Magic Mirror

Once the king of Granada decided that he would get married. The news was first given to his barber. Then to his night watchman and then to all the old women of the city.

The barber told this to all his acquaintances, who told this to all their friends. That night the night watchman told this to all the young girls shouting very loudly, so that they could not sleep the whole night due to happiness.

The old women kept reminding the young girls that the king had decided to get married.

The old women would ask the barber How will the king choose his wife

The barber would answer I will have a lot of difficulty in finding a good wife for the king.

The women would say in surprise Will you Will you choose the kings wife But what will you do in finding the kings wife

To this the barber replied, I am the only man who touches the royal face. And what more than this. I have a magic mirror. If a girl has a very beautiful face but her character is not good, then the blemishes of her character will be visible on the surface of that mirror in the form of blemishes. This will tell what kind of a girl she is.

All the women asked, Is this one of the many conditions for choosing a girl

The barber said, Not many, this is the only condition. Any girl who is above 18 years of age is suitable to marry the king. But all of them should be eligible to become the queen. Every girl will look in the mirror with me and the one whose face does not show any blemish will become the queen of the king.

In this way, this condition was imposed on whoever would become the queen of Grenada and it was told to everyone. It was a very strange thing that no girl came to the barber to see her face in that mirror.

Days and weeks passed and the king still had no clue about finding his wife. Some women even asked some girls to go to the barber and see their face in the mirror but no one had the courage to do so.

The king was very handsome. His subjects also loved him very much. So it was a big surprise that no girl who came to his court wanted to become his wife.

Many girls made many excuses like some said that their marriage was already fixed. Some said that they did not like going to the barbers shop. Some told their friends that they would prefer to stay alone.

Every morning the king would ask the barber if any girl came to see her face in his mirror but the barbers answer was the same that many girls keep looking at how many other people enter his shop but they themselves do not come.

The king said to the barberOh Granada Oh Granada. Is there no girl in this country who can become the kings wife I know that kings of other countries do not face any difficulty in getting married, then why am I facing so much difficulty.

The barber repliedYour Majesty, one thing is possible. There is a shepherd living in the mountains. She can take the risk of looking in this mirror. But will you marry such a lowly girl

The king saidOkay, let that good shepherd come and let her see her face in my mirror in my court.

So the barber brought that shepherd to the court. It was announced in the whole city that a shepherd would be tested in the court today.

Soon the royal court was filled with beautiful women and knights of the kings family. When that shepherd girl entered the court, she was very shy to see herself surrounded by so many rich people.

The king welcomed her with great love and told her that if she wanted to marry him, she would have to look in a magic mirror. If she had ever done any bad deed, this mirror would show the same number of blemishes on herself.

The shepherd girl said Everyone makes mistakes, my lord and I am no different. I have made some mistakes with my flock of sheep but I think they should forgive me for those mistakes because they let me take care of them every day.

Because even if they feel any danger, they run to me for their safety. I love my sheep very much and am always ready to do the best for them.

The truth is that I have no desire to become a queen, yet I have no fear of looking in that mirror.

After saying this, she went towards the mirror and looked in it. Perhaps she blushed on seeing her face.

The other women of the court gathered around her. They saw that the mirror did not show any blemish, so they snatched the mirror from him and started giving it to each other to see their faces.

They kept looking at their faces in the mirror and kept saying Oh look, when we are also looking at our faces in this mirror, there is no blemish on this mirror either. It seems that this is not a magic mirror but just a simple mirror. A trick has been played on us.

The king said O women, you all are right. There is no magic in this mirror, but if you had as much faith in your character as this sheep herder girl who is now going to become my queen has, then you would never have refused to look in the mirror. Now I know that my wife is the best among all of you girls.