The Red Shoes

In a small village, lived a beautiful girl named Karen. She lived with her mother in a small hut. Karen was a poor girl. She had no shoes to wear. She always wore wooden shoes that her mother had made for her. The shoes were hard and Karen's feet hurt! Soon, Karen's mother got very ill. Karen spent all her time taking care of her mother. Once, while coming back home, Karen found a pair of red shoes in a box. Karen loved the red shoes. And decided to take them home.But her mother was not happy to see the red shoes. Her mother said "Karen, you must never pick up anything off the road the may belong to someone, this is stealing somebody must be looking for their red pair of shoes". Karen repiled "Then they should have been more careful, fonder are keepers"! Her mother replied "Oh, Karen don't be so stubborn my child, I know we are poor and I can't buy you shiny new shoes but our poverty must not make us do wrong things promise me that you will never wear these red shoes". Karen was sad but she could not break her mothers heart. So she promised that she will never wear the red shoes. Time passed, but Karen could not stop thinking about the red shoes. She said "Mother does not understand, if these beautiful shoes were thrown off the road, then maybe nobody needed them". A week later, Karen's mother passed away due to her illness. Karen was very, very sad. But she did something very unusual. On her mother's funeral, Karen wore the red shoes! Everybody at the funeral stared at Karen's feet. But Karen did not care. She loved her shoes. Just then, an old lady was passing by the funeral in her carridge. She was a kind old lady. When she learnt that a young girl was orphaned, she decided to adopt Karen. The old lady said " Oh my poor child, come with me I will give you a house to live and good food to eat you must study hard and make a name for yourself, oh what are those on your feet why did you where them to your mother's funreal those are ugly take those off"! Karen replied "No I like them, they are mine"! The old lady replied "Oh, child don't be so stubborn I will give you good pair of shoes to wear". The old lady forced Karen to take off the red shoes. Karen was sad to have her red shoes go away. The old lady had no children of her own. She treated Karen like her own daughter. She have her a room and new dresses to wear. Karen also got neww pair of shoes. But these were blue! Karen missed her red shoes. She always thoght of them. Karen said "Why doesen't anybody let me wear my beautiful red shoes, I will wear them someday and them nobody can stop me"! Years passed, and Karen grew up. She was now a beaufiul young girl. But as she grew, so did her stubborn nature. Karen was a difficult child. Karen said "I will not eat this, I want rice"! The old lady replied "But I have already prepared this delicious lunch, won't you at least taste it"? Karen replied "No, I would like to rather starve"! The old lady loved Karen and did not want her to starve. She always gave in to her unreasonable demands. Time passed by. All Karen's old clothes and her blue shoes were now tight and short. The old lady realised that she has to but Karen new clothes and new shoes. As they entered a shop to buy shoes, Karen saw a pair of red shiny shoes. Karen said "Oh, they are exactly like the ones I had when I was small, I want them"! The old lady replied "Oh, the red shoes again, Karen buy the ones that you can always wear, what if we have to attend to a funeral you can't wear red shoes to a funeral, it is disrespectful I have little money I can't buy you two pair of new shoes, else we have to walk home, my feet hurt now I can't walk". But Karen was so happy to see her red shoes, she didn't listen to a word. Karen replied "I don't care I love them and I want them, if you don't buy me these, I will walk barefoot for the rest of my life"! The old lady replied "Don't be so stubborn my child, this will cost you someday ". But Karen did not listen. The old lady had to buy Karen the new red shoes. She also brought a pair of black shoes for Karen. The old lady had no money now and they had to walk back home. All thorughout the way, the old lady crouched with pain. But Karen danced. She swirled with the wind laughing and singing, paying no attenition to the old lady's aching feet. The next day, the old lady had to attend to a funeral. The old lady said "Karen, we have to go attend a funeral in the town, come with me but don't wear those red shoes it is disrespectful"! Karen went to her room and looked at the black shoes, she them looked at the red shoes and wore them. She hid her feet behind her skirt as she didn't want the old lady to see the red shoes. All through the funeral, people kept looking at Karen's feet. There was gossip about the girl who doesn't respect the dead! Someone told the old lady of what happened. The old lady was now furious! She grabbed Karen's hand and stepped out of the funeral. The old lady said "Oh you stubborn girl what have you done I have asked you to not wear these here, why don't you ever listen"! Karen replied "But these are my shoes I will wear wherever I want to"! An old soldier passing by was watching the whole thing. As the old lady and Karen began to walk towards the carriage, he came to Karen kneeled down and whispered to her shoes. The soldier said to her shoes "Be stubborn just like your owner and sit fast as you dance"! The old soldier then patted Karen's feet. Karen said to the old soldier "Oh sir please get up what are you doing"? The old soldier replied "Oh I was only admiring your beautful red dancing shoes, you must be a brilliant dancer"! Karen was pleased. She wanted to shiw the soldier that she was indeed was a brilliant dancer. She started to dance few steps before boarding to the carriage with the old lady. Karen screamed "Oh, why can't I stop dancing  why don't my feet stop"? The old lady replied "Oh, Karen what are you doing come back here"! But Karen  gone far ahead of the carriage. The red shoes didn't listen to her anymore. They were stubborn. They took Karen to the forest and to the mountians. They danced and danced. Karen's feet now hurt. Her back was sore from the dancing. She couldn't sleep or eat. She missed her house and her bed. But moreover, she missed the old lady. But the shoes didn't stop. Off she swayed, night and day. Karen said "Oh, somebody help me, I am tired"! But nobody could come for her help. Karen was now scared. The shoes took her into the throny bushes and Karen's feet now badly hurt! Finally, Karen managed to take her shoes off. The shoes were off her feet but they were still dancing! Karen's feet was now broken. She could not stand without the support of a stick! Karen said sadly "Oh my legs hurt I want to go home". Karen somehow mangaed to reach home and the dancing shoes followed her. The old lady was happy to see Karen. She have her food and made her rest. The next day, Karen wanted to go out to the market. But as she opened the door, she found the red shoes right at her door step! They were dancing and stopping Karen from leaving the house! The old lady and Karen both were surprised to see the red shoes! Karen soon realied that this was all her fault. Karen said to the old lady "I am so sorry I shouldn't be so stubborn to you now we can't even go anywhere because of these red shoes"! The old lady said "You can just pray for the red shoes to go away and study hard". Karen agreed. So Karen went to study and pray night and day. While she prayed the old soldier appeared. The old soldier said "I am glad you learnt your lesson the red shoes are now gone". Karen went outside her door step and checked if the red shoes were there. Karen was suprised to see the shoes gone. Karen went to study hard and not to be stubborn ever again!





Thanks everyone for reading this story! And remember don't be so stubborn children it will cost you someday! Stay safe take care!