The Three Little Birds
This is one quirky story that takes place about a thousand or so years ago – so you know they had bagpipes. And who can resist someone named the Black Dog Prince?
Grimmly Speaking Volume 1: 12 scripts
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NOTE: New, updated 2020 version is in the book and as a PDF.
Cast In Order Of Appearance:
Narrator
Eldest
Middle
Youngest
King
Bird One
Bird Two
Bird Three
Boys
Prince One
Old Woman
Prince Two
Princess
NARRATOR
About a thousand or so years ago, three sisters were watching their cows on a hill, and they spied a King hunting with his two ministers. The eldest sister pointed to the king and cried out to her sisters—
ELDEST
Oh, that one! That one! If I do not marry him, I shall have none.
NARRATOR
The middle sister then pointed to the minister on the king’s right and cried out—
MIDDLE
Oh, that one! That one! If I do not marry him, I shall have none.
NARRATOR
Then the youngest sister pointed to the minister on the King’s left and cried out—
YOUNGEST
Oh, that one! That one! If I do not marry him, I shall have none.
NARRATOR
When the King returned from the hunt, he sent for the sisters. All three girls were beautiful, especially the eldest sister who had hair the color of flax, which is a very light pale blond.
KING
What did you three call out to each other on the mountain the other day?
NARRATOR
The sisters played coy with the King.
SISTERS
Nothing, your Majesty.
KING
You are the eldest. Will you really take me for your husband?
ELDEST
Oh yes, your Majesty!
NARRATOR
And so the eldest sister married the King and she became Queen, and the other two sisters married the two ministers.
A few years passed, and while the King was away, the Queen gave birth to a little boy. Her sisters, however, had no children and, because of this, were very jealous.
MIDDLE and YOUNGEST
We shall throw that little Prince into the river!
NARRATOR
When they threw the baby into the water, a little bird flew up and sang—
BIRD ONE
To thy death art thou sped
until God’s word be said.
In the white lily bloom,
brave boy, is thy tomb.
NARRATOR
The King later returned and the two sisters told him that the Queen had given birth to a dog.
KING
If God makes a dog, then that is what God has made. All is well!
NARRATOR
Meanwhile, a fisherman found the little Prince in the water and he was not dead, so he took the baby home with him. The fisherman and his wife had no children and they were more than happy to raise the little Prince as their own.
A year later, the King again went away, and the Queen gave birth to another little boy. The jealous sisters also threw this second baby into the water. A second little bird flew up and sang—
BIRD TWO
To thy death art thou sped
until God’s word be said.
In the white lily bloom,
brave boy, is thy tomb.
NARRATOR
When the King returned, the two sisters told him again that the Queen had given birth to a dog.
KING
If God makes a dog, then that is what God has made. All is well!
NARRATOR
Meanwhile, the same fisherman found the second little Prince in the water just like the baby the year before, and the fisherman also took this baby home with him to rear.
A year later, the King again went away, and the Queen gave birth to a little girl. And, once more, the jealous sisters threw the baby into the water. A third little bird flew up and sang –
BIRD THREE
To thy death art thou sped
until God’s word be said.
In the white lily bloom,
bonny girl, is thy tomb.
NARRATOR
This time, when the King returned, the two sisters told him that the Queen had given birth to a cat.
KING
All is not well! The Queen must be cast into prison!
NARRATOR
And so the Queen sat in prison for many long years.
Now, the little Princess was also recovered from the water by the same fisherman, and so all three royal siblings grew up together.
One day, the eldest of the three tried to go fishing with some other boys, but they shooed him away.
BOYS
Go away! We want nothing to do with a foundling!
NARRATOR
The eldest then learned that a foundling is a found child and he asked the now old fisherman if he really was one. The old fisherman told him that it was true, he was a foundling.
PRINCE ONE
Then I shall go forth and seek my father.
