Prince and the Pebble

Once upon a time there was a princess who wanted to marry a prince. She only wanted to marry a real prince. She traveled all over the world to find one. But it was always too difficult to tell which ones were really real.

Finally, she returned home exhausted. The weather was stormy, and she was worn out from all the traveling. She sat down in front of the warm fire. Next to her were her mother, the queen, and her father, the king. They talked with sadness about the difficulty in finding a real prince. Suddenly, the doorbell on the castle startled them. “Who could be out on such a terrible night?” thought the princess.

The princess rushed to the door. Without thinking, she threw open the door and discovered a soggy, wet traveler.

He asked if she might be the princess who was searching for a prince. She admitted she was. “Your prince has arrived,” he said simply. He brought a box of chocolates from underneath his soggy cloak.

The king, queen, and princess were not convinced, although the stranger was definitely charming.

They decided to give him a test to see if what he said were true.

The queen went to the guestroom and put a small pebble underneath twenty mattresses and forty quilts. She showed the prince to the room and told him he could spend the night there. In the morning, they asked how he slept.

“Horribly,” he said. “There was something under my mattresses. I feel as if I have bumps and bruises all over.”

“Congratulations. You are truly a prince,” said the queen. “Now, where are those chocolates?”