The Story of Penelope

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The Story of Penelope

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Penelope who was born with the snout of a pig. It was the result of a terrible curse put on her family generations before. The curse was cast when a servant girl had a fling with Penelope’s great-great-great grandfather - so the servant girl’s mother (the town witch) announced that the next baby girl born to this family would have the face of a pig, and none but one of her own kind would be able to break the spell and give her a normal nose. But it was not until generations later that a baby girl was granted.
This baby girl was Penelope.

Sheltered by her protective mother, little Penelope would play all alone in her room, making her own friends. After she became a young lady, her mother began introducing young, rich men (of her own kind – wealthy, blue-blooded, etc.) to her, in hopes that one young man would agree to marry her, hence breaking the spell. There was a set-up in her room where she could sit behind a two-way mirror and talk with a young man (but he couldn’t see her). After she had interrogated him long enough, she would show herself to him - and, usually, he would lay eyes on her snout and swiftly run away! He was then legally gagged into secrecy about this poor girl’s curse. Penelope began to just expect this reaction.

One day, a reporter with a wounded ego hired what he thought to be a blue-blooded gambler to meet Penelope and to take a discreet photo of her face — to prove to the public that this girl really was born with a snout. Penelope was surprised when this young man kept coming back day after day — and when she finally allowed him to see her face, he didn’t run.
She and her mother, thinking that he would be able to break the curse, pleaded with him to marry her — but he said that he couldn’t.

Exasperated and frustrated, Penelope decided to run away from home and see all of the things she had never been able to see before – the city, the restaurants, the park – all the while wearing a scarf that hid her nose. Her parents went searching here and there for her, and when they found her, they chased her —

“Penelope! Penelope!”

— and she ran away as fast as she could. When she finally reached the bar on the corner, she collapsed from exhaustion. The people inside removed her scarf and immediately knew who she was (for an evil person had recently let the secret out about the “Pig Girl”). The media grabbed onto the story, and the public fell in love with the “Pig Girl” as though she were a celebrity. She became a public icon.
Then, with selfish intent, a rich young man with a very high social status proposed marriage to Penelope. Not sincerely, of course; he was wincing all the way – just like a spoiled child.
Penelope accepted, knowing that marriage to this man would rid her of her snout and allow her to live a normal life.

On the wedding day, the vows were said, and just as Penelope was about to say “I do,” it hit her.
She came to a stunning realization as she abandoned the ceremony and retreated into her room. Her mother chased her, begging to know what was the cause of this rebellious and irresponsible behavior.
“I like myself the way I am,” Penelope said, half to herself and half to her confused mother, and just when the words left her lips, a most amazing thing happened — she was thrown into the air, and with a great thrust, she hit the floor. As she sat up, her snout was gone! She had a normal nose!

It was only after Penelope decided that she was satisfied with herself that the “curse” was broken. One of her own kind — herself!! What a glorious revelation!

The moral of this story is this — it’s not the power of the curse, it’s the power you give the curse. Be satisfied with what you are. Or else you will be allowing a non-existent curse to rule your life!!

Needless to say, Penelope eventually met up with the handsome young man who had declined to marry her, and they lived happily ever after. He had loved her from the beginning, but he knew he couldn’t break the curse – he showed that he loved her by setting her free. And he was the one she was supposed to love.

The End