The Magic Mirror
Once upon a time, on the beautiful streets of Granada, only one topic was discussed.
— Oh, what a sorrow! Such a handsome man, and he has no ring? — Oh dear! Will he never choose a wife? Does no woman in Granada deserve him? — Tell me, my dear, will he be alone his whole life?
— No, no! Don't say such things, for he deserves a partner and we a queen. — Let us all pray for our handsome king, and believe me, his beautiful bride will come. — Our king is a generous man. I'm sure he's waiting for the right woman. — But who is the right woman for our king?
This was, indeed, the question that worried everyone in Granada.
The Search for the Perfect Queen
— Your Majesty, any woman would be lucky to have you as a groom. — I don't want a lucky woman. The woman I marry will be the Queen of Granada. She must have a strong character. She must have enough love for herself and for my entire kingdom. She must be forgiving and friendly.
— But, Your Majesty, how will we know if the woman has all these qualities? — Ah, that's the problem. I will marry a woman who has no black spots on her heart.
— Could we ask for a medical report? — Excuse me, Duncan? I'm not talking about real black spots. I mean she must have a pure heart. — Of course, I knew that.
— We would need something magical to help us with that. The king was indeed troubled. — We would need something, something magical to help us with that.
The Magic Mirror: The Test of the Heart
He made up his mind and called his trusted barber, Emilio, to the palace the next day.
— Emilio, I need your help.
— Tell me, Emilio, what happens to a kingdom that has no queen? — Why are you asking such a thing, madam? — Well, why shouldn't I ask? Our king is far from choosing a wife on his own. — Oh, yes, choosing a wife for the king is going to be a problem for me.
— What do you mean? — Well, after waiting together for years, the king has finally decided to use a magic mirror. — A magic mirror? — Yes, you see, I have a magic mirror that I found long ago in a cave. Only the king knew about it, and he entrusted it to me all these years. Now he wants me to use it to help him find his perfect bride. — Will it show you who the bride is and where she is now? — Does it show the future? — No, none of that. What it does is show the true character of whoever looks into the mirror. If your heart isn't pure, then, as soon as you look into the mirror, black spots will appear on your face. The king has decided to marry the perfect woman, the only one who will look into the magic mirror without having any black spots.
The Fear of Truth
— So, only rich and educated women can look into it, right? — There is no criterion to decide who can look into the mirror. The only condition is that the woman must look into the mirror.
The news spread like wildfire. Every day, women gathered in front of the barber's shop, just to see which woman dared to look into the magic mirror.
Days passed, and still no one entered. Women started growing their hair longer and longer, just to avoid going to the barber. The fathers of Granada were not happy with their daughters.
The Women's Refusal
— Fiona, why don't you try? — And have spots on my beautiful face? No way, Father! — So you don't think you have a pure heart? — No. I mean, yes. I mean, oh, Father! I've actually decided never to get married. — Excuse me? — Exactly! I'll live with you my whole life. Oh, I love you, Father!
Surprisingly, Fiona wasn't the only one who suddenly decided never to get married. The women of Granada preferred to remain single their whole lives rather than take the king's marriage test. Some women, in fact, were so scared that they refused to even look in their own mirrors.
— Ah! The fear of black spots didn't stop there. It's said that some women no longer wanted to use spoons, for fear of accidentally seeing their reflection in the spoon. — Ah! I'd rather eat with my hand. — But, madam, these are noodles. — Oh, what does it matter? I love eating noodles with my hand. Look at me!
Since no woman entered the barber's shop, he now only cut men's hair.
— Tell me, has no woman dared to look into the mirror? — No, sir. — Terrible. How long should I not marry? — What? But why shouldn't you marry? — Well, even I would want to marry a perfect woman. — It's terrible. These qualities are so hard to find. Will I never find a bride?
The Shepherd's Wisdom
— Your Majesty, there is a woman I know. She certainly won't shy away from looking into the magic mirror, but she is a... — Who? Tell me! — Shepherdess. — Emilio, have you lost your mind? A shepherdess to be the Queen of Granada? How dare you? — Why can't a shepherdess be queen? If she has the qualities necessary for a queen, then the fact that she was born into a family of shepherds shouldn't be an obstacle. Remember, Duncan, true leaders often have humble origins. Emilio, go get her and bring her to me.
The Arrival of the Shepherdess
That day, when the shepherdess was to be brought to the palace, was the most anticipated in Granada. Everyone had heard the news, and they all gathered at the palace. Whispers of doubt were heard everywhere.
— How can he marry a shepherdess? I wonder what will happen. What do you mean, a shepherdess?
The shepherdess entered cautiously. She was scared and excited to see so many people gathered at the palace.
— Please, don't worry, my lady. Tell me, aren't you afraid to look into the magic mirror? Are you aware of what will happen to you if you've made mistakes in the past and don't have a pure heart? There will be spots on your face.
Courage and the Truth of the Heart
— I understand, Your Majesty. But I believe it's simply human to make mistakes. We all make mistakes. I'm sure I've made many mistakes and made many bad decisions. But I have learned from my mistakes. I am still learning, and I will always learn. I am not ashamed of my flaws. I accept them. They make me stronger.
Saying this, the shepherdess curtsied before the king and walked towards the mirror. Everyone watched and was filled with amazement. The shepherdess's blue eyes and fair skin looked absolutely perfect in the mirror. She approached the king and noticed that he was looking at her with love.
The Queen of Granada
— Granada has found its queen. — Granada has found its queen!
There was joy in the palace, but then a shrill voice was heard.
— Hold on a minute! I demand to see the mirror right now! I can prove it had no magic in it at all! It's a lie! — A deal is a deal. I gave everyone the opportunity to look into the mirror. But none of you had enough self-confidence to do it. Whether the mirror has magical powers or not no longer matters now. You should have looked into the mirror when you had the chance.
— You are right, Your Majesty. I apologize on behalf of my daughter. — My Queen, I will never forget what you said. We shouldn't hide our mistakes; we must accept them and learn from them. Once we have forgiven ourselves, we can easily accept the mistakes of others and forgive them. Only then will we have a pure heart. And your heart is truly the purest of all. Granada is honored to have you as queen.
The king was happy to have found his perfect bride. The wedding was one of the most lavish ever seen in Granada. People danced and rejoiced that they had found such a strong and generous queen.
The Moral of the Story
As for the magic mirror, no one will ever know if it truly had magic in it or not, for the best magic lies right within our own hearts.
The End.
