Once upon a time, there lived a vain girl. As she was very beautiful, she was always receiving all the gifts and attention she could ever want. One day, a delivery arrived from her latest suitor. The girl opened the box to reveal a pair of shoes. But these were not just any shoes. These pointy-toed, patent leather pumps were painted red on the bottoms, for all the world to see as the girl pranced by. And prance she did. Everywhere she went, the shoes attracted notice. The girl’s lovely feet were the talk of the town. But soon, she realized she could not wear these shoes with everything in her closet – they simply did not go. She must have more red-bottomed shoes, the girl thought. She wanted every style. She even wanted every size, so that no one would have them but her.
It did not take long for her wish to come true. Because of her great beauty, many suitors gave her many shoes. Tall shoes and flat shoes, satin and suede and sequined shoes, and all of them with red bottoms.
Then, one cold autumn day, the market bottomed out into the red. The money dried up like a mirage in the desert. Suitors showed the girl their pockets – they were empty. And no one cared about her red-bottomed shoes anymore.
But still the girl wanted more. She dreamed night and day of red-bottomed shoes. She pranced through the gloomy world two flashes of red at a time. So that she could buy more shoes for herself, the girl stopped paying for anything else. She soon lost everything, and a beautiful girl and all of her beautiful shoes were out on the street. Everyone who passed by noticed her red-bottomed shoes once again…poking out of a cardboard box.
The End.
