Once upon a time there was a Pretty Little Girl. She was the most beautiful in the whole land. Not only did many people tell her so themselves but she also made sure that they didn’t dare tell her otherwise. One day she was walking past a still, mirror-like lake. She leaned over the surface to admire her own beauty. That was all she would see. Suddenly, there was a call from behind.

“Hello, there!”

‘How dare you call me like that?’ she thought and turned around to catch the culprit. Right behind her there was a Cheerful Little Girl just like her.

“Would you like to play?” she smiled revealing her missing tooth.

The Pretty Little Girl raised her eyebrows and gave the intruder a once over.

“Like…with you?”

“Yep. You and me,” the Cheerful Little Girl smiled once again.

“I don’t think so.”

“Why?”

“I don’t play with kids like you.”

“What do you mean “kids like me”? We are the same.”

“The same?” the Pretty Little Girl almost choked on those words. The idea was so absurd.

“Look at you! Who are you in comparison with me?”

The Cheerful Little Girl was sad. She stepped closer to the lake and saw her face in the lake. Then she looked back at the Pretty Little Girl, then back into the lake and again at her. Then she smiled.

“But we look just the same!”

“Shut up! We don’t. You are ugly! I’m beautiful. The most beautiful!” she shouted and run away. She was so upset she hadn’t even paid attention to where she was heading. She ended up, however, in a nearby forest. She stopped to catch some breath and leaned against a tree and closed her eyes.

“Oh, hey, there!” A voice interrupted her thoughts of the cheeky little girl. Startled she opened her eyes and searched for somebody who spoke.

“Down here, beauty.”

She looked in the direction. On her shoulder there was a big fat spider. At least he knew she was pretty.

“Oh, hello.”

“What’s wrong?”

At first she wanted to reply that everything was fine but just a thought of the stupid little girl made her burst out: ”I’m angry at a girl I just met. She called me ugly!”

“Oh, dear… You and ugly? I can’t imagine that! You are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”

“Exactly!” the Pretty Little Girl swelled with pride.

“I’m very sad that you’re angry. Is there a wish I could make come true that would make you happy again?”

“You could do that?”

“Of course, I’m the Small Sneaky Spider.”

“Well, I’d like to be beautiful for the rest of my life! Actually, the most beautiful of all!”

“Really? Is that what you wish for?”

“Yes!”

“At any cost?”

“At any cost!”

“Then…” the Small Sneaky Spider cleared his throat and spoke.

“Beauty-cutie you shall be
Nobody more beautiful than thee
The price you pay
Will keep you at bay
What you wish for
Shall be a wish no more.”

With those words the Small Sneaky Spider disappeared.

The Pretty Little Girl felt happier than ever and she ran home to see if she got even more beautiful. She was thrilled by the heavenly eyes rimmed by thick black lashes blinking back at her, the gentle rosy cheeks, the full lips and a nose just perfect to be drawn by a few graceful lines. Her face was flawless. She went to bed early, not even waiting for her parents to return home for it was a long and exhausting day for her.

The next morning there was a big fuss in the house. She climbed out of bed and went to see what was going on. But she stopped in mid tracks to check herself in a mirror. As she found herself downstairs her mother and father, the maid, the cook, and the gardener were screaming one at the other, aimlessly pacing the living room. They were rubbing their eyes, feeling around themselves with their hands and sometimes crashing into each other or stumbling upon things. It was a scene of pure chaos. The Pretty Little Girl shook her head and tried to catch their attention.

“Mummy, daddy?” After a few tries her parents finally went silent and turned their heads in different directions.

“Honey, is that you?”

“What, of course it’s me!”

“Don’t worry, sweetie, we’ll figure out what’s wrong. Don’t worry.”

“What do you mean? What are you doing?”

“We don’t know what has happened. But we have called the doctor.”

“The doctor?”

“Well, after calling ten other people first,” the maid added.

“Anyway, it seems to have befallen everybody.”

“But what? I don’t understand…” demanded the Pretty Little Girl.

“Ehm, well, we don’t see a thing. Can you see us?”

“Of course I can. What kind of a question is that?” she studied them and realized with horror that nobody was looking at her properly.

“That’s amazing, honey,” mother cried.

“You can help us,” father added.

“So you’re all blind?” the Pretty Little Girl asked desperately.

“Yes,” they replied in unison.

“But…but…”

“Don’t worry, we’ll fix it,” father reassured her.

“But now you can’t see how beautiful I am!” she finished, her biggest fear getting real.

The rest of the room went quiet.

The Pretty Little Girl ran out of the house. ‘There must be somebody left, who can see my beauty!’ she thought looking around. People were moving very slowly and carefully, finding their way with hands and feet. Eventually, she ended up next to the lake. Squatting down at the brim of the water was the cheeky little girl.

“Are you blind?” the Pretty Little Girl called, without bothering to greet. Panic was audible in her voice. The Cheerful Little Girl stood up and turned to face her. This time she didn’t smile and simply replied: “No.”

“Thank God,” the Pretty Little Girl called with relief. “At least you can tell me I’m beautiful.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t.”

“What?! Why?”

“Because I don’t talk to kids like you.”

“What do you mean “kids like me”?”

“Kids that are blind.”

“What? I’m NOT blind! I’m the only one who isn’t.”

“Excuse me, but some friends are waiting for me.”

“What friends?”

“Friends that can see real beauty.”

“Really? There are still other kids that can see?”

“I’m afraid they wouldn’t see what you wanted them to see.”

And with that the Cheerful Little Girl left her standing there all alone.

 

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