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Once upon a time there was a poor little girl who was trying to sell matches on New Years Eve. The weather was cold and she shivered in the doorway. Nobody wanted to stop and buy matches from her, nobody saw her bare feet and ragged clothes. When the streets began to empty and the windows lit up from the lamps inside the little girl struck one of her precious matches to try and warm her hands. It seemed as though a glowing fireplace appeared before her. With a little cry, she stretched her frozen feet toward it, but the match went out and the fire disappeared.
With shaking fingers, the girl struck another match. Now it seemed as though she could see through the wall of the house opposite. There was a table piled high with good things to eat, but as she reached out her hands, the match went out and the vision vanished.
With tears in her eyes, the little girl struck a third match. Now she seemed to be inside the room, sitting under a candlelit tree. As the tree's lights faded, the little match girl lit her last match. She saw her beloved grandmother smiling down at her.
"Please let me stay with you for ever!" cried the girl.
At that the old lady gathered her into her arms and carried her gently into the sky. The next day, passers-by found the little girl. She had gone to a better home than any she had had on earth.
