Hans Christian Andersen

“ When she was in bed she lay for a long time thinking how pretty it must be to see the beautiful flowers dancing out in the king's castle. 'I wonder if my flowers have really been there?' And then she fell asleep. In the night she awoke again: she had dreamed of the flowers, and of the student with whom the councillor found fault. It was quite quiet in the bedroom where Ida lay; the night-lamp burned on the table, and father and mother were asleep.
'I wonder if my flowers are still hang in Sophy's bed?' she thought to herself. ”

“ Then Ida laid the flowers in the doll's bed, pulled the little coverlet quite up over them, and said they were to lie still and be good, and she would make them some tea, so that they might get well again, and be able to get up to-morrow. And she drew the curtains closely round the little bed, so that the sun should not shine in their eyes. The whole evening through she could not help thinking of what the student had told her. ”

“ But she had not hurt herself at all; and Ida's flowers all thanked her for the nice bed, and were kind to her, took her into the middle of the floor, where the moon shone in, and danced with her; and all the other flowers formed a circle round her. Now Sophy was glad, and said they might keep her bed; she did not at all mind lying in the drawer.
But the flowers said, 'We thank you heartily, but we cannot live so long. To-morrow we shall be quite dead. But tell little Ida she is to bury us out in the garden, where the canary lies ”