There once was a beautiful young woman named Anna. Everyone adored her for she was not only the most beautiful woman in town, but also the kindest. She could make the meanest and grumpiest man laugh with glee using just a friendly smile and a few sweet words. She was a marvel and a rarity among fools.
As the years went by, Anna received less and less appreciation for her looks. Time has a way of taking its toll, and for dear Anna this meant that her once soft golden ringlets had become locks of silver and gray, her smooth perfect complexion now had brown spots and wrinkles, and her hourglass figure had turned round and lumpy. Now instead of several heads turning when she entered a room, she was greeted with slight disgust and revulsion. When she smiled at people and said kind words, they responded with tight-lipped glares and disapproving grunts.
It didn't take long for Anna to lose her kind smile and sweet words, and then not long after that the light in her eyes. She moved to the far end of the town so she could avoid the painful looks as much as possible. Sitting alone in her cottage one night, Anna cried and cried and cried. She had never felt so lonely in her life. The shame that had inevitably started growing inside of her reached its breaking point as she looked in the mirror and promptly smashed it with her bare hands. Crying out in pain, she couldn't tell what hurt worst: her badly cut hands or her soul. She stumbled outside and lay in the pounding rain as it washed away her tears and soothed her aching hands. She didn't know how long she stayed like that and she didn't care. As far as she was concerned the rain could swalllow her up and spit her out; it made no difference at this point. All she wanted was her youthful looks back, just for one day.
Suddenly the rain stopped. Anna rose up wearily and went inside to make herself something to eat. "Since I didn't drown in that storm, I might as well live another day," she thought to herself.
Walking by the broken mirror, she was momentarily awestruck by something she couldn't quite place. Stepping closer, she stared intently at the cracked pieces trying to make sense out of the mosaic.
Waves of golden curls cascaded around her flawless face and her clothes hung loosely around her gorgeous figure. She jumped back and knocked all her dishes and books off the kitchen table, but she didn't care. She ran outside and yelled, "I'm beautiful again!! Thank you, God! Oh thank you! Thank you!!" She sang and danced all the way to the center of town, eagerly anticipating all the approving looks and joyful smiles.
Once there, she immediately spotted a group of men crowded together in the middle of the town square. Skipping merrily over to them, she proclaimed happily, "I'm beautiful again!!" All the men turned towards her with a few mildly approving looks, but mostly she was given short glances of indifference before they quickly turned back to whatever was holding their attention. Her spirits fell slightly, but most certainly she wasn't going to give up that easily.
Using all the tricks in the book, Anna strutted slowly by the men, moving her hips rhythmically back and forth, knowing they would be hypnotized for sure. She glanced back, only to find them still hooked on whatever was captivating their attention. Clearly frustrated, Anna marched over to the group, pushed her way to the front and looked in the direction everyone else was looking.
Gasping in shock, the shouldn't believe her eyes: about 20 feet away a doen or so of the most physically perfect women created lay half naked in the warm sun, soaking up the rays and the lusty stares like there's no tomorrow. The awareness of the amazingly beautiful sight hit her like a ton of brocks: She was not the most beautiful woman in town anymore. In fact, there were several who were just as gorgeous as she and many others who were even more aesthetically pleasing.
Not remembering how she got there, Anna found herself at the town's wishing well. Peering at the water, she gazed at her reflection wondering what all of this was worth. She had spent so much of her life being admired for her beauty that she had forgotten that it wasn't her at all.
After seeing all those beautiful women together, she realized how orginary it all was. Still, she wished that she could be the most unique and highly regarded woman once again. Stepping back, she saw a group of elderly people sitting nearby, chatting amongst themselves. She sat at a tree close by so she could hear what they were saying.
"What ever happened to dear sweet Anna? Remember her?" said a gentleman in a blue hat. "Boy do I!!" said another with kind eyes. "Anna always had a way of brightening up my day. Without fail, her sweet smile and kind words would melt my heart before I knew what hit me!" "One day, she gave me the biggest hug and told me that I was loved and very special. That memory has stayed with me always warming my soul whenever I call upon it." One gentle old lady remarked, tears falling gracefully down her cheeks. They sat in silence, then started off into space with sweet smiles playing at their lips.
Wasting no time at all, Anna got up and walked over to the group and proudly proclaimed, "Here I am!!" Looking over at her, the elderly people thought they were all going senile as they stared in disbelief. "Anna?" the man in the blue hat asked bewilderdly, rubbing his eyes. "Yes, of course I'm Anna. I want to thank all of you for your kind words as they truly..." "This is impossible!!" said the man of kind eyes as he started marching towards her, his fists clenched. The others followed suit, moving towards her with daggers in their eyes. Anna cried out as she quickly realized she needed to get out of there FAST!
She headed toward home, the only place she could think of to go. Slamming the door shut behind her, she decided to move the table in front of it for added protection. About 10 minutes later, she heard loud shouting coming from right outside.
"We don't know who you are, but you better go back from where you came from!!" "We know you can't be Anna, for she is now an old woman like us!!" They pushed against the door with all their might, but the table held fast. Anna sat in the corner, huddled in a ball wishing she could somehow get out of this mess. Just then, the crowd managed to push the table out of the way. They pushed and shoved their way inside, looking around the little cottage until their eyes landed on Anna who was trying unsuccessfully to disappear.
"Anna!!" they all shouted coming towards her and helping her up off the floor. "I guess that was just our imagination playing tricks on us!" the old man in the blue hat said, smiling sweetly.
Tired and confused, Anna felt like the one imagining stuff now as she moved slowly away from them, not wanting to break this spell of good fortune.
It was no spell, she soon realized, as she glanced at the now perfect uncracked mirror. Her gray hair, wrinkles, and dimply body never looked so good to her than at this very moment. She laughed joyfully and gave them each a hug and told them they were loved and very special.
She danced and and sang under the rising moon as the elderly people went home, shaking their heads at the senile old woman.
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