For our first story we chose Blue Beard, by Charles Perrault. It was meant as a cautionary tale for women to curb their curiosity, but can easily be interpreted to warn the wicked and those who abuse their power not to assume their actions will always remain unchecked.

This version is from the Blue Fairy Book, published by Andrew Lang in 1889. If you want to read along, or file it away for later use, you can find a version of it on-line at Project Gutenberg.

Link to the text: Blue Beard