Music Welcome to snoozecast, the podcast designed to help you fall asleep. Find us at snoozecast.com and if you enjoy our show, please share us with a friend. episode is brought to you by Splendid Garments. Tonight, we'll read a fairy tale by listener request called the 12 Dancing Princesses that we first read back in 2020. This tale is brought to you by Splendid Garments. Tonight, we'll read a fairy tale by listener request called the 12 Dancing Princesses that we first read back in 2020. This tale is best known as part of the German Brothers Grimm Collection, but there are variants of it from around the world, including the folk tales of Russia, Iceland, India, Armenia, France, Turkey and Portugal. It is also known as the worn out dancing shoes or the shoes that were danced to pieces. Let's get cozy. Close your eyes. Relax your body into the softness of your bed. Now take a few deep breaths. upon a time. They're lived in a little countryside French village, a little cowboy, with neither father or mother. His real name was Michael, but he was always called the Stargazer, because when he drove his cows over the commons to seek for pasture, he went along with his head in the air, gaping at nothing. As he had beautiful skin, big blue eyes, and hair that curled all over his head, the village girls used to cry coquettishly after him. Well, Stargazer, what are you doing? And Michael would answer, oh, nothing, and go on his way without even turning to look at them. The fact was, he wasn't interested in the village girls with their sunburnt necks, their vulgar language, and red hands, their coarse petty coats, and wooden shoes. He had heard that somewhere in the world there were girls whose hands were dainty in Lace Gloves, who were always dressed in the finest silks and laces, and were called princesses. And while his companions around the fire saw nothing in the flames but common everyday fancies. He dreamed that he had the happiness to marry a princess. One morning about the middle of August, just at midday when the sun was hottest, Michael ate his dinner of a piece of dry bread and went to sleep under an oak.

And while he slept, he dreamt that there appeared before him a beautiful lady dressed in a robe of cloth of gold, who said to him, go to the castle,

and there you shall marry a princess. That evening, the little cowboy, who had been thinking a great deal about the advice of the lady in the golden dress, told his dream to the farm people. But as was natural, they only laughed at the star gayser. The next day, at the same hour, he went to sleep again under the same tree. The lady appeared to him a second time and said,

go to the castle and you shall marry a princess.

In the evening, Michael told his friends that he had dreamed the same dream again,

but they only laughed at him more than before. Never mind, he thought to himself. If the lady appears to me a third time, I will do as she tells me. The following day to the great astonishment of all the village, about two o'clock in the afternoon, a voice was heard singing. Raleo, Raleo, how of the cattle go? It was the little cowboy driving his herd back to the barn. The farmer began to scold him furiously, but he answered quietly, I am going away. Made his clothes into a bundle, said goodbye to all his friends, and boldly set out to seek his fortunes. There was great excitement through all the village, and on the top of the hill the people stood, holding their sides with laughter, as they watched the star gayser trudging bravely along the valley with his bundle at the end of his stick. It was enough to make anyone laugh, certainly. It was well known for full twenty miles round that they lived in the castle twelve princesses of wonderful beauty, and as proud as they were beautiful, and who were besides so very sensitive and of such truly royal blood, that they would have felt at once the presence of a pea in their beds, even if the mattresses had been laid over it. It was whispered about that they led exactly the lives that princesses ought to lead, sleeping far into the morning and never getting up till midday. They had 12 beds all in the same room, but what was very extraordinary was the fact that though they were locked in by triple bolts, every morning their satin shoes were found worn into holes. When they were asked what they had been doing all night, they always answered that they had been asleep. And indeed, no noise was ever heard in the room, yet the shoes could not wear themselves out alone. At last, the Duke ordered the trumpet to be sounded, and a proclamation to be made that whoever could discover how his daughters wore out their shoes should choose one of them for his wife. On hearing the proclamation, a number of princes arrived at the castle to try their luck. They watched all night behind the open door of the princesses, but when the morning came, They had all disappeared, and no one could tell what had become of them. When he reached the castle, Michael went straight to the gardener and offered his services. Now it happened that the garden boy had just been sent away.

And though the stargazer did not look very sturdy, the gardener agreed to take him as he thought that his pretty face and golden curls would please the princesses. The first thing he was told was that when the princesses got up, he was to present each one with a bouquet. And Michael thought that if he had nothing more unpleasant to do than that, he should get on very well. Accordingly, he placed himself behind the door of the princess's room with the twelve bouquets in a basket. He gave one to each of the sisters, and they took them without even dainning to look at the lad, except

Lena, the youngest, who fixed her large black eyes as soft as velvet on him, and exclaimed, Oh, how pretty he is.

