The Story of Modesty and Conceit

1. The Story of Modesty and Conceit By Jodi Day

2. Modesty 1. freedom from vanity, boastfulness, etc. 2. regard for decency of behavior, speech, dress, etc. 3. simplicity; moderationModesty: . • Conceit 1. an excessively favorable opinion of one's own ability, importance, wit, etc.

3. Once upon a time, there was a girl named Conceit. Conceit was very enamored with herself. When she gazed in the mirror, she was proud of her flawless skin, beautiful eyes, and long luxurious hair. She looked like a Princess and she knew it. Conceit thought of herself as the prettiest, funniest, and smartest girl in her village.

4. Across the village from Conceit lived Modesty. Modesty also had beautiful eyes, skin, and hair, but she did not spend any time thinking about these things. Modesty spent her time taking care of her family, spending time enjoying nature, and making friends. Modesty enjoyed painting, reading, and spending time with her loved ones. She had a pure heart and good intentions toward others.

5. One Day Queen Toomuchtimeonmyhands announced that she was sponsoring a Beauty Pageant at the Castle Royal. Each contestant was to model a beautiful gown, demonstrate a talent, and answer one question. The winner would receive gifts and gold for herself and her family.

6. Immediately Conceit was determined to win this contest. She did not think any of the girls in the village would be able to hold a candle to her beauty. She whined to her parents, Superficiality and Shallowness, that she needed a new dress and accessories. She did not think for one minute that she had any competition.

7. Meanwhile, Modesty gave the pageant almost no thought. It never occurred to her to enter, because such recognition (for beauty) was not important to her. Her friend, Practicality, encouraged her to enter. “Think what this could do for your family, Modesty!” Modesty did like the thought of what the winnings could do for her family.

8. On the day of the Pageant, Conceit put on her beautiful gown, and went confidently to the palace. As she passed by Lovely, Breathtaking, Pretty, Cute, Attractive, and Adorable, she turned up her nose at them. “I am definitely the fairest of them all.” During the gown review, Conceit paraded around the stage as if it was built simply for her. For the talent portion of the evening, Conceit shared her life story. (No one was impressed.)

9. Modesty had to wear her best dress, which was clean and well fitting, but certainly was not a ball gown. When it was her turn to walk the stage, she shyly made her way across. For the talent competition she shared the paintings she had made of her friends and family. “I see such beauty in others,” she explained, “and they inspire me to paint.”

10. Finally it was time for the question and answer session. Conceit was asked, “What is your most prized possession?” She did not hesitate before she answered, “My luxurious blonde hair! No one in this village has hair as pretty as mine!”

11. Modesty’s question came next. “If you had to choose one word to describe yourself, what would that word be? Explain.” Modesty answered, “Blessed! I have the most wonderful family and friends, and live in such a beautiful world of nature. I am lucky to have all that I do.”

12. It was the end of the evening. All the contestants were lined up and waiting for the winner to be announced. The Queen stood. She said, “We’ve heard and seen many things this evening. However, one girl stood out from the rest. Ironically, she stood out because she was not trying to stand out. For her simple love of life and her genuine nature, I declare the winner……Miss Modesty!” Modesty was overcome with joy, and Conceit burst into tears and ran from the room.

13. Moral of the Story • Beauty comes from within.

14. The End