Karen is a poor girl adopted by a rich woman, who becomes obsessed with a pair of red shoes. Despite warnings, she wears them to church, prioritizing her vanity over devotion. The shoes become cursed, compelling her to dance endlessly. Desperate, Karen begs an executioner to cut off her feet, which he does. The shoes, still dancing with her severed feet, haunt her. She seeks forgiveness, devoting herself to humility and repentance. Eventually, she finds peace in death and ascends to heaven. This is a horribly cruel story, not sure if I will ever buy red shoes again.
“Dance you shall!” he told her. “Dance in your red shoes until you are pale and cold, and your flesh shrivels down to the skeleton. Dance you shall from door to door, and wherever there are children proud and vain you must knock at the door till they hear you, and are afraid of you. Dance you shall. Dance always.”