The Widow And Her Two Daughters: Soothing Bedtime Tale

Hello dear sleepyheads and welcome back to Drift Off,

Your cozy space for relaxing bedtime stories to help you unwind and gently fall asleep.

Tonight's story is a gentle fairy tale called The Widow and Her Two Daughters.

It's a short and thoughtful tale about two sisters who are each rewarded in very different ways,

Reminding us that true happiness doesn't always come from the grandest gifts.

Now let's take a few moments to settle in and prepare for rest.

Find a comfortable position,

Either lying down or reclining somewhere cozy.

Let your arms rest gently by your sides and allow your eyes to close when you're ready.

Take in a long slow breath and as you breathe out,

Feel the weight of the day begin to melt away.

Let's do that again.

Inhale gently and exhale slowly,

Letting go of tension in your jaw,

Neck and shoulders.

Now bring your awareness all the way down to your feet.

Allow them to soften and grow heavy.

Feel that wave of relaxation move gently up through your calves and knees,

All the way up into your thighs,

Warm and calm.

Let those hips sink a little deeper into your bed or chair,

And feel your lower back releasing,

Softening,

Letting go.

Allow your belly to rise and fall naturally with your breath.

There is nothing you need to do right now but rest.

Let that feeling of ease spread into your chest and shoulders,

Down your arms,

All the way down to your fingertips.

And now relax your face,

Your temples,

Even the space between your eyebrows.

Your whole body is gently relaxing from the top of your head all the way down to the tips of your toes.

Now imagine yourself in the peaceful countryside,

Where the golden glow of the early evening wraps around you like a cozy blanket of warmth.

You're walking a quiet path lined with wildflowers and tall grass.

The soft breeze carries the scent of the fresh earth and lavender,

And in the distance you see a small cottage,

Its chimney gently releasing a curl of smoke,

And nearby the soft sound of a bubbling brook meanders through the quiet landscape.

There is a sense of contentment here,

A kind of simple joy that brings a feeling of peace and serenity.

Once upon a time there was a widow,

A very worthy woman who had two daughters,

Both of whom were very amiable.

The eldest was named Blanche,

The second Vermeille.

They had been given these names because the first had the fairest complexion in the world,

And the second cheeks and lips as red as vermilion or the finest coral.

One day,

The good widow,

Sitting at her door spinning,

Saw a poor old woman who could with difficulty walk even with the aid of a stick.

You seem very tired,

Said the good widow to the old creature.

Sit down a moment and rest,

And immediately desired her daughter to place a chair for her.

They both rose directly,

But Vermeille ran quicker than her sister and brought the chair.

Will you take something to drink,

Said the good woman to the old one?

With all my heart,

Replied she,

I could even eat something if you could give me a morsel to refresh me.

I will give you all in my power,

Said the good widow,

But I am poor and it will not be much.

At the same time,

She told her daughters to attend on the old woman who placed herself at the table,

And the good widow told her eldest daughter to go and gather some plums from a tree which the young girl had planted herself and of which she was very fond.

Blanche,

Instead of obeying her mother cheerfully,

Murmured against this order and said to herself,

It was not for this old greedy creature that I have taken so much care of my plum tree.

She dared not refuse,

However,

To gather some of the plums,

But she did so with an ill grace and unwillingly.

And you,

Vermeille,

Said the good woman to her second daughter,

You have no fruit to give this good lady,

For your grapes are not yet ripe.

True,

Said Vermeille,

But I hear my hen cluck,

She has just laid an egg,

And if madame will like to eat it warm,

I will give it her with all my heart.

At the same time,

Without awaiting the reply of the old woman,

She ran to fetch her egg.

But at the same moment that she presented it to the stranger,

She disappeared,

And they saw in her place a beautiful lady who said to the mother,

I am about to reward your two daughters according to their desserts,

The eldest shall become a great queen,

The second a farmer's wife.

At the same time,

Striking the cottage with her stick,

It disappeared,

And they saw in its place a pretty farm.

There is your lot,

Said she to Vermeille,

I know that I have given to each that which she will like best.

The fairy departed as she uttered these words,

And the mother as well as her two daughters remained struck with astonishment.

They entered the farmhouse and were charmed with the style of the furniture.

The chairs were only of wood,

But they were so polished that they could see themselves reflected in them as in a mirror.

The bed linen was white as snow.

In the farmyard there were twenty rams and as many sheep,

Four oxen,

Four cows,

And in the poultry yard all kinds of fowls,

Hens,

Ducks,

Pigeons.

There was also a pretty garden filled with fruits and flowers.

Blanche saw without envy the present which had been made to her sister,

And revelled in the delightful anticipations of being a queen.

Suddenly she heard hunters passing,

And going to the door to see them,

She appeared so beautiful in the eyes of the king,

Who was returning from the chase,

That he resolved immediately to marry her.

Blanche,

Having become queen,

Said to her sister Vermeille,

I will not have you remain a farmer.

