Although it was quite unusual, it was the gentle sound of ringing bells that finally awoke her. She slowly opened her eyes, curious of the new sound, then tightly squeezed them shut again. It was like the sun was shining directly into her eyes. Still half-drowsy, she blindly sat up from the cool smooth ground.

Finding that the bright light had faded, Katrice opened her eyes again and stared in awe at the ground of crystal on which she sat. She looked down at her clear reflection, gently running her hand against the cool ground.

The ringing was back again. Katrice let her gaze travel upward, and the sight nearly took her breath away.

If the ground was the gentle waves, this place was the whole ocean. Trees towered over her, and as she blinked, she then realized that these were really trees, except for the fact that they were made entirely out of crystal. Multitudes of pink. Purple, and blue tints enveloped this breathtaking sight. Even the leaves, Katrice noticed as she finally stood, were made of the clear crystal; the only difference between the leaves and everything else was that the leaves were a pale green in color, easily distinguishing them from the trees.

A soft breeze tickled her hair, and she shivered as she looked above at the leaves, which were now dangling over her, making a gentle ringing sound as they brushed against one another. They now looked deadly, Katrice realized with wide eyes. These leaves that now looked sharp and pointy could fall at any moment.

Katrice slowly stepped forward, trying to escape the danger she was in beneath the trees. Suddenly, the wind stopped, and everything became deadly silent. Katrice froze in fear, unsure of what to do. Then, in the far distance, she heard a faint twinkling sound, but she somehow knew the leaves weren’t the source.

The sound became louder, and Katrice could make out a tiny figure flying towards her. A trail of sparkles were left behind the figure as it drew nearer, and Katrice finally realized what this creature was.

A tiny fairy, just like the one Katrice had read about in stories, only as big as Katrice’s head, floated in place, its wings slowly beating to keep in airborne. The forest’s colors were quite pale, which drastically contrasted the fairy. It wore bright pink robes trimmed with white lace at the collar and sleeves. Long black hair traveled to her waist, and bright green eyes gleamed as she took in Katrice’s features.

"My, you’re an ugly human," she said in a high-pitched voice, giggling. Katrice blushed furiously, trying to keep her patience.

"Wh-what do you mean?" It was the first time Katrice had spoken since she had arrived in this forest, and she was surprised at how innocent she sounded.

The fairy giggled again and flew past Katrice’s head, over to a nearby tree. "This is a place where all of your desires come to life," she said as Katrice turned to face her. "Anything you want can be yours, but at a price." She placed a tiny hand on the transparent blue tree, which began to glow brightly, illuminating Katrice’s face.

"What kind of price...?" Katrice asked, tugging on a strand of short, thin brown hair. It almost sounded too good to be true; anything she wanted? But at what price...?

The fairy released her hand from the tree, causing the light to fade. She turned to Katrice and smiled. "Well, you’ll just have to figure that out on your own, now won’t you?" She giggled and sped quickly away, leaving a trail of sparkles behind her. "Oh! By the way!" she called out, spinning around. "Don’t believe anything a troll says! They never tell the truth!" And with that, she was gone.

Katrice stood in awe, not able to comprehend what was going on. Anything she wanted that came at a price...? Unconsciously, she began to walk along the smooth trail, her shoes making small clicking noises that rung throughout the forest. Katrice didn’t seem to notice this as she continued to think.

She knew what she wanted, she realized as she looked down at herself. She didn’t exactly have the perfect body that the other girls at school had. Yes, she envied them with a passion: slender, beautiful, always seen with a guy at her side... just once, Katrice wanted to know what it was like. Just once...

She suddenly stopped and looked up, unaware of how long she had been moving. A fork in the road greeted her; both paths looked exactly the same, neither providing the help she needed. She turned to the left and started to walk– and froze abruptly as she looked to the right.

A few yards away from her was a tree, just like the others, except for the fact that a white sign was hanging from it, almost as if it was meant to be there.

Katrice spun on her heels and rushed over to the sign. In huge bold, black letters it read:

Katrice’s eyes widened as she read the sign over and over, then stared up at the tree. It was enormous! How was she going to–

It was then that she noticed something bright and red hanging from one of the branches; very high up, so she couldn’t quite make out what it was.

"I-is that what I’m supposed to get?" she cried aloud. It was so high up, and this tree looked impossible to climb, she realized as she ran a hand over the smooth trunk. She had climbed trees before in her childhood, but this was different. The other trees had bark, perfect for digging her shoes into. These trees had nothing to grab a h old of. And they looked ready to crumble at any moment. She gently yet firmly pressed against the trunk with the palm of her hand, but it didn’t fall over; nothing snapped.

