The Cobbler's Crystal
Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Zephyria, lived a humble cobbler named Ewan. He crafted the shoes for the townsfolk diligently each day and had a peaceable life, despite poverty. His only child, a beautiful and headstrong daughter named Isha, was his pride. Ewan dreamed of giving Isha a fate better than his own, a fate where she wouldn't have to rely on the frivolity of material things.
One day, while working on a torn leather boot, Ewan found a peculiar looking stone cocooned inside the sole. It was a dazzling ruby red crystal, radiant and mysteriously alive. Ewan decided to keep it for himself out of curiosity and found that the stone was an object of extraordinary power. It had the ability to grant anything the holder desired. But as always, power came with its price. The holder had to pay a dear personal cost.
Meanwhile, Isha was enthralled by the glamour of the Queen's ball. Determined to experience firsthand the splendour she had only heard tales of, Isha wished for a night at the ball. Seeing an opportunity to fulfill his daughter's dream with the crystal's remarkable power, Ewan begrudgingly sacrificed his sight to the stone. Isha was transformed into a dazzling belle, complete with a stunning gown and golden carriage.
Arriving at the castle, Isha was swept off her feet by the dashing prince. Her beauty and grace captured the attention of everyone, especially the Prince's heart. However, as midnight approached, Isha abruptly left the magical night behind. Unknowingly, the Prince had fallen for her and was determined to find the beautiful stranger. He vowed to marry the woman who fit the glass slipper left behind by Isha in her haste.
Meanwhile, Ewan was grappling with his newfound darkness. The world he once knew was now shrouded in obscurity. His dreams of a better life for Isha now seemed pointless when he himself had become a liability. Almost drowning in regret, Ewan discovered that he had no longer any reason to touch the crystal, for fear what else it would yet demand from him.
Back at the castle, the Prince travelled the kingdom, making every maiden try on the glass slipper. When he finally arrived in the simple abode of Ewan and Isha, and Isha emerged in her usual homespun fabric outfit. She tried on the slipper, it fit perfectly. The prince recognized her, not from the glamour and grace, but from the richness of her heart and the familiar gaze in her eyes. He proposed to her immediately, to which Isha, who had been smitten ever since the ball, agreed wholeheartedly.
Following Isha's departure to the castle, Ewan lived alone, supported by the townsfolk who were grateful for the shoes he had once crafted for them. Though he was blind, he found a new sight, one untouched by the world's superficial beauty.
In the castle, Isha discovered that the Prince she had married, loved her not for the pretend princess on that one night but for the simple girl from the town, the cobbler's daughter. The wealth and prosperity did not change her.
In the end, the cobbler's sacrifice did provide a better life for his daughter, but not in the way he had imagined. Ewan's tale is fondly remembered and passed on, not as a mere story, but a lesson on the destructive allure of power and the virtue of simple living.