NARRATOR
The old fisherman did not want him to go, but he couldn’t dissuade the boy, and so the eldest Prince set out on his search. After many days of walking, the young Prince came upon a river with an old woman fishing from its shore.
PRINCE ONE
Good day to you.
OLD WOMAN
And to you.
PRINCE ONE
With so fast a moving river, you will fish a long time before catching anything.
OLD WOMAN
And you will search a long time before finding your father. How will you get across the river?
PRINCE ONE
I have no idea.
NARRATOR
So the old woman picked him up and carried him across the river and he continued his search, without success. A year later, the second Prince arrived at the river in search of his brother.
PRINCE TWO
Good day to you.
OLD WOMAN
And to you.
PRINCE TWO
With so fast a moving river, you will fish a long time before catching anything.
OLD WOMAN
And you will search a long time before finding your brother. How will you get across the river?
PRINCE TWO
I have no idea.
NARRATOR
So the old woman picked him up and carried him across the river and the second Prince continued his search, without success.
Now, with both her brothers gone, the young Princess was very sad. Finally the old fisherman let her go forth to seek them. She, also, arrived at the river with the old woman fishing.
PRINCESS
Good day to you.
OLD WOMAN
And to you.
PRINCESS
May God help you with your fishing.
NARRATOR
Her kind words pleased the old woman, and after she carried the Princess across the river, the old woman gave the Princess a wand and directions.
OLD WOMAN
Follow this road. Eventually, you will find a great black dog and you must pass it in silence and with courage. Do not laugh or look at the dog.
NARRATOR
The Princess nodded and the old woman continued—
OLD WOMAN
Then you will come to a great castle. Before entering the front gate, drop the wand from your hand, and then walk straight through the castle and out the other side to a garden. There you will find an old fountain with a tree growing in its center.
Hanging from a branch of that tree, you will find a little bird in a cage. Take down this cage and also fill one of your flasks with water from the fountain. Take both of these with you and go back through the castle the way you came until you find the wand. Speak with no one either way.
NARRATOR
The Princess nodded and the old woman continued—
OLD WOMAN
Pick up the wand, and now with all three things journey back to the black dog. With the wand, strike the dog on the face. Be certain you’ve hit him, and then come back to me.
NARRATOR
The Princess left and did everything the old woman told her to do. As she was nearing the black dog, the Princess found her two lost brothers sitting on the side of the road. Together, they went to the black dog and she struck it on the face with the wand.
PRINCESS
Oh my! The black dog has turned into a handsome Prince!
NARRATOR
The Black Dog Prince then joined the royal siblings and the four of them went back to the river to find the old woman and thank her.
OLD WOMAN
Oh this is wonderful! I shall carry you all back across the river and then I shall be free!
NARRATOR
The four of them then returned to the old fisherman and his wife. Everyone was happy except the bird, which was still in its cage which they had hung on the wall.
Sometime later, the youngest Prince was bored and decided to go hunting whereupon he ran into the King.
KING
Who gave you permission to hunt here?
PRINCE TWO
No one, sir.
KING
Whose son are you?
PRINCE TWO
The old fisherman and his wife.
KING
The old fisherman and his wife, you say? Why, they have no children.
PRINCE TWO
If you do not believe me, then come home with me.
NARRATOR
And the King did just that. The old fisherman told the King everything he knew about the situation. Then the little bird in the cage began to sing—
BIRD ONE
The mother sits alone
there in the prison small.
Oh King of royal blood,
these are thy children all.
The sisters twain are false,
they wrought the children woe
there in the waters deep,
where fishermen come and go.
NARRATOR
The King then took the bird from the wall and everyone went to the castle. The Queen was freed from her prison, but the years inside had made her weak and ill. The Princess fetched the water she had saved from the fountain and gave it to her mother.
After drinking it, the Queen’s strength and health returned. The two false sisters were burnt at the stake and the Princess married the Black Dog Prince.
©2008-2014 Lishka DeVoss/Kranky Kids®