all was done again.
The king was greatly delighted to see all this glittering treasure but still he hadn't.
He took the mellow's daughter to a yet larger heap and said all this must be spun tonight and if it is you shall be my queen.
As soon as she was alone that dwarf came in and said what will you give me to spend gold for you this third time?
I have nothing left said she then say you will give me said the little man the first little child that you may have when you are queen.
That may never be thought the mellow's daughter as she knew no other way to get her task done.
She said she would do what he asked.
Round went the wheel again to the old song and the mannequin once more spun the heap into gold.
The king came in the morning and finding all he wanted was forced to keep his word so he married the mellow's daughter and she really became queen.
At the birth of her first little child she was very glad and forgot the dwarf and what she had said but one day he came into her room when she was sitting playing with her baby and put her in mind of it.
Then she grieved sorely at her misfortune and said she would give him all the wealth of the kingdom if he would let her off.
But in vain to all that last her tears softened him and he said I will give you three days grace and if during that time you tell me my name you shall keep your child.
Now the queen lay awake all night thinking and she sent messengers all over the land to find out new ones.
The next day the little man came and she began with Timothy,
Ichabod,
Benjamin,
Jeremiah and all the names she could remember.
That is not my name.
The second day she began with all the comical names she could hear.
Bendy Legs,
Hunchback,
Crookshanks and so on.
But the little gentleman still said to every one of them Madam,
That is not my name.
The third day one of the messengers came back and said I have traveled two days without hearing of any other names but yesterday as I was climbing a high hill among the trees of the forest where the fox and the hare bid each other goodnight I saw a little hut and before the hut burnt a fire and round about the fire a funny little dwarf was dancing upon one leg and singing Merrily the feast I'll make today I'll break,
Tomorrow I'll bake Merrily I'll dance and sing for next day will a stranger bring little does my lady dream Rumpelstiltskin is my name.
When the queen heard this she jumped for joy and as soon as her little friend came she sat down upon her throne and called all her court round to enjoy the fun and the nurse stood by her side with the baby in her arms as if it was quite ready to be given up Then the little man began to chuckle at the thought of having the poor child to take home with him to his hut in the woods and he cried out Now lady,
What is my name?
Is it John?
Asked she No madam Is it Tom?
No madam Is it Jimmy?
It is not Can your name be Rumpelstiltskin?
Said the lady slyly Some witch told you that Some witch told you that cried the little man and dashed his right foot in a rage so deep into the floor that he was forced to lay hold of it with both hands to pull it out Then he made the best of his way off while the nurse laughed and the baby crowed and all the court cheered at him for having had so much trouble for nothing and said We wish you a very good morning and a merry feast,
Mr.
Rumpelstiltskin The End I hope you liked this story The Grimm's Brothers Rumpelstiltskin Fairy tales contain many morals One lesson from this story is Being greedy or making quick decisions under pressure can lead to trouble And now it's time for Aesop's Fables The Hare and the Tortoise A hare was making fun of the tortoise one day for being so slow Do you ever get anywhere?
He asked with a mocking laugh Yes,
Replied the tortoise and I get there sooner than you think I'll run you a race and prove it The hare was much amused at the idea of running a race with the tortoise but for the fun of the thing he agreed So the fox who had consented to act as judge marked the distance and started the runner's call The hare was soon far out of sight and to make the tortoise feel very deeply how ridiculous it was for him to try a race with a hare he laid down beside the course to take a nap until the tortoise should catch up The tortoise meanwhile kept going swiftly but steadily and after asked the place where the hare was sleeping but the hare slept on very peacefully and when at last he did wake up the tortoise was near the goal The hare now ran business but he could not overtake the tortoise in time The moral of the story is slow and steady wins the race The Fisherman and the Little Fish A poor fisherman who lived on the fish he caught had bad luck one day and caught nothing but a very small fry The fisherman was about to put it in his basket when the little fish said Please spare me Mr.
Fisherman I am so small it is not worth while to carry me home When I am bigger I shall make you a much better meal But the fisherman quickly put the fish in his basket How foolish should I be?
He said to throw you back However small you may be you are better than nothing The moral of the story is a small win is worth more than a large promise The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf A shepherd boy tended his master's sheep near a dark forest not far from the village Soon he found life in the pasture very dull All he could do to amuse himself was to talk to his dog or play on his shepherd's pipe One day as he sat watching the sheep in the quiet forest and thinking what he would do should he see a wolf he thought of a plan to amuse himself His master had told him to call for help should a wolf attack the flock and the villagers would drive it away So now though he had not seen anything that even looked like a wolf he ran toward the village shouting at the top of his voice Wolf!
Wolf!
As he expected the villagers who heard the cry dropped their work and ran in great excitement to the pasture But when they got there they found the boy doubled up with laughter at the trick he had played on them A few days later the shepherd boy again shouted Wolf!
Wolf!
Again the villagers ran to help him only to be laughed at again Then one evening as the sun was setting behind the forest and the shadows were creeping out over the pasture a wolf really did spring from the underbrush and fall upon the sheep In terror the boy ran toward the village shouting Wolf!
Wolf!
But though the villagers heard the cry they did not run to help him as they had before He cannot fool us again they said The wolf killed a great many of the boy's sheep and then slipped away into the forest The moral of the story is Liars are not believed even when they speak the truth Thanks for listening my friend Sleep tight
