The little girl closed her eyes as she stepped into her bedroom. Outstretching her hands, she felt the cold, smooth wood of her dresser in front of her and knew she was facing the mirror. She took a deep breath and wished as hard as she could. She hoped that today would be the day she transformed. Every night, she dreamed that she would become a princess. Everyone knew princesses were beautiful. Long, silky blond hair, tumbling in waves down their backs. Big, sparkly blue eyes. Small upturned noses and cherry lips. Ivory skin.
Please. Please. Please. Please. She whispered inside.
She opened her eyes, and her stomach fell. Nothing had changed. Her skin was dark brown, her hair thick with dark, rough kinky curls. Her nose broad and unwieldy. Ugly. There was no need to look anymore, or wish. She wasn’t a princess. That was the day she threw the blanket over the mirror.
Years later, she removed the blanket. Her breath caught. She was changed. A princess at last. It wasn’t her face or her skin or even her hair that was different. It was her vision that had transformed.
For Story a Day and The Daily Post
Jennifer Terry 
This is lovely!
🙂 Thanks!
she saw her inner princess and let it shine through. really special piece Jennifer!
Thanks!
The last paragraph, most important. Her view of beauty, of a princess has changed; she is beautiful. I was also thinking, you know what about the princess and the frog?
Yes, I used to love that story as a kid. Great movie too.
Yeah I thought of the movie, the princess resembles your character 🙂
If only we could all have a change in our vision to see the truth.
Agreed
I’m glad she realised she can be a princess no matter what she looks like. But it’s sad pop culture still makes little girls believe that princesses are impossibly thin, blonde and white… Somehow I thought, stories like this wouldn’t have to be written anymore in 2016.
I wish they weren’t. I do think things are getting better. Much more than it was when I was a little girl.
Great piece, very relevant to culture today.
Thanks, glad you thought so.