The Frog Prince

Behind the castle lay a quiet garden, and in the garden stood a deep well shaded by old trees. The king’s youngest daughter often played there with her golden ball. It shone in the sunlight like a little sun, and she tossed it high, caught it, and laughed beneath the leaves.

One day the ball slipped from her hand and fell into the well with a hollow splash. The water was dark, and the gold vanished at once. The princess wept until a frog lifted his head from the water and asked what troubled her. He said he would bring back the ball if she would let him be her companion, sit beside her at table, eat from her plate, and stay near her.

Thinking only of the ball, the princess promised everything. The frog dived down and brought the golden ball up again. But as soon as she held it, she ran back to the castle and forgot the creature at the well. That evening, however, there came a wet little knock at the door. The frog called for the princess to remember her word.

She wished to refuse, but the king said that a promise must be kept. So the frog sat by her plate, ate from her golden dish, and later asked to be taken to her room. The princess, frightened and displeased, threw him toward the wall. In that moment the frog vanished, and in his place stood a prince, freed from an enchantment.

The next morning faithful Henry, the prince’s servant, came with a carriage. Iron bands had been fastened round Henry’s heart in sorrow for his master, and now they burst apart with joy. The princess saw then that a promise is not a trifle to be dropped when it becomes uncomfortable. Keeping one’s word can reveal what has long been hidden.