Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who lived on an island in the center of the Lake of the Lovely. This princess lived alone, away from her family at the castle because she had a very important job - to protect her people from drinking from the lake. She worked hard day and night to watch the fisherman and the playing children and the joggers and the hikers and any other people whose activities lured them near the lake. However, many people did not appreciate her work or like her at all.
Everyone knew that the waters of the Lake of the Lovely held a magical secret. Far and wide, it was said that anyone who drinks from the lake becomes more beautiful than ever before during the next full cycle of sleep. Many believed that the princess was evil and worked to guard them from the waters so that she, herself, could remain the most beautiful girl in the kingdom.
One day, a pretty girl named Lucinda came out of the woods and stood by the edge of the Lake of the Lovely. She wanted to become more beautiful so that she could attract the attention of a boy that she liked. She talked and flirted with him frequently, but he was interested in someone else. Lucinda thought she was alone when she kneeled beside the lake until the princess appeared beside her.
"Please do not drink the water, Lucinda. It will not make you happy." Lucinda believed that she would marry the boy if he could see how beautiful she was to become.
"Don't be greedy, Princess. You can't keep all this lake to yourself," said Lucinda. The princess was sad because no one understood her. For the first time in her life, she said, "Okay, Lucinda. I will give you one opportunity to drink from the Lake of the Lovely, but you must listen to me first. There is something that you must know. There are two kinds of beauty - the kind that people see on the outside, the face of it all - and the kind that people must get to know on the inside, the heart of the matter. When a person drinks from the Lake of the Lovely, her outer beauty is transformed to match her inner beauty."
The fair Lucinda did not think twice about the princess's words. She dipped her head into the water and took a great gulp. She then ran home as fast as she could to ensure she would be tired. She jumped straight into bed and slept all night long.
In the morning, Lucinda's mother came to wake her for school but was surprised to find a broken mirror and an angry, homely girl who faintly resembled her daughter.
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