My bedtime story

Many years ago, in a magnificent and very calm place, there was an amazing city, the City of Beauty. Every year, the people who lived in that city held a competition – they chose their queen – the most beautiful girl. That is why, since early childhood, mothers taught their daughters how to make their skin silky, eyelashes long and dark, and hands white and elegant.
The next elections very already very close, and all the girls were preparing for it very hard. But it was obvious; the main prize would go to Salamandra, a very beautiful young girl with long flame-red hair, small feet and big green eyes. She was the best in dance and singing as well.
- I don’t understand why everybody is so sure that Salamandra will win? – said Betty, the best girlfriend of Sal, to the other girls.
- I don’t think she has something special, - replied the other.
- Moreover, something could happen to her before the performance. For example, she could break her leg and she will not be able even to move, - added the third one.
Yes, it was clear, everybody envied Sal.
Some hours before the “main event” all the girls came to Salamandra to help her to choose a dress for the evening. It was not easy, and soon everybody felt very tired.
- Oh, my lovely girls, don’t you want some tea with a cake? – asked Sal.
- Tea? No, it’s too hot. Moreover, now it’s much more fashionable to drink lemonade, - replied Betty in a very sweet voice.
- OK, I will get some lemonade from the room that is downstairs, - cheerfully answered Sal.
In two minutes, when she was climbing down the stairs, she felt somebody push her strongly in the back and she fell down. She started to shout:
- Girls!!!! Please, help me!!!! I can’t stand on my feet!!! Please!!! Somebody!!!
But nobody answered.
The rest of the day, she was crying bitterly. Just in the evening, when her parents came home, they found her on the stairs with a broken leg.
I should have said that there were no doctors in the City of Beauty, and nobody knew how to treat broken parts of a body. And as Salamandra couldn’t move normally anymore she was sent away from the city. It was a law.
Lonely, hungry and with a terrible pain in the leg, Sal was walking without any idea of where to go. When she could barely move and take a step she fell to the ground and lost consciousness.
Nobody knows how much time passed. When Sal woke up she saw many men around her.
- Who are you??? Don’t touch me!!! – She shouted scared.
- Don’t worry girl. We are from the City of Gone. We will take you with us and you will recover soon.
Salamandra didn’t have any other choice and she obeyed.
With a time, she even liked her new life. There were no beautiful people, but everybody had their trade and work. Somebody was making vases, another was gardener, the third one was preparing medicine.
One day, Sal walked with her new friend Chris in the forest, and they saw a small guy without one eye. He told them a story, that there was no water and food in the City of Beauty, people are dying, the new queen Betty had closed in the castle with some of her friends and hadn’t let anybody else enter. When Sal heard that, she felt very sad. She decided to help the people in her native city. She took a lot of food and water, some of her new friends joined her and in 2 days they were already close to the City of Beauty. The main door of the city was closed, the best masters tried to open it, but without any result. People from the city started to join Sal and her friends, though their queen wouldn’t let them it. One sunny day, Chris told Salamandra:
- I would like to know the master, who made that door! Nobody can open it!
Suddenly, Salamandra remembered words that she had heard the first day in the City of Gone.
- Real master can’t do their work badly!
As soon as she said it, the door opened.
Some years later, the City of Beauty became a big trade center; people lived very happily and enjoyed their life, because now they had everything. Just poor Betty is till closed in the castle.