Listen or read along. “The Ebony Horse” is a free
classic fairy tale for ages 4–6, narrated aloud in about 5 minutes.
The full text is below, and the Sleepfox app reads it to your child with a
calm voice, a dimming screen and a gentle sleep timer.
Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, there lived a kind prince.
He loved to dream of adventures.
One day, a clever inventor came to visit the palace.
"I have made something wonderful," the inventor said softly.
He showed the king a beautiful horse carved from dark, shiny wood.
It gleamed like the night sky.
"This horse can fly," whispered the inventor.
The prince's eyes grew wide with wonder.
"May I try?" he asked gently.
The inventor showed him a tiny silver key on the horse's neck.
"Turn it this way to go up," he said.
The prince climbed onto the horse's smooth back.
He turned the key… and up, up, up he floated into the soft clouds.
The world below looked like a patchwork quilt of green and gold.
The prince sailed through the gentle sky, smiling at the birds.
He flew over mountains that touched the clouds.
He flew over rivers that sparkled like ribbons of light.
As the sun began to set, painting the sky pink and orange, the prince saw a beautiful garden below.
He wanted to rest there.
But oh dear… he had forgotten to ask how to come down.
The prince stayed very calm.
He looked carefully at the horse's neck.
There… another tiny key, silver and shining.
He turned it gently… and the horse floated down as soft as a feather.
He landed in the garden, where flowers nodded in the evening breeze.
A kind princess was walking there among the roses.
"Hello," she said warmly. "What a beautiful horse."
"He can fly," the prince told her, and his voice was full of wonder.
They talked quietly as the stars began to appear.
They became the best of friends.
When the moon rose, round and bright, the prince knew it was time to go home.
"Will you visit again?" asked the princess.
"I will," promised the prince.
He climbed onto the ebony horse once more.
He turned the silver key, and up he went into the starry night.
The horse carried him home through the peaceful darkness.
Below, lights twinkled in windows like little earth-stars.
The prince flew back to his own palace, where his family waited.
They were so happy to see him safe.
He told them all about his gentle adventure and his new friend.
The ebony horse stood quietly in the palace courtyard, gleaming in the moonlight.
And whenever the prince wanted to visit the princess, the magical horse carried him through the soft, safe sky.
But tonight, the prince was tired from his journey.
He climbed into his cozy bed.
He thought of clouds and stars and friendly gardens.
His eyes grew heavy…
And he drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the ebony horse flying gently through a sky full of kind, twinkling stars.
Listen to it free in the app
Sleepfox narrates every story aloud, dims the screen, and fades out with a
gentle sleep timer. A brand-new story is added free every night.
Black Beauty
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Velveteen Rabbit
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Pinocchio
The Fisherman and the Jinni