[The camera approaches a house in the woods]
- Narrator:
- And so for sixteen long years the whereabouts of the
princess remained a mystery,
while deep in the forest, in a woodcutter's cottage,
the good fairies carried out their well-laid plan.
Living like mortals, they had reared the child as their own
and called her Briar Rose.
[A window of the cottage opens, and Briar Rose appears, humming some tune]
- Narrator:
- On this her sixteenth birthday
the good fairies had planned a party
and something extra special for her surprise.
[The camera turns downward. The fairies sit over a book of dresses]
- Merryweather:
- How about this one?
- Flora:
- This is the one I picked.
- Fauna:
- Oh she'll look beautiful in it.
- Flora:
- Now I thought a few changes here ...
- Merryweather:
- Aha
- Fauna:
- Don't forget a pretty bow ...
- Flora:
- And there's the shoulder line.
- Merryweather:
- We'll make it blue.
- Flora:
- Oh no, dear, pink.
- Merryweather:
- But ...
- Flora:
- Of course, we'll need a few pleats
- Fauna:
- Yes, but how are we going to get her out of the house?
- Flora:
- Oh, I'll think of something.
[Briar Rose comes down the stairs and finds the fairies]
- Briar Rose:
- Well, and what are you three dears up to?
- Merryweather:
- Up to?
- Fauna:
- Up to?
- Flora:
- Up to?
- Flora:
- eh, eh, eh, we, we, well, we, we ...
- Merryweather:
- Want you to pick some berries.
- Flora:
- That's it, berries!
- Briar Rose:
- Berries?
- Fauna:
- Lots of berries.
- Briar Rose:
- But I picked berries yesterday.
- Flora:
- Oh, we need more, dear.
- Fauna:
- Lots, lots more.
- Flora:
- Yes!
[The fairies push Briar Rose out of the house]
- Flora:
- Now don't hurry back, dear.
- Merryweather:
- And don't go to far.
- Flora:
- And don't speak to strangers.
- Fauna:
- Goodbye, dear!
- Merryweather:
- Goodbye!
- Flora:
- Goodbye!
- Briar Rose:
- Goodbye!
[The fairies close the door and get back inside]
- Merryweather:
- I wonder if she suspects.
- Flora:
- Of course not, come on.
Will she be surprised!
- Merryweather:
- A real birthday party.
- Fauna:
- With a real birthday cake.
- Flora:
- Yes, and a dress a princess can be proud of.
- Merryweather:
- I'll get the wands.
- Flora:
- Yes, you ... the wands?
- Fauna:
- Oh no.
- Flora:
- No magic!
- Merryweather:
- But the sixteen years are almost over.
- Flora:
- We're taking no chances.
- Merryweather:
- But, I never baked a fancy cake.
- Flora:
- Oh, you won't have to, dear.
- Fauna:
- I'm going to bake the cake.
- Merryweather:
- You?
- Flora:
- She's always wanted to, dear, and this is her last chance.
- Merryweather:
- Well, ...
- Fauna:
- I'm going to make it fifteen layers
with pink and blue, forgive-me-nots ...
- Flora:
- And I'm making the dress.
- Merryweather:
- But you can't sow,
and she's never cooked!
- Flora:
- Oh, it's simple.
- Fauna:
- All you do is follow the book.
[Flora directs Merryweather to stand on a chair]
- Flora:
- Up here dear, you can be the dummy.
- Merryweather:
- Well, I still say we ought to use magic.
[Flora throws a sheet of pink cloth above Merryweather and begins cutting with a pair of scissors. Fauna has laid all the ingredients for the cake before her.]
- Fauna:
- [reads from the book]
Flour, three cups.
[searching]
Cups, cups, cups, cups, cups ...
[finds three cups of different sizes and uses them to pour flour into the bowl]
One, two, three.
[Flora has cut a circular hole into the sheet]
- Merryweather:
- What's that for?
- Flora:
- Well, it's got to have a hole in the bottom.
- Fauna:
- That's for the feet to go through.
- Merryweather:
- It's pink!
- Flora:
- Oh, lovely shade, isn't it.
- Merryweather:
- But I wanted it blue.
- Flora:
- Now, dear, we decided pink was her color.
- Merryweather:
- You decided!
- Fauna:
- [still reads from the book]
Two eggs, fold in gently
Fold?
Oh well.
[Fauna puts two eggs into the bowl and starts to fold them in. We hear their shells cracking. Merryweather is completely hulled into the pink cloth]
- Merryweather:
- I can't breathe!
[Flora cuts the cloth open at the top. Merryweather takes a look at the dress from the inside]
- Merryweather:
- It looks awful.
- Flora:
- That's because it's on you, dear.
- Fauna:
- [at her cake]
Now yeast, one tsp.
tsp.?
- Merryweather:
- One teaspoon!
- Fauna:
- One teaspoon, of course.
[Flora measures some size of the dress]
- Flora:
- Oh gracious how the child has grown.
- Merryweather:
- Oh, it seems only yesterday we brought her here.
- Fauna:
- Just a tiny baby.
[Merryweather loses a tear]
- Flora:
- Why Merryweather!
- Fauna:
- Whatever's the matter, dear?
- Merryweather:
- After the day she'll be a princess,
and we won't have any Briar Rose.
- Fauna:
- Oh Flora!
- Flora:
- We all knew this day had to come.
- Fauna:
- But why did it have to come so soon?
- Flora:
- After all, we've had her for sixteen years.
- Merryweather:
- Sixteen wonderful years.
- Flora:
- Good gracious, We're acting like a lot of ninnies!
Come on, she'll be back before we get started.
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