Once a young princess loved to play with a golden ball in the castle garden. She tossed it high among the roses until—splash!—it fell into a deep, clear well.
“Oh, my ball!” she cried.
A frog poked his head from the water. “What will you give me if I fetch it?” he asked in a friendly croak.
“My jewels, my clothes—anything!” said the princess.
“I do not want jewels,” said the frog. “Promise that I may be your companion: sit by you at supper, eat from your plate, and sleep on a soft pillow near you.”
“Yes, yes,” said the princess quickly, thinking only of her ball. The frog dived deep and soon brought the golden ball up in his mouth. The princess snatched it happily and ran toward the castle without looking back.
That evening, as she sat at supper with the king, there came a soft knock and a little voice: “Princess, remember your promise!”
The frog had hopped all the way up the marble steps. The king listened kindly to the story.
“A promise is a promise,” he said gently. “We keep our word.”
So the princess set a tiny chair by her plate. The frog ate politely and spoke of garden rain and lily pads. At bedtime she made him a soft nest of cushions. She was still uneasy—but the frog was patient and polite.
For three days the frog visited as a true friend. On the third morning the princess found not a frog beside her cushions, but a kind young prince with bright eyes.
“A spell turned me into a frog,” he explained, “until someone kept a promise and treated me with care. Your kindness—and your father’s honesty—set me free.”
The princess smiled, a little shy and very glad. They became good friends, and often walked in the garden where the golden ball had fallen. Sometimes they still sat by the well and thanked the clear water for bringing them together.
And whenever the princess made a promise after that, she remembered the frog’s soft knock at the door—and she kept her word.
The end.
Based on the public domain tale by the Brothers Grimm, gently adapted for bedtime.
