[Madeleine]*sings* - 'I'll tell you of a princess, a lovely sad princess who lived in the depths of a cool mountain pool. Her crown it shone bright as the frost in the moonlight. Her heart it was sad as she sat on her stone. For all she ever saw there were lords by the score there so proud and so perfect but each one a fool. They said 'you must chose me it's useless to refuse me, you know you must marry because that is the rule.'

'there you see that was the rule, a water princess had to marry somebody. But the trouble was she didn't like any of those proud stupid water lords she just couldn't bring herself to chose one of them. But suddenly she had an idea.'

*Sings* 'Then the princess replied that at last she had decided, she smiled very sweetly and gave a deep sigh. Then she cried "I will marry the one who will carry my small silver crown to me back from the sky" then "upwards" she said, took the crown from her pretty head and threw it as high as she could in the sky.

[Bagpuss] - 'Eh? What? That's not the end of the story. Er what happened next? You can't just stop in the middle of a story like that. What did the water lords do next?'

[Madeleine] - ' Oh they're still looking for the crown I expect, you can see them sometimes.' *sings* 'Oh the water lords took magic and they flew up in the skies their cloaks could turn to wings and they grew enormous eyes. here they fluttered, here they scattered, here they hovered hot and bothered. and you and I would call them dragonflies. If you sit beside the pool when the summer evening's cool, see their shining bodies gleam as they flit about the stream. They would cause you no surprise, we would call them dragonflies, yes you and I would call the dragonflies."

[Yaffle] - yaffyyaffyaffyaffyaffyaff 'Nonsense rubbish, dragonflies are just dragonflies, they aren't water princes searching for anything. They are just sort of large flies.'

[Madeleine] - 'I know I know, it's only a story, not a word of it is true, It's a watery fairy tale.'

[Bagpuss] - 'Yes I dare say, but whatever sort of story it is... you haven't finished it yet. I mean, what happened to the crown?

[Madeleine] - 'Oh I don't know, I expect it fell back in the water and she collected it later.'

[Gabrielle]- 'no she didn't.'

[Madeleine] - 'Eh? Didn't she?'

[Gabrielle] 'No. I'll tell you what happened. That was a watery fairy tale. So this is a frog fairy tale. now then... I'll tell you ... Bagpuss?'

[Bagpuss] - 'Eh? What?'

[Gabrielle] - On that pond there was a lilly pad and on the lilly pad there was a frog. A frog you know, a bit like me but only greener.'

[Bagpuss] 'A frog? On a lilly pad? Oh oh oh, alright if you insist.'

[Gabrelle] - 'That's right, well, this frog, he looked up and he saw the crown flying past. He thought it was a fly. So he shoots out his long tongue and catches it. whellah Whellar, just like that. Luckily he didn't swallow it, he didn't fancy the taste of it and he spat it out. Now, he saw what it was and being a frog and sensible he dived into the water, he knew the princess would be pleased to have her crown back and would give him a reward. So he took the crown back to the princess and gave it to her. but for some reason she didn't seem all that pleased to get it. She looked sad and she said " So you've brought me back my crown. " And the frog said "Err, yes I have, I thought you'd like it back. " The princess looked even sadder. "And now I supposed you claim your reward?" "Oh well, I wouldn't put it quite like that." Said the frog. "But er yes, well you know, a trifle for my trouble would be welcome." The princess heaved a heavy sigh. "Ah me, It is my fault for being so proud but what must be must be. Frog, I will marry you." "You will do no such thing!" Said the frog. "But I must." Said the princess " I said I would marry whoever brought back my crown. And you brought it back. So it's you I must marry." "But. I'm a frog! I don't want to marry a princess. I just thought you'd like your crown back and er you might give me a reward or something. I fancied one of your crystallized strawberries or a glacé glow worm." "I'm sorry." Said the princess "I must keep my promise, but don't worry I don't have to marry you as you are, this is a fairy tale and I have to place a tender magic kiss upon your ugly brow and you will turn into a handsome prince." "Oh no you don't!" Said the frog keeping well out of reach. "I'm a frog and I want to stay a frog, I'm not turning into a handsome prince thank-you-very-much." The princess sighed again. "Oh frog how sensible you are. You have no idea how boring it is being a beautiful princess surrounded by all these proud stupid lords. I often wish I could be something ordinary like a frog." "Well , why didn't you say so in the first place?" Said the frog he hopped forward and placed a tender magic kiss on the princess' brow. At once, in a flash of watery magic the princess became a frog. A green knobbly squishy frog just like him. They were married and lived happily ever after.'

'There, that's how all the best fairytales end. Frog fairy tales are no different from any others.'

[Yaffle] - 'Yaff Yaff. Well, er yaff yaffyaff it is a bit different I should say, frogs indeed.'

[Madeleine] - 'What happened to the princess' crown and jewels and things?'

[Gabrielle] - 'Well you know what happened, they turned into the crown and jewels of a frog princess. Only of course she wasn't a princess anymore so she just swam away and left them. There they are.... '

[Madeleine] - 'Of course! jewels for a frog princess...'

Of course jewels for a frog princess... so the mice pulled it in front of the window and left it there so if a frog princess, or whatever it really belonged to , should happen to come past and see it, they would see it and come into the shop and collect it. And so the mice's work was done.

Bagpuss gave a big yawn and settled down to sleep....

[fairytales]