Welcome to another bonus episode of Sleep Whispers, an extra treat from my Soak Plus members.

The Red Shoes by Hans Christian Anderson.

Once upon a time, there was a little girl pretty and dainty,

but in summertime she was obliged to go barefoot because she was poor,

and in the winter she had to wear large wooden shoes

so that her little instep grew quite red.

In the middle of the village lived an old shoemaker's wife.

She sat down and made as well as she could.

A pair of little shoes out of some old pieces of red cloth.

They were clumsy, but she meant well, for they were intended for the little girl whose name was

Karen. Karen received the shoes and wore them for the first day on

the day of her mother's funeral. They were certainly not suitable for morning, but she had no other

shoes, and so she put her bare feet into them and walked behind the humble coffin.

Just then, a large old carriage came by, and in it sat an old lady.

She looked at the little girl, and taking pity on her, said to the clergyman,

Look here, I will take care of her.

Karen believed that this was all on account of the red shoes,

but the old lady really didn't like her red shoes,

and so they were thrown away.

Karen herself was dressed very neatly and cleanly.

She was taught to read and to sew, and people said that she was pretty. But

the mirror told her, you are more than pretty, you are beautiful. One day the queen was traveling through that part of the country,

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