From Best Loved Fairyland Tales Published in 1999
Synopsis
Cordelia lived in the most beautiful house in town. She could be found dressed in lovely outfits playing with her dolls or piano.
Polly also lived in the house but in the basement as Polly’s mother was a chambermaid who worked hard to keep the beautiful house clean. Sometimes Polly would help her mother and see Cordelia’s beautiful clothes and toys. When she went back to her room at night she would dawn these things hoping to one day be able to afford them.
One day a new mirror was delivered to Cordelia and the old one was to be thrown out. The maid handling it asked Polly if she would like the mirror. Of course she accepted as it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
Polly took the mirror back to her room and began to polish it. He image changed in the looking glass. Her rags were replaced with fine clothes and her room was placed with a lavish ball. The mirror spoke to Polly.
“I am the Mirror of Dreams. Whatever your heart desires most will be reflected in my shiny surface.”
Polly spent her days dreaming in front of the mirror. She couldn’t imagine why Cordelia would get rid of such an amazing mirror. After some time, Polly began to grow tired of dreaming. She found that she preferred her real mother and their life over the dream version. She too decided to get rid of the mirror. However, when she went to throw it away the mirror showed her playing with other children. She realized at this moment that what she dreamed of the most was a friend.
The mirror told Polly that Cordelia’s dream was to also have a friend. Someone to spend time with her who liked her for her and not the things she had.
Cordelia saw Polly discarding the mirror. Polly told her that they shared the same dream. From that moment on Cordelia and Polly became great friends. Both girls got what they truly desired.
The End
Lessons & Takeaways
It is Better to Live in Reality
Both girls were able to use the mirror to live out anything they could dream of. In the end, nothing they imagined could make them happy because it wasn’t real. They eventually had to look away from the mirror and go back to their lonely reality.
Only when the two girls look into themselves do they realize that their greatest dream can be achieved in real life. Their solution to their loneliness was living in the same house with them this whole time.
When this story was written, the author couldn’t have imagine the hold that technology now has on us. Most days each and every one of us doom scroll on our phones watching videos of people living lives we wish we could live. Our phones are the mirror. We can ask it to show us anything we could ever dream of but in the end it just makes us feel bad. Living in reality and making human connections is what will ultimately bring you happiness.
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