Once there was a girl. This girl was very pretty, and kind, and loved living with her father very much.
Her father had taken care of her since her mother had died of an illness.
One day, her father had to go to war.
She stayed behind on her own, living in their house and taking good care of it.
Before he left, the father told her about the magic mirror that they had in the basement.
It had to be cleaned once a day or the demon living inside of it would escape and wreak havoc on the village.
He said, "Now, you must not become too focused on the image in that mirror. It may look beautiful at first, but the longer you stare the more it will take on the image that words paint. And no words in the world are truly as you are."
The little girl told him that she would remember that.
And so he left.
Each day, the young girl would go down to the basement and clean the mirror.
And each time she looked in, she saw herself.
She was dressed in the finest of dresses, her hair pinned with pearls and diamonds, and jewelry lacing her throat and wrists.
She looked beautiful, in short. Even her features seemed enhanced.
But she remembered her father's words, and never looked in for too long.
But one day, she went out into the village to get some more water.
On her way to the well, she heard some of the other girls whispering about her. For a moment she stopped and listened.
They said she was ugly and fat, and would never be married. They spoke of how horrid the girl's features were, and of how her form was repulsing.
When the girl got back to her home, she quickly ran down the stairs to look into the mirror.
When she got there, she looked in, and at first saw the beautiful girl she always saw.
But the harder she looked, the more the reflection seemed unattractive.
Now, she simply saw the imperfections that were on the girl in the dress.
Finally, she decided that it was okay. She still looked pretty, and that was good enough for the girl.
