Forty Mattress and Counting...

A retelling of the The Princess and the Pea by Noah Linhart, age 10

A very long time ago a prince traveled the world with his mind set on one and only one goal:  He wanted to find and marry a princess.  No fame, glory or wealth did he seek--he had all that.  No, the prince desired to marry a princess, not just any old princess, but a real princess.  After his world-wide search the prince came home gloomily, for no real princess could be found.

That night, to add to the prince's gloomy mood, a huge storm struck.  It was so bitter that even the royal family sat shivering by the fire.  Some time later they heard a voice at the gate, "Take me in!  Take me in! Oh!"  When the old king opened the doors, there stood young girl sobbing loudly.  Her tears mixed with the rain as she cried, "Take me in, for I am a real princess."  At this the prince sat bolt up right as if shocked by static electricity.  But the queen laughed and spoke under her breath, "You just wait to see what I have in store for you."  Rushing off, she went to prepare a room for the guest.  After taking all the sheets and bedding off the bed she placed a single pea on the bed frame with forty mattresses stacked upon it.  That was where the princess had to sleep.

The next morning the queen asked, "How did you sleep, dear?"  The princess complained, "Oh, I was in agony.  What curse have you commanded upon me?"  With this they knew she was a real princess because she felt the pea under the forty mattresses.  That very night they threw a wedding party that continued for three weeks.  The prince had found his real princess at last.