This is so sad...Parents don't even have time for a bedtime story anymore....

Once Upon a Time...that'll Be Seven Dollars, Please

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch children can dial phone lines to listen to recordings of fairytales like Little Red Riding Hood, but busy parents must be willing to pay about $7 a call, enough to buy the printed version of the classic tales.

"Sprookiebel" -- "dial-a-fairytale" in English -- says it is the first fairytale phone service in The Netherlands and has already had some 600 calls from children since its launch at the start of the month.

Callers can choose from a selection of four fairytales, which are changed regularly, and listen to them 24 hours a day for 0.55 euro ($0.70) per minute.

Though some of its offerings were penned 186 years ago, the moral messages the 10-minute tales contain continue to make them relevant today, says Sprookiebel.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=757&e=1&u=/nm/20050210/od_nm/dutch_fairytale_dc