Foibles and Frailty

 Once upon a time there was a little girl who trespassed on the lawn of an evil sorceress. To punish the little girl, the sorceress cursed her with a piercing gaze, that she might always know the inside truth of each person she met.

    Well, inside truths are not always pretty. And the little girl ran afoul of cruel people first. Thus, her curse bore witness to the nasty bits that can be found so easily inside. In fact, so easily do those nasty bits rise to the front of a piercing gaze, that the little girl did not think that goodness could be found in anyone.

    The little girl was both ashamed and proud of her gift. Her foresight to the worst of a person's character kept her from many an ill intent. Her judgments gave her the thickest skin. But her knowledge kept her from kindness and carved her sharp as nails.

    Until she met a little bear whose inside truth held no drops of malice. He had been cursed to see only goodness in others, and so he had been poorly used. And yet, in his hope, he was all sweetness and wonder.

    The little bear saw little goodness in the girl, save for discernment. The little girl saw only the little bear's virtue. And so, each shocked the other into friendship.

    The little girl taught the bear of foibles and the little bear taught the little girl of frailty, until they could both make their way in the world wisely.

    In the end, it was as though neither had been cursed at all.

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