The King's Secret Dish | Sleepy Tale To Drift Off Peacefully

Hello my dear listeners,

I'm Joanne your host and it's so lovely to have you back with me.

Tonight I'll be sharing with you a gentle adaptation of the classic tale by the Brothers Grimm.

This story has been softened just enough to make it the perfect companion for rest and relaxation.

Now,

Let's take a quiet moment together to settle in.

Take a slow,

Gentle breath in through your nose and then softly breathe out.

Allow your shoulders to lower as if you're releasing a weight.

Let your jaw relax.

Your tongue rests quietly in your mouth.

Feel your hands grow still and heavy,

Resting wherever they are.

There's nowhere you need to be,

Nothing you need to do.

This is your time to simply rest.

Imagine a soft wave of calm flowing over you.

Flowing from the top of your head,

All the way down your face and across your shoulders,

And all the way down your arms and into your fingertips.

Feel that gentle wave of relaxation moving down your body,

Through your chest,

Your back,

Your legs,

And all the way down to the tips of your toes.

Your body is calm,

Your mind is quiet,

And your heart is at ease.

You are safe,

You are cozy,

And you're ready for storytime.

And so,

My friend,

Let's begin.

A long time ago,

There lived a king who was famed for his wisdom all over the world,

And there was nothing which he did not seem to know.

But he had a strange custom.

Every day after dinner,

When the table had been cleared and no one else was present,

A trusted servant had to bring him one dish.

It was covered,

And even the servant did not know what was under it,

Nor did anyone else,

For the king never lifted the cover to eat of it until he was quite alone.

This had gone on for a long time,

When one day,

Curiosity overcame the servant who was carrying away the dish.

He could not resist taking it aside and lifting the cover.

Inside lay a delicate morsel from the king's table.

He could not resist tasting it,

And the moment it touched his tongue,

He heard the language of animals.

As he was walking in the meadow later that day,

He heard some small voices talking together in the grass.

He listened closely and understood that the ants were saying,

Every year we must carry our grain away carefully,

For if even one grain is lost,

The king will punish us.

The servant smiled at this new gift,

And from that day forward,

He often understood the speech of animals.

Not long afterward,

It happened that the queen lost her most beautiful ring,

And suspicion fell upon the servant.

The king summoned him,

Threatened him angrily,

And declared that unless he could name the thief by the next day,

He would be punished.

In vain,

The servant protested his innocence.

At last,

In his sorrow,

He went out into the courtyard.

There he saw some ducks by the water,

Shaking their feathers and talking together.

He listened and understood them.

One said sorefully,

Something lies heavy in my stomach.

In my haste,

I swallowed a ring that was lying beneath the queen's window.

The servant quickly caught the duck,

And when it was prepared,

The ring was found inside.

The king,

Now convinced of his servant's innocence,

Asked his forgiveness.

To make amends,

He promised the young man leave to ask for anything he desired,

With the promise that it would be granted.

The servant,

However,

Only asked for a horse and some money for his travels,

For he had grown curious to see the world.

When his request was granted,

He set off.

One day,

He came to a pond,

Where three fishes had become entangled among the reeds and were gasping for water.

The young man felt pity,

And stepping down,

He freed them and placed them back into the water.

The fishes splashed gladly and called to him,

We will remember your kindness.

One day,

It may serve you well.

Further along the road,

He noticed an ant king and countless little ants crawling about.

Their hill had been overturned by a horse's hoof,

And the tiny creatures were in great distress,

Running to and fro,

Not knowing how to save their home.

The young man knelt down kindly,

And with his hand,

He helped them rebuild the little mound.

The ants called up to him,

We will not forget this kindness.

Perhaps it may be of help one day.

At last,

He came into a forest,

And there he saw two ravens,

Who stood beside their nest and were throwing their young out.

Away with you,

They cried.

You are old enough now to look after yourselves.

The poor young ravens lay upon the ground,

Fluttering and stretching their wings and crying.

We cannot yet feed ourselves.

We shall surely starve.

The kind young man dismounted and shared all that he had,

So the hungry young ravens would not go without food.

They hopped forward,

Satisfied and cried,

We will remember your kindness.

Perhaps it may one day help you.

So now,

The young man had to go on his way on foot.

After traveling a long distance,

He came to a great city,

Where the king had announced that whoever wished to marry his daughter must first perform a difficult task.

If he failed,

He must give up his life.

Many had already ventured,

But none had succeeded.

When the young man appeared and declared himself willing to attempt the trial,

He was led to the seashore.

There the king scattered ten sacks of millet into the sand and said,

By tomorrow morning,

All of these grains must be gathered up and not one must be missing.

If you fail,

You shall lose your life.

Then the young man sat down by the shore,

Wondering sadly how such a task could be accomplished.

But at dawn,

He saw ten thousand little ants swarming in who had come with the ant king.

They gathered the millet grain by grain,

And by morning,

All the sacks were filled.

The king,

However,

Was not satisfied and declared that the young man must do yet another task.

He was brought to the sea and told to fetch a golden ring the king had dropped into the depths.

The young man sat by the water,

Uncertain what to do.

Suddenly,

The three fishes he had saved appeared,

And one of them carried the golden ring in its mouth.

They laid it at his feet with joy.

But still,

The king did not grant his wish and announced a third trial.

This time,

The princess herself was to be the test.

She was to appear before the young man with her maidens,

And he must tell which of them she was.

If he chose wrongly,

He would lose his life.

The princess came forward,

Dressed exactly like her companions.

They were all so alike that no one could tell them apart.

As the young man stood in doubt,

Three ravens swooped down from the sky and perched upon his shoulder.

They whispered to him,

The one before you,

With the hidden mark upon her hand,

Is the true princess.

So,

The young man pointed her out,

And at once,

She stepped forward,

Smiling,

For he had chosen rightly.

Now,

At last,

The king yielded and gave his daughter to the faithful servant.

From then on,

They lived together in happiness,

And because of the servant's kindness,

He and his bride understood not only one another,

But also the little voices of every creature of the earth.

And now,

Dear one,

As our story has come to a close,

Let your mind rest in the gentle comfort of happy endings and kindness rewarded.

Take in a slow,

Easy breath,

And let it out with a long,

Soothing sigh.

Feel your shoulders relax,

Your arms soften at your sides,

And your whole body sinking deeper into stillness.

It's as if you're floating on a calm,

Quiet sea beneath a blanket of stars.

The air is cool and pure,

And the only sound is the soft whisper of the water,

Lapping gently all around you.

There's no need to think or do anything now.

You've done enough for today.

All the worries,

All the little things that tug at your mind,

You can set them down now for the night.

Let them drift away into the dark,

Like tiny paper boats sailing out across the water.

With each breath,

Your body becomes a little heavier,

A little softer,

And a little more at peace.

Perhaps you can imagine a soft glow on the horizon,

Where the moonlight touches the waves.

Or the distant shimmer of snow across an open field.

You are safe,

Warm,

And deeply at ease.

Every sound grows slower,

Softer.

There's nothing more to do,

Nowhere to go,

No one to be.

Just you,

Resting,

Breathing,

And drifting further into stillness.

And so,

My friend,

You can let go now,

And let the quiet night hold you,

Gently,

Softly,

Tenderly,

As you drift off to sleep.

Sweet dreams,

My friend.

Sleep well.