Hello,
my name's Tim. Today's story is a fairy tale with a strong moral message about vanity,
the importance of staying humble, and some enchanting red shoes.
We begin with a She is so poor that she only has wooden shoes which wear away at her little feet,
until the shoemaker's wife makes her some rough little plimsolls out of red fabric.
The first time she wears them is at her own mother's funeral.
A rich old lady adopts Karen.
She dislikes the red shoes which have already worn through at the sides and burns them,
replacing them with neat black ones.
It's soon time for Karen's confirmation into church,
and her adoptive mother lets her buy new clothes.
Karen chooses some beautiful red leather shoes.
The old lady is so blind that she doesn't notice the colour,
otherwise she would never have agreed.
After all, one should only dress in formal wear when in church.
Throughout her confirmation, Karen thinks only of her red shoes.
Others in the congregation mention their colour to her mother, and she scolds Karen.
From now on, she must only wear her black shoes to church,
even if they are older and slightly worn out.
The next Sunday, however...