Come with me,

Sister,

And I will give you in marriage to a great lord.

I am much obliged,

Sister,

Replied Vermeille,

But I am accustomed to the country and wish to remain there.

For the first few months,

Queen Blanche was so much occupied with balls,

Fine clothes,

And plays,

That she thought of nothing else,

But she soon became accustomed to such things,

And they amused her no longer.

On the contrary,

She became very miserable.

All the ladies of the court paid her great respect in her presence,

But she knew that they did not like her,

And that they said amongst themselves,

Look at this little peasant,

How she assumes the fine lady.

The king had very low taste to choose such a wife.

This kind of conversation made the king reflect.

He began to think he had done wrong in marrying Blanche,

And as his love for her declined,

He neglected her and passed his time with the handsomest ladies of his court.

When it was perceived that the king no longer loved his wife,

The courtiers ceased to pay her any respect.

She was very unhappy,

For she had not a single real friend to whom she could relate her griefs.

She saw that it was the fashion at court to betray friends for interested motives,

To appear to love those whom they hated,

And to tell falsehoods every moment.

She was obliged to look serious,

Because they said a queen ought to have a grave and majestic air.

She had several children,

And during all this time she had a doctor continually attending her who examined everything she ate and took from her everything she liked.

They put no salt in her soup.

They forbade her to walk when she was inclined to do so.

In a word,

She was contradicted from morning till night.

They gave governesses to her children,

Who brought them up very improperly,

Without her having the liberty to find fault.

Poor Blanche,

She was dying of grief,

And she became so thin that she excited the commiseration of everybody.

She had not seen her sister during the three years that she had been queen,

Because she thought that a person of her rank would be degraded by visiting a farmer,

But being overcome with melancholy,

She resolved at length to go and pass some days in the country to amuse herself a little.

She asked permission of the king,

Who willingly granted it,

Because he thought it would be a good riddance.

On her road,

She came to the farm of Vermeil,

And at a distance,

She saw before the door a troop of shepherds and shepherdesses,

Dancing and amusing themselves with all their hearts.

Alas,

Said the queen,

Sighing,

When shall I ever divert myself like these poor people,

With no one to find fault with me?

As soon as she appeared,

Her sister ran to her to embrace her.

She had such a contented air.

She was grown so stout that the queen could not help crying at seeing her.

Vermeil had married a young peasant who had no fortune,

But he always remembered that he was indebted to his wife for all that he possessed,

And he sought by his indulgent manner to mark his gratitude for her.

Vermeil had not many servants,

But they were as fond of her as if they had been her children,

Because she treated them as such.

All her neighbors also loved her,

And all sought to give her proof of it.

She had not much money,

But she had no need of it,

For she obtained from her land corn,

Wine,

And oil in sufficiency.

Her flocks furnished her with milk,

With which she made butter and cheese.

She spun the wool of her sheep to make clothes for herself,

As well as for her husband and for two children which she had.

They were in wonderfully good health,

And in the evenings,

When their work was done,

They amused themselves with all kinds of games.

Alas,

Cried the queen,

The fairy has made me an unlucky present and bestowing on me a crown.

Happiness is not to be found in magnificent palaces,

But in the innocent occupations of the country.

Hardly had she uttered these words when the fairy appeared.

I intended not to reward you,

But to punish you by making you a queen,

Said the fairy,

Because you begrudged giving me your plums.

In order to be happy,

You must,

Like your sister,

Only possess such things as are necessary and wish for no more.

Ah,

Madame,

Cried Blanche,

You are sufficiently revenged,

Terminate my misery.

It is ended,

Replied the fairy,

The king,

Who loves you no longer,

Has just repudiated you to marry another wife,

And tomorrow his officers will come to order you in his name not to return to the palace.

This occurred as the fairy had predicted.

Blanche passed the rest of her days with her sister Vermeille in peace and happiness,

And never thought of the court but to thank the fairy for having brought her back to the village.

As our story comes to a close,

Allow yourself to sink a little deeper into comfort.

Imagine now a quiet countryside bathed in the soft glow of twilight.

The sun has just dipped below the horizon,

Leaving behind streaks of rose and lavender in the sky.

The gentle breeze stirs the tall grasses,

And they sway in slow,

Sleepy waves.

See yourself walking along a narrow country path,

The earth warm beneath your feet,

Birds are settling in for the night,

Their songs now quiet murmurs in the distance,

And everything feels still,

Peaceful,

And safe.

In the distance,

You see a small cottage with candlelight flickering through the windows.

Smoke curls softly from the chimney,

And you can just make out the scent of something warm and comforting in the air.

You feel drawn to it,

Wrapped in this moment of quiet comfort and ease.

Let your breath slow,

Let your body grow heavier,

And allow yourself to be held by the calm of this countryside evening.

There is nothing left to do but rest,

And let sleep take you gently.

Sweet dreams,

My friend.