In a humble village, there lived a poor little girl named Karen. She was so lovely and full of life, but her shoes were old and worn. One day, an old lady took pity on her and adopted Karen after her mother passed away. To prepare for her new life, Karen was given a pair of new shoes, and oh! They were not just any shoes; they were a brilliant, shiny red, the likes of which Karen had never seen.
“Red is a strange color for a little girl,” the old lady frowned. But Karen felt prouder than ever as she tapped and danced around in her bright red shoes.
On the day of her confirmation, Karen was to wear clean, white clothes from head to toe. She knew she should wear her black shoes, but she couldn’t resist slipping her feet into the red ones. “They’re the most beautiful shoes in the world,” Karen said to her reflection.
As she walked to church, every step was light, and she thought only of her shiny shoes. Even in church, she forgot to sing the hymns and only thought of how pretty she looked.
After the service, an old soldier with a crutch stopped her. “What beautiful dancing shoes,” he exclaimed. Tapping the soles with his hand, he said, “Stick fast when she dances,” casting a spell on them.
And dance Karen did! She couldn’t stop her feet; they danced out of the church and through the fields and meadows. She danced and danced, but it was no longer a dance of joy. She was scared, she wanted to take off the red shoes, but they stuck fast.
“Help me, help me!” she cried to the old lady. But the shoes danced her away.
Karen danced through the dark, danced in rain and shine, danced through brambles and briars that scratched her till she bled. She danced far and wide, to places unknown, till she came to the house of the executioner.
“Cut off my feet with the red shoes,” Karen pleaded, and so he did. She thought she could now rest, but the shoes, with her little feet in them, danced away, and Karen was left alone once more.
With great difficulty, Karen hopped to the church, but the red shoes danced before her, and she felt too ashamed to enter. She lived a humble life, praying for mercy and helping others.
Years passed, and Karen grew in spirit and kindness. One Sunday morning, the red shoes danced past her window. She was not afraid. She knew she had conquered their spell with her heart’s true penitence.
That night, as Karen lay in bed, she felt as if the weight of the red shoes had been lifted. In the morning, they found her with a smile on her face, peaceful at last. She had been taken to a place where there was no pride or vanity, only peace.
Also Read: The Ugly Duckling — The Nightingale and the Emperor
Moral of The Story
“The Red Shoes” is a tale of temptation, repentance, and ultimately, redemption. It teaches us that the allure of material things can lead us astray, but humility and goodness can guide us back to the right path.