1800s, Germany

They say the devil made me dance

Until I begged the axe

To make my feet lighter.

They nod their heads and tsk

Behind their teeth

And forget that it was me.

I'm real. Real flesh and blood.

And I still miss the way,

That dancing made things brighter.

And I still dance inside my head,

I still live with lighter legs, even if

A horror story is all they see.

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A/N: I always thought The Red Shoes was one of the most disturbing fairytales, in more ways than one. The most disturbing part, I thought, was the warning.

I wanted to write a verse about how unfair it was for her to be punished for liking pretty things when other groups certainly aren't, but I'm glad the character tapped me on the shoulder and told me she was a survivor, and her focus was on that.