" Hello ,old lady ," said the princess , " what are you doing!" " I'm spinning yarn", replied the old women .
"What is that thing that's jumping up and down ?" asked the princess .
" That's spindle ", replied the old women ," would you like to have a go ? " The princess took the spindle and began to spin . But as soon as she touched the spindle she princess her finger and fell into a deep sleep .
The rest of the royal household fell asleep too . King Alexander and Queen Elizabeth who had just returned home fell asleep in the throne room . The horses slept in the stables , the dogs in the courtyard , the pigeons on the roofs and the flies on the walls . Even the fire in the oven died down and the cooker stopped sizzling and the cook, who was just about to pull the kitchen boy by the ear because he had been naughty , fell asleep .
The wind stopped and soon not a single leaf rustled .
Everybody and Everything slept peacefully .
The hedge of thorns grew up around the palace , completely surrounding it . Every year the hedge grew thicker and higher and eventually the flag on the palace roof could no longer be seen .
The story of sleeping beauty , for that's what Amelia was called after she fell asleep , became a legend in the land .
From time to time Princes would come and try to force their way through the thick hedge of thorns and vines . But they found it impossible to cut down the thorns and so they gave up the search for sleeping Beauty and returned to their kingdom.