Our new flower boy.

The rest all burst out laughing.

And the eldest pointed out

that a princess ought never to lower herself by looking at a garden boy. Now Michael knew quite well

what had happened to all the princes, but notwithstanding the beautiful eyes of the princess Lena inspired him with a violent longing to try his fate. Unhappily he did not dare to come forward, being afraid that he should only be jeered at, or even turned away from the castle on account of his impudence. Nevertheless, the Star Gayser had another dream. The lady in the Golden Dress appeared to him once more, holding in one hand two young laurel trees, a cherry laurel and a rose laurel, and in the other hand a little golden rake, a little golden bucket, and a silken towel she thus addressed him. Plant these two laurels in two large pots, rake them over with a rake, water them with a bucket, and wipe them with the towel. When they have grown as tall as a girl of fifteen, say to each of them,

my beautiful Laurel, with the golden rake I have raked you, with the golden bucket I have watered you, with the silken towel I have wiped you. Then after that, ask anything you choose, and the laurels will give it to you.

Michael, thanks the lady in the golden dress, and when he woke, he found the two laurel bushes beside him. So he carefully obeyed the orders he had been given by the lady. The trees grew very fast, and when they were as tall as a girl of fifteen, he said to the cherry-loral. My lovely cherry-loral, with the golden rake I have raked thee. With the golden bucket I have watered they. With the silken towel, I have wiped they. Teach me how to become invisible. Then, they are instantly appeared on the laurel a pretty white flower which Michael gathered and stuck into his buttonhole. That evening, when the princesses went upstairs to bed, he followed them barefoot so that he might make no noise and hid himself under one of the twelve beds,

so as not to take up much room. The princesses began at once to open their wardrobes and boxes. They took out of them the most magnificent dresses, which they on before their mirrors and when they had finished Turned themselves all around to admire their appearances Michael could see nothing from his hiding place but he could hear everything and and he listened to the princesses laughing and jumping with pleasure. At last, the eldest said, be quick, my sisters, our partners will be impatient. At the end of the hour, when the stargays are heard no more noise, he peeped out and saw the twelve sisters in splendid garments with their satin shoes on their feet. And in their hands, the bouquets he had brought them. Are you ready? Ask the eldest. Yes. Replyed the other eleven in chorus. And they took their places one by one behind her. Then, the eldest princess clapped her hands three times and a trap door opened. All the princesses disappeared down a secret staircase and Michael hastily followed them. As he was following on the steps of the princess Lena, he carelessly trawred on her dress. There's somebody behind me, cried the Princess. They're holding my dress. You foolish thing, said her eldest sister. You're always afraid of something, it's only a nail which caught you. They went down, down, down, till at last they came to a passage, with a door at one end, which was only fastened with a latch.

The eldest princess opened it, and they found themselves immediately in a lovely little wood, where the leaves were spangled with drops of silver, which shone in the brilliant light of the moon. They next crossed another wood where the leaves were sprinkled with gold, and after that another still where the leaves glittered with diamonds.

At last, the star gays are perceived a large lake, and on the shores of the lake, 12 little boats with awnings, in which were seated 12 princes, Who?

Grasping their ores?

Await it. in which were seated twelve princes, who, grasping their ores, awaited the princesses. Each princess entered one of the boats, and Michael slipped into that which held the youngest. The boats glideided along rapidly, but Lena's, from being heavier, was always behind the rest. We never went so slowly before," said the princess. What can be the reason? I don't know. Answered the prince. I assure you I am rowing as hard as I can. On the other side of the lake, the garden boy saw a beautiful castle splendidly illuminated. The lively music of fiddles, cattle drums and trumpets. In a moment they touched land, and the company jumped out of the boats, and the princes, after having securely fastened their boats, gave their arms to the princesses, and conducted them to the castle. Michael followed and entered the ballroom in their train. In were mirrors, lights, flowers, and to mass cannings.

The stargazer was quite bewildered at the magnificence of the sight.

He placed himself out of the way in a corner, admiring the grace and beauty of the princesses. Their loveliness was of every kind. Some were fair, and some were dark. had chestnut hair or darker still, and some had golden locks. Never were so many beautiful princesses seen together at one time, but the one whom the cowboy thought the most beautiful and the most fascinating was the little princess with the velvet eyes. With what eagerness she danced, leaning on her partner's shoulder she swept by like a whirlwind. Her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkled, and it was plain that she loved dancing better than anything else. The poor boy envied those handsome young men with whom she danced so gracefully, but he did not know how little reason he had

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