The Most Beautiful Lady

There was once a young girl with a very beautiful heart. She had many admirers but they were all afraid to approach her because she was so delicate. She was polite and bright. The adults were very impressed with her.



Though she was well-looked-up to, she was not content with herself. You see, she longed for people to tell her she was beautiful. Sure they told her she is, but they've always added at the end of their sentences, "You have a beautiful heart".



This frustrated her. She becomes irritated whenever someone says those dreaded words. A part of her beautiful heart started to wither. As she grew older, gentlemen flocked by her side. But even the most sincere admirer commented only about the gold inside of her. This angered her very much and soon, the radiance of her heart seemed to have diminished.



She painted carmine on her lips. Her hair, she wove into elegant braids and embedded fresh flowers and jewels to beautify her locks. She changed her dress into a graceful and shimmery gown that went all the way to her high-heeled feet. As she walked outside, she felt superior to everyone. She saw people in simple peasant dresses and she loathed the idea of them being able to stand such lack of refinement. Her heart, embarrassed, shriveled with shame.



Soon the men flocked around her once again, but they were different from the gentlemen that pursued her. They talked of her elegance and beauty which greatly satisfied her. She smiled as the men endeavored to gain her likings. Years passed and she remained the same. This time, her skin sagged in age. Her hair and jewelry had grown too heavy for her aging body to support.



She lived in a tiny house and dedicated all she had earned,  dancing for money all through the years, in modern cosmetics. No man suited her desire. She longed for something more. She was not content of men telling her of her beauty anymore. She longed for something more profound.



One day, as she stared at the reflection in her mirror, she was horrified. She saw an old woman with sunken eyes with a colourful hue decorating her wizened face. The Beauty that once the men had admired has departed - the Beauty she has long coveted, merely passed by like a vagabond in the inn of her visage. She barely recognized herself. But in the stillness of the moment, she heard a faint beat.



The cruel old woman, as she was now known, closed her eyes and listened to her heartbeat. It was so beautiful, a reflection of her past. A reflection of what was once a lode of gold that was turned into mica. 



"Vanity, vanity, all is vanity" she muttered under her breath staring deeply into the glass.



It was then that her heart gave way, her body stiffened and her breathe no longer fogged up the mirror.