Good evening, everybody! I am Elsa Jane Andersen, great great granddaughter of the legendary Hans Christian Andersen. I'm here to tell you a story, a story that my rabbit Cottontail told me. One about a very special pig named Olivia. When we get to the end of the story, you shall know more than we do now. But before we start, let's get into a comfortable position. Then I shall begin!
Olivia the pig loved pen pals, and she had so many—but none like Patrick Penguin, who, like her, had a big imagination.
But before we get started on their story, we must know about a very mean sorcerer named Pitch Black, who hated the happiness of all mankind. Nothing pleased this sorcerer more than causing trouble with his inventions. One day, Pitch Black was in a good mood, for he had made a magic mirror. But this not a friendly magic mirror. Oh no, it wasn't—you see, everything reflected in it that was good and beautiful appeared ugly and bad, while everything which was already ugly and evil looked attractive anice-looking. This mirror also had the powers to turn good dreams into nightmares!
Pitch Black decided to test it. Lovely landscapes looked like boiled spinach. A rose like a dead flower. Your house like an unwelcoming shed. And even the most beautiful and handsome people were distorted. Kind and honorable people suffered and became repulsive and horrific. If there was a small freckle on the nose, it would be covered with chocolate. If you looked in the mirror, you wouldn't recognize yourself!
"This is my best invention yet!" Pitch Black said. "Now, to raise it all to heaven!" The sorcerer raised the mirror high into the air. "Let all good things bow to the wicked Pitch Black!" he said. However, Pitch Black got struck by lightning, which shattered the mirror into thousands, if not millions of billions, of pieces.
The pieces of evil glass flew all over the world! And even the tiniest bits of glass had the same power as the others. Some of the mirror pieces were made into spectacles, and if one put them on, they'd see only what was bad! Other pieces were so large that they were put into window panes, through which one could only see their enemies. Imagine that!
Some were no bigger than a grain of sand. Should one of those pieces enter one's eyes, that person would only see the things that were cruel and evil in the world, and stop being able to see the things that were good and beautiful!
Some unfortunate people even got a bit of glass in their hearts, and the piece turned the hearts cold like a lump of ice and caused bitterness and despair!
Now, back to Olivia.
