the red shoes

Once upon a time, there’s a girl named Karen, adopted by a rich old lady after her mother's death. She tricks her adoptive mother into buying her a pair of red shoes, which she repeatedly wears to church… But never pay attention during the service.

One day, her adoptive mother becomes ill, but Karen continues to attend parties in those red shoes. Strangely, once she begins dancing, she couldn’t stop. The shoes had taken over her and she’s unable to control them… She continues to dance, through fields and meadows, rain or shine, night and day. She can't even attend her adoptive mother's funeral.

One night, an angel appears to her, condemning her to dance even after she dies, to serve as a warning to other vain children. Hoping to break the curse, Karen finds an executioner and asks him to chop off her feet… He does so and gives her a pair of wooden feet and crutches in return.

One Sunday, thinking that she has suffered enough for the red shoes, Karen decides to go to the church, just when she’s about to set off, the chopped-off feet with the red shoes appears and dances before her, barring her way… The following Sunday, Karen tries again, thinking of herself at least as good as the others in church, but once again, the pair of dancing red shoes bars her way, Sunday over Sundays...

Ultimately, Karen gets herself a job as a maid in the parsonage, but whenever Sunday comes, she dares not go to church. Instead she sits alone at home and does prayers to God. It is as though the church comes home to her and her heart becomes so filled with sunshine, peace and joy that it bursts. Her soul flies on sunshine to heaven, and no one there asks her about the red shoes.