Droply 
Once upon a time, a king had twelve daughters, each one more lively than the last. They slept in twelve beds, side by side, in one long room at the top of the castle. Every night, the king himself locked their door.
And yet, every morning, when the door was unlocked, the princesses' dancing shoes were worn right through, as if they had danced all night long.
Nobody could explain it. The king was puzzled, and a little worried. So he announced: whoever could discover where the princesses went at night would be richly rewarded.
Many clever people tried. They sat outside the princesses' room, determined to stay awake. But each night, a sweet drowsiness came over them, and each morning they woke up to find twelve more pairs of worn-out shoes.
One day, a young gardener was walking toward the castle. He was not a prince, and not especially clever, but he was patient and observant. On the road, he met an old woman carrying a heavy basket, and he helped her carry it home.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"To the castle," he said. "I'd like to find out where the princesses dance."
The old woman smiled. "Then here is some advice. When a princess brings you a cup of something warm at bedtime, don't drink it. Pretend to fall asleep. And take this." She handed him a soft gray cloak. "When you wear it, no one can see you."
That evening, the gardener was shown to a small room beside the princesses' bedroom. The eldest princess brought him a cup of warm spiced milk. He thanked her, and while she wasn't looking, poured it quietly into a flowerpot. Then he lay down and began to snore.
The princesses giggled. They opened their wardrobes and put on their finest dresses. They brushed their hair and slipped on brand-new dancing shoes. Then the eldest princess tapped three times on the foot of her bed. With a soft click, the bed slid aside, and there was a staircase leading down into the ground.
The gardener threw on the gray cloak and followed them, careful to make no sound.
At the bottom of the stairs was a path through a forest where every leaf was made of silver. The trees shimmered like moonlight on water. The gardener broke off one small silver twig, to show the king. It made a tiny tinkling sound, and the youngest princess turned around. "Did you hear that?" she asked. "It's only the wind," said the eldest.
Next, they came to a forest where the leaves were made of gold, and then a third forest with leaves of sparkling diamond. The gardener took a small twig from each.
At last they reached a wide, calm lake. Twelve little boats waited at the shore, each with a friendly young prince at the oars. The princesses stepped in, and the gardener quietly climbed into the youngest princess's boat. "The boat feels heavier tonight," said her prince, rowing a little harder.
On the far side of the lake stood a glowing castle, with music drifting from every window. Inside, the princesses danced and danced, twirling across the polished floor under glittering chandeliers, laughing with their friends. The gardener, invisible in his cloak, watched and smiled. They were not doing anything wrong. They simply loved to dance.
At three o'clock in the morning, when their shoes were worn through, the princesses said goodbye and were rowed back across the lake. The gardener hurried ahead, climbed the staircase first, and was snoring in his bed when they tiptoed past.
The next morning, the king asked, "Well? Where do my daughters go at night?"
The gardener laid the three twigs on the table: silver, gold and diamond. And he told the king about the forests, the lake and the glowing castle full of music.
The princesses looked at each other, and then they laughed. "It's true," said the eldest. "We just love to dance."
The king was quiet for a moment. Then he laughed too. "Well," he said, "then why dance in secret? From now on, there will be a ball in this castle every month, and everyone is invited."
And so there was. The castle filled with music and light. The gardener became a friend of the whole family, and he and the eldest princess often danced together at the balls, and much later, they were married.
On the nights between the balls, the princesses slept soundly in their twelve beds, their dancing shoes lined up neatly in a row.
Now it's your turn to rest your feet. The music is fading. The silver leaves are still. Close your eyes… and dream of dancing.
Good night.