"How can something so fragile be so powerful...?" she wondered. She sighed and stared up at the red object again, which was dangling form what seemed like miles up. Then she narrowed her eyes determinedly. If it was going to make her beautiful... she didn’t even stop to think of how ridiculous it sounded. She wrapped her arms around the trunk and pushed herself upward, her feet struggling to get a grip on the trunk. She lasted only a few seconds before slipping and falling. Standing up, grumbling, she attempted again. This time she was able to stay on, keeping a tight hold on the trunk as she struggled to ascend. Slowly, steadily, she made her way up, her hands turning white because of her tight grip. She didn’t dare look down; it was just like climbing a tree at home, she told herself.

Her arm brushed against something, and she looked up to see a large branch awaiting her. Gratefully, she pulled herself onto it, breathing heavily, and suddenly became aware of how sturdy this crystal really was. Katrice weakly lifted her head, and a glint of red caught her eye. It was merely a few feet above her, and she realized what it was– a huge red apple. The only non-crystal being in this strange place, besides herself and that fairy.

Katrice began to reach her arm outwards, toward the ranch that held the apple. She slowly, shakily stood, keeping one hand on the trunk for support. Her free arm stretched as far as she could go, and her feet gradually scooted closer and closer to the edge. Finally, her hand closed over the branch– and her feet slipped from under her. Katrice’s eyes widened as her other hand flew over to grip the branch. She was dangling over fifteen feet in the air, and her hands were beginning to give out. In a last desperate attempt, she swung her legs upward, wrapping them around the trunk long enough for her to pull herself completely onto the branch.

Making sure she could keep her balance, Katrice leaned back against the trunk, closing her eyes and attempting to calm her racing heart.

‘Is this really worth it?’ she asked herself, slowly opening her eyes. ‘Is it really worth risking my life over?’

Her eyes caught sight of another white sign dangling on the branch near the apple. She very slowly crawled on her stomach, and held up the sign so she could read it:

Now this was quite odd. Climbing a tree to gain beauty, and eating an apple to become thin? It wasn’t making sense. The fairy had said there was a price for all this, but she couldn’t figure out what it was...

‘But,’ she thought as she gently picked the apple from its stem, ‘it’s all worth it.’ She could already picture herself– the perfect girl. Flawless.

She carefully held the apple in both hands, turning it some. Now why was there an apple growing on a crystal tree? And why was there only one...?

She nearly dropped the apple as it suddenly twitched. The bright, juicy red color began to dull until it was now a putrid brown, wrinkled and small. Disgusting as it was, Katrice couldn’t drop the apple, even when a cream-colored worm poked its head out of the withered skin.

"I- I have to eat this?" Katrice cried in dismay. Her stomach churned; she was beginning to regret ever climbing this forsaken tree. Then she thought of what would happen if she did eat this dead apple. Along with being beautiful, she’d have a body to die for as well. She would never have to be lonely again...

Swallowing her disgust and taking a deep breath, Katrice slowly raised the apple to her lips. She could smell the decaying skin now. She closed her eyes, fighting down the bile that lodged itself in her throat, then took a huge bite out of the apple.

The taste was far worse than the stench. It was as if she had taken a drink of sour milk, only much worse. She chewed quickly, trying desperately to keep herself from tasting the vile thing.

Little by little, bite by bite, Katrice finally finished the entire apple, and she threw the core down hastily. It hit the crystal ground with a loud smack, the force of it vibrating up the tree and through Katrice’s bones. A loud cracking sound was heard as suddenly the trunk split into two, and both pieces began to fall in opposite directions. Katrice screamed as she braced herself for the impact. She jumped off the branch just before it hit the ground, and she was sent tumbling a few feet away.

The tree hit the ground with a loud crash, and it shattered on impact, sending tiny pieces of crystal everywhere.

Katrice landed hard on her back, and she shielded her face with her arms as the crystal shards flew toward her, grazing her skin. She wasn’t sure how long she lay there; it was probably no more than a few minutes. She slowly sat up, gingerly rubbing her cut-up arms. The apple core lay next to her, and she angrily brushed it away. Her nerves were shot now; she couldn’t stop shaking.

"I have to learn to be more careful," she told herself, shakily standing. The remains of the tree were scattered everywhere and crunched under her feet as she walked. She looked down at her reflection and stopped abruptly. She looked exactly the same; nothing had changed, even after all she had went through. A sudden pain shot through her chest as she realized how vain her attempts were. Tears welled in her eyes, and she brushed them away as her vision began to blur.

"I need to get out of here," she said softly, her head twisting to look all around her. "How do I get out of here?!"

