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<Hero Stories> One snowy evening, a lonely girl was selling matches on the side of the street.

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Chapter 1: Match Girl

One snowy evening, a lonely girl was selling matches on the side of the street. No one noticed her, much less bought her matches. Moving from spot to spot, she eventually came across a luxurious house. When she looked through the window, she saw a large Christmas tree and several children with their hands full of candy. It all made her think of her deceased grandmother, who had always been gentle with the girl and always showed and love affection for her. After crying for a bit, she moved away from the house and continued to walk until she was far too hungry to continue. With her stomach growling, she entered an alleyway.

She hadn't eaten for a couple of days, and the cold had interfered with her sleep. The girl could barely remember the last time she had filled her stomach and had a night's worth of sleep. Her limbs ached with the cold as she curled up into the corner, cuddled up next to the trash to keep her warmth. Eventually, the cold became unbearable and the girl lit one of her matches.

When the girl struck the match, she found herself sitting by a fire, lounging on a soft couch. Its warmth comforted her, but it wasn't long until the match went out. Surprised, the girl struck another match, hoping to see the fire again. This time, the girl was sitting by a table, filled with all sorts of delicious food. There were plump, roasted chickens slathered with sauce. There were cupcakes, smothered in frosting so fluffy and light they nearly seemed like clouds. There were several types of fruit, each fat and juicy and full of flesh. The girl's mouth started to water as she reached for the chicken, but just as she was about to touch it, the match went out.

Left cold and alone again, the girl wanted to go back to that paradise. She grabbed another match and struck it...

Chapter 2: Sophie and Mice

The third match brought light to the darkness that had fallen. From its light came the figure of the girl's grandmother, smiling at the girl kindly. The girl started to cry tears of joy - her grandmother had died, but here she was again, love and well. At first, the girl hesitated, but then she gave in to the temptation. Her grandmother opened her arms wide, but just as the girl jumped into her grandmother's arms, her grandmother disappeared. The match had gone out. Not wanting her grandmother to leave, the girl kept striking her matches. Her grandmother continued to stay by her side, as long as the matches were lit. However, the girl was never able to hug her grandmother - she always disappeared right before she could. So the girl settled for staying by her grandmother's side. But then, someone tapped her shoulder. When the girl turned, she saw a girl who introduced herself as Sophie.

Sophie invited the girl into her home, an abandoned old hut where she and her three mice lived. Sophie gave the girl some food to eat, and then started to ask the girl questions. Eventually, Sophie learned that the girl's name was Anne and that she was an orphan who made a living by selling matches. However, Anne hadn't managed to sell a single match yet. Feeling sorry for the poor girl, Sophie asked her mice to try and think of a solution for Anne's problem. After a while, the mice came up with an idea - why not turn Anne's matches into fireworks? Fascinated, Anne forgot all about her grandmother and the things she had seen...

Chapter 3: Anne's Misfortune

Anne's matches soon became popular throughout the town. Everyone wanted her matches that would burst into colorful displays of fire. Anne was happy - she could finally afford to buy the things that she could've only dreamed of buying before. Sadly for Anne, Sophie had to leave. Anne begged her to stay - they could live happy lives and Anne would never have to say goodbye to her friend - but Sophie had to refuse. Her stepmother was coming, she told Anne, and she was afraid of being seen by her. Reluctant to let Sophie go, Anne said her goodbyes and continued to run her fireworks shop like always.

One day, an old witch came to visit Anne's shop. She said that the king's birthday was in two days and that she wanted to buy Anne's fireworks so that she could set them off on the king's special day. Anne happily sold the witch all of her fireworks and set off to make more for the rest of her customers. The witch, however, had malicious intentions for the fireworks she had just bought...

The witch sprinkled powdered poison onto the fireworks she got from Anne. On the king's birthday, the witch set them all off.

Everyone was ooh-ing and ahh-ing at first, but then they started to feel sick. Furious, the king searched for the person who had made the fireworks. Anne was arrested and accused of being a witch...

Chapter 4: Anne's Granny

Anne was completely confused when the guards came for her. She had pleaded for mercy, saying that she was innocent, but the guards ignored everything she said and took her to the dungeons anyway. All alone and cold in her cell, Anne searched around until she found a match box. It was funny, in a way - matches were what had brought her here, and matches would be her only company down in the dungeons. At least it was far less cold down in the dungeons than out in the snow.

This time, Anne struck a match because she wanted there to be light. Just like the last few times, Anne saw her grandmother - but this time, her grandmother was cackling like a witch. The laughter became distorted, making it seem like Anne's grandmother was telling her to keep burning those matches. So Anne struck another match. Instead of having her grandmother come out of the light like Anne was used to seeing, her grandmother formed out of the darkness and drifted about like a ghost. Even though her grandmother looked a little scarier than usual, Anne wasn't afraid. After all, it was her grandmother.

Chapter 5: Last Match

Anne's grandmother circled Anne. "Go take revenge!" she howled. "Let them experience what they've done to you - let them see the loneliness of death; let them feel the aching pain in your bones; let them feel the desperation of being abandoned!"

Anne was entranced. Slowly, Anne started to strike her matches. The dungeon caught on fire smothering everything with smoke. Then, the shrieking wind blew the flames to the town nearby. Everything it touched turned to ashes, from the leafless trees to the wooden houses. As the smoke rose higher and higher, the people saw the figure of Anne's grandmother floating amongst the ashes rising into the air. They also saw Anne emerge from the flames, unscathed and smiling. They couldn't believe how they had trusted such a witch, but they couldn't stop her - everyone who came close was burned to death. Anne eventually left her daze...