The Prince Who Feared Nothing
Grimm's Fairy Tales
Imagine a boy who wasn't scared of anything. Not spiders, not the dark, not even when his big brother tried to tell him super spooky stories. This boy just didn't know what it felt like to shiver and shake with fright.
His father would often sigh. "My older son is clever and learns everything," he'd say, "but this younger one... he just doesn't understand fear! Go out into the world, son, and learn what it means to shiver!"
So, the boy, happy for an adventure, set off. Soon, he met a man who looked after a church. "Want to learn to shiver?" the man asked with a grin. "Spend a night in the church tower with the ghosts!"
The boy thought, "Ghosts? Sounds interesting!"
That night, strange noises echoed and shadowy figures seemed to float by. But the boy just yawned and said, "Oh, stop your clattering! If you're ghosts, be proper ghosts, or be quiet!" The ghosts were so surprised, they didn't know what to do and eventually faded away. The boy didn't shiver at all.
He walked on and came to a place where some spooky figures were hanging from a tree. "They look a bit lonely and cold," he thought. He carefully took them down and sat them around a little fire he made. "There, much cozier," he said, but he still didn't feel a single shiver.
He kept walking, still hoping to learn to shiver. Then he heard about a castle. This wasn't just any castle; it was a super-duper haunted castle! The King who owned it said, "If anyone can stay three nights in my haunted castle and not run away screaming, they can marry my daughter, the Princess, and have half my kingdom!"
"A challenge!" thought the boy. "Maybe I'll finally learn to shiver here!"
So, he went to the castle.
The first night, as he sat by the fire, two enormous black cats with glowing green eyes appeared. "HISS! MEOW!" they screeched, arching their backs.
The boy just smiled. "Hello there," he said. "You look like you need a good brushing. Do you want to play cards?" The cats were so confused, they just sat down. Then, a big, comfy-looking bed started zooming around the room all by itself! "Whee!" shouted the boy, jumping on. "This is a fun ride!" Later, half a man tumbled down the chimney. "Oh dear," said the boy, looking at the top half. "You seem to be missing a bit! Are you alright?" He still didn't shiver.
The second night, more strange things happened. Skulls and bones started rolling around the floor. "Hmm," said the boy, "these would be perfect for a game of bowling!" He set them up and had a grand time. Then, an old man with a very long beard fell out of the fireplace. The boy helped him up and dusted him off. "Still no shivers," he thought, a little disappointed.
On the third night, a huge, grumpy-looking giant stomped into the room. "ROAR!" he bellowed, waving a massive iron bar. "I'm going to smash you!"
The boy looked at the giant and then at an anvil in the corner. "I bet I can hit that anvil harder than you!" he challenged. The giant, surprised, watched as the boy picked up a heavy hammer and gave the anvil a mighty WHACK! The anvil split right in two! The giant was so impressed by his strength (and a little scared himself) that he showed the boy a hidden room full of gold and jewels, then quickly stomped off.
The King was amazed when the boy came out on the third morning, cheerful as ever. "You are truly fearless!" he declared.
So, the boy married the beautiful Princess and got lots of treasure. He was very happy, but he still sighed sometimes, "I'm a prince now, and I have a lovely wife, but I still wish I knew what it felt like to shiver."
The Princess heard this. She was a clever princess and had an idea. One morning, while the Prince (who was once the boy) was fast asleep in his warm bed, she tiptoed into the room. She was carrying a big bucket. It was full of cold, cold water from the well, and swimming in it were lots of tiny, wriggly fish!
Quietly, she crept to his bedside and... SPLASH!
She poured the whole bucket of icy water and flippy fish all over him!
"Brrrr-AHHH-CHOO!" yelled the Prince, jumping straight out of bed, water dripping, fish flopping. "Oh! Oh! I'm so cold! I'm... I'm SHIVERING!"
He looked at the Princess, who was trying not to giggle.
"Now I'm shivering!" he exclaimed, his teeth chattering. "Now I finally know what it feels like!"
And he was so happy to have finally learned to shiver, he gave the Princess a big, wet, and slightly fishy hug. And they all lived happily, and shiver-ly, ever after.
1305 Views