Match Girl (short story)
"Match Girl" (1995) is a short story by Anne Bishop, published in Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears (edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling. It is a retelling of the 1845 story "The Little Match Girl" by Hans Christian Andersen.
| "Match Girl" | |
|---|---|
| Author | Anne Bishop |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy & Horror |
| Published in | Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears |
| Publication type | Anthology |
| Publisher | William Morrow & Company (US) |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Publication date | December 1995 |
| Published in English | December 1995 |
Plot
A girl is traveling with her adopted family. They abuse her viciously and demand that she sell matches along the road. After a brutal assault, and promises of more, she escapes to another world through the light of the matches.
The girl was poor and offered her matches for sale. The rich passers buys shunned her on a cold wintery night while they all went to a posh party. She stayed alone in the snow, lighting up matches to keep herself warm. Until she died of cold. All because no one would buy her matches or feel for her plight on such a difficult wintry night. The other world she finds through the light of her matches is in her dreams and imagination after the cruel world abandoned her.