When Karen was very small her mother died and little Karen was left all alone. One day, a rich, old woman who was driving by in a big old-fashioned carriage saw little Karen playing on the street. She took an instant liking to Karen and felt very sorry for her when she heard about Karen’s mother’s death.
Adoption
She decided to adopt Karen. She took little Karen to her magnificent home.
The old woman treated Karen like her own daughter. She was given beautiful clothes to wear and delicious food to eat. Her new mother also taught Karen to read and write.
Karen should have been very happy in her new life but she was not. She had become very vain.
Red shoes
Karen wanted a pair of red shoes like what the princess of the country wore. At first, her mother refused to buy her the pair of red shoes but finally, she relented and bought them for Karen.
All Karen could think of was the new red shoes.”
I shall wear them to church and everyone will admire them” declared the vain little girl.
In church, Karen was very busy thinking about her red shoes and watching how people admired her red shoes. She forgot her prayers and devotions.
Dancing shoes
Once the church service was over and Karen came out of the church the red shoes began to dance by themselves. They danced and danced and Karen could not take them off.
“Please help me, stop the shoes dancing” wailed Karen but neither Karen nor the people around her could take off the dancing red shoes.
The red shoes led Karen a merry dance over hills, valleys forests, villages and cities.
They finally reached the house of a carpenter.
Wooden feet
“Please help me” cried Karen to the carpenter. “Cut my feet off with the red shoes”. The carpenter did as he was told and the red shoes danced away by themselves.
The carpenter was a kind man and he made Karen a pair of wooden feet. 
They were not as good as her real feet but she quickly got used to them.
A priest in a neighbouring village gave Karen a job as his housekeeper. She worked very hard and faithfully said her prayers every night. But, whenever, Karen tried to go to church the red shoes appeared in the doorway and kept dancing not allowing Karen to enter the church.
One day while she was working Karen suddenly said aloud to herself, “Oh, why did I become so vain”? I should never have made my mother buy me those red shoes”.
No sooner had Karen said this an angel of the Lord appeared before her. The angel carried Karen to the church and gave Karen her own feet again. It was a miracle and Karen realised that God had forgiven her.