A loud cackling made Katrice jump. She spun around to find the source, and saw the ugliest thing she’d ever seen, sitting on a crystal bridge. This creature’s wrinkled skin was a dark brown, and it hung off the bones, almost like clothing, which the creature wore none of. It was almost completely bald, save for a few patches of matted black hair. Cold dark eyes stared at Katrice so intensely that chills ran down Katrice’s spine. The creature grinned, revealing no teeth; only gums. Katrice cringed, and jumped when the creature lifted a tiny hand, beckoning her. As if under a spell, Katrice slowly walked over to the hideous beast, her troubles forgotten for the moment.

A small sign was posted on the bridge next to the smiling creature. It read in large, bold letters:

A tear ran down Katrice’s cheek as she stared at the waiting creature before her. She had to kiss this.. thing? She shook her head and glared at the creature.

"What makes me think I shall get what I want?" she cried. "Twice now, I have done the most gruesome of things to get what I most desire, and it hasn’t happened yet. What will make me believe that you’ll be any different?"

The creature slowly stood, and Katrice stepped back. It was even more hideous standing up. "Dear child," it whispered in a raspy voice. "Do not be tempted to give up. Who said the test was over yet?"

"The.. test?" Katrice narrowed her eyes. "What kind of test?"

The creature smiled again. "You know there is a price to pay for what you ask for. The tasks you have done were tests to see if you were worthy enough to receive what you wished for."

"And have I passed the test?" Katrice’s heart leaped. If what this creature was saying was true, then there was still hope. She could still be beautiful....

"The test isn’t over yet." The creature winked. ‘I am the final test."

Katrice cringed. "And will I get what I want?"

Another toothless grin appeared, and the creature cackled. "A troll never lies, my child."

The fairy’s words now hammered themselves into Katrice’s mind: "By the way! Don’t believe anything a troll says! They never tell the truth!" Katrice was now faced with a perilous decision– to believe the troll or not? Her head began to spin with the confusion of it all. And then a picture of herself flooded her mind; she was popular, just like she wanted to be. Her face was perfect; no blemishes. She could wear much smaller clothes now. Only in her dreams could she be that thin. And she saw herself with a guy... a very good-looking guy, to boot. All that could be hers, if she would just finish this last test....

Taking a deep breath, Katrice stepped forward. She had made her decision. The troll smiled– whether it was a kind or evil smile, Katrice couldn’t tell– and stood perfectly still, waiting. Katrice closed her eyes and gently kissed the troll’s cheek, trying to ignore the rough texture under her lips.

"No, no, no," the troll cried, grasping Katrice’s shoulders. "It has to be on the lips!" And with that, he kissed her fully, his hands still tightly gripping her. Katrice struggled to get away, her eyes squeezed shut, but she reminded herself why she was doing this, and let herself relax, although only slightly. The troll finally pulled away from her, cackling insanely and jumping up and down.

"You have passed the final test!" he cried, flashing another toothless grin. "It won’t be long now!"

Katrice couldn’t help but smile as well. She was finally given a chance to receive what she had been wanting her entire life– a chance to be liked. At this exact moment, she didn’t think of how she got here, or how she was going to get out of here; she could only think of what she was going to become.

Suddenly, her hands began to tingle. This sensation traveled all throughout her body, making her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

"I-it’s working!" she cried. She could feel her skin tightening, growing smaller; she was actually becoming thinner! Laughing, she felt her face begin to change as well; its features were contorting into something beautiful, she was sure. It didn’t hurt either, surprisingly; just the same tingling feeling her whole body was experiencing.

The troll smiled as he saw what was happening. With a small cackle, he disappeared into the midst of the crystal wonderland.

Suddenly, Katrice started to feel dizzy. Her mind began to spin violently, and she tightly gripped her head. She fell to her knees, now feeling very nauseous. All of a sudden the warm, tingly feeling turned into blinding pain that shot throughout her body, making her cry out in agony. Her blood turned to ice; she was so very cold... and she was growing thinner every moment. All she could muster was a weak "Help" before everything went black.

The forest was quiet again. There was no breeze now, the fairy noticed as she floated through the crystal beauty. Now, where did that girl, go...?

Something bright caught the fairy’s eye, and she flew upward toward one of the higher branches. A bright red apple hung from the branch, glistening in the faint sunlight. The fairy smiled, as this apple was much better-looking than it had when that ugly girl arrived. She looked closely at the stem.

"Now how could anything so skinny hold up that huge apple?" she wondered aloud. "And such a pretty crystal, too... I wonder how that happened?" She giggled as if she knew something this echoing forest didn’t. She then flew away, leaving a trail of light sparks behind her.