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Description
Her little feet pounded rather heavily upon the earthen path she was racing down, every now and then leaving a small wet dot on the ground. The mountain scenery held nothing consoling for her today; in fact, she didn't even notice it. Her mind was a-swirl with emotions and the voices of other people.
"You need to grow a heart," her teacher had said.
"Stop acting like a princess," her friends had told her and walked away.
And the most prominent, and unknown, voice of all: "For the future let those who come to play with me have no hearts."
She dashed around a bend in the path and, her view swimming with tears, tripped over a huge stone, falling to the ground, bruising her knees and hands. She didn't have the strength to get up again, instead let her head sink to the earth, resting her forehead against it. Her hair spilled around her head like a halo of faded gold, her small legs were hidden beneath the new pink skirt. The girl cried.

Three days ago her twelfth birthday had bought doom upon her.
The night before Nicci had found it difficult to go to sleep, lying in her bed eagerly awaiting her birthday with all the presents and cake to come. When she finally fell into an uneasy slumber, the girl had a strange dream.
She was at a huge palace, surrounded by dark skinned, elegant children. She herself wore a fine dress of grey satin, embroidered with silver and pearls. Together the children entered a dark room to find something, or someone, lying in front of a mirror, groaning and writhing like an animal in pain. It turned out to be a dwarf, a monster with strangely grown extremities and a distorted face. Still, it was human.
To her own surprise, Nicci felt amused rather than sorry for the strange creature as she watched it cry at her feet. She and the other children laughed and applauded as the dwarf sobbed and beat the ground with his malformed fists, then gave a lurch and was silent.
Men appeared, one of them kneeling beside him, feeling the heartbeat of the dwarf. Then he bowed to Nicci, calling her a princess and saying that the dwarf was dead.
"But why?" she asked.
"Because his heart is broken," answered the man.
The girl thought about that for a moment, feeling anger at the dead dwarf welling up inside her.
"For the future let those who come to play with me have no hearts," she cried.

Then came Nicci's birthday and a nasty surprise for her parents: Nicci wasn't at all happy about her new mountain bike. For half a year her parents had saved the money to fulfil their daughter's wish and suddenly she had changed her mind.
Just as badly were her friends hit later at school. Together they had bought a ball for her and for them all to play with. But Nicci wrinkled her nose and said: "What makes you think I enjoy playing with a dirty ball? And this one's not even pink!"
After school, her parents had to fetch their daughter and talk to her teachers, who as one complaint about the always-so-nice-and-bright girl suddenly gone all wrong. Nicci didn't care for talk like that, though. Instead, she insisted on going out shopping so her parents could buy her more skirts and things in pink. She had never wanted to wear skirts before.

Another day of school was over and again she had to wait outside the principal's office for her parents to take her home. Her teachers had insisted on talking to them again. The girl sighed and tapped her foot impatiently. She wanted to go out shopping again and she wasn't used to being left waiting for others. It was outrageous.
So was having to go to school, and having to listen to others. Plus, there were those girls she was supposed to be friends with. They were more boys than girls, wearing jeans and sneakers and playing ball during the breaks. A girl like her could not do that! She didn't see why she should want to be friends with those people. Or what was bad about telling them so. Truth should not make you cry.
She sighed again and closed her eyes, dreaming of a better past.

"Nicci... Nicci!"
Nicci opened her eyes.
"What got into you lately? Why did you tell your friends that they're not good enough for you?"
"What...?" she mumbled.
"You need to grow a heart!" her maths teacher said. She had always liked her best.
"But... what happened? What did I do?"
Slowly, panic was rising inside the girl. She had gone to bed before her birthday and now she was at school being accused of things she couldn't remember. Or could she? Faint memories of the last three days tingled at the edge of her mind. Of her parents giving her a mountain bike and then selling it again to buy pink clothes.
"You said you were better than the other girls, you told them to go away. You made people cry. And then you stated in all honesty that you only wanted to play with people who have no hearts! You need to come around, girl..."
"For the future let those who come to play with me have no hearts." Nicci remembered the dream she'd had. She had been a princess. Or had the princess been her?
"I didn't do any of this!" she cried suddenly. But how should the adults believe this? They just stared at her with faithless and angry expressions.
"You should learn to take responsibility for your actions, child. You are twelve years old now, it's time," said her principal sternly.
'This is a nightmare,' Nicci thought. But it felt all too real. Pain and fear took over check on her body and she jumped to her feet. Then she rushed off, into the mountains, to a place of peace...

Description
Her little feet pounded rather heavily upon the earthen path she was racing down, every now and then leaving a small wet dot on the ground. The mountain scenery held nothing consoling for her today; in fact, she didn't even notice it. Her mind was a-swirl with emotions and the voices of other people.
"You need to grow a heart," her teacher had said.
"Stop acting like a princess," her friends had told her and walked away.
And the most prominent, and unknown, voice of all: "For the future let those who come to play with me have no hearts."
She dashed around a bend in the path and, her view swimming with tears, tripped over a huge stone, falling to the ground, bruising her knees and hands. She didn't have the strength to get up again, instead let her head sink to the earth, resting her forehead against it. Her hair spilled around her head like a halo of faded gold, her small legs were hidden beneath the new pink skirt. The girl cried.

Three days ago her twelfth birthday had bought doom upon her.
The night before Nicci had found it difficult to go to sleep, lying in her bed eagerly awaiting her birthday with all the presents and cake to come. When she finally fell into an uneasy slumber, the girl had a strange dream.
She was at a huge palace, surrounded by dark skinned, elegant children. She herself wore a fine dress of grey satin, embroidered with silver and pearls. Together the children entered a dark room to find something, or someone, lying in front of a mirror, groaning and writhing like an animal in pain. It turned out to be a dwarf, a monster with strangely grown extremities and a distorted face. Still, it was human.
To her own surprise, Nicci felt amused rather than sorry for the strange creature as she watched it cry at her feet. She and the other children laughed and applauded as the dwarf sobbed and beat the ground with his malformed fists, then gave a lurch and was silent.
Men appeared, one of them kneeling beside him, feeling the heartbeat of the dwarf. Then he bowed to Nicci, calling her a princess and saying that the dwarf was dead.
"But why?" she asked.
"Because his heart is broken," answered the man.
The girl thought about that for a moment, feeling anger at the dead dwarf welling up inside her.
"For the future let those who come to play with me have no hearts," she cried.

Then came Nicci's birthday and a nasty surprise for her parents: Nicci wasn't at all happy about her new mountain bike. For half a year her parents had saved the money to fulfil their daughter's wish and suddenly she had changed her mind.
Just as badly were her friends hit later at school. Together they had bought a ball for her and for them all to play with. But Nicci wrinkled her nose and said: "What makes you think I enjoy playing with a dirty ball? And this one's not even pink!"
After school, her parents had to fetch their daughter and talk to her teachers, who as one complaint about the always-so-nice-and-bright girl suddenly gone all wrong. Nicci didn't care for talk like that, though. Instead, she insisted on going out shopping so her parents could buy her more skirts and things in pink. She had never wanted to wear skirts before.

Another day of school was over and again she had to wait outside the principal's office for her parents to take her home. Her teachers had insisted on talking to them again. The girl sighed and tapped her foot impatiently. She wanted to go out shopping again and she wasn't used to being left waiting for others. It was outrageous.
So was having to go to school, and having to listen to others. Plus, there were those girls she was supposed to be friends with. They were more boys than girls, wearing jeans and sneakers and playing ball during the breaks. A girl like her could not do that! She didn't see why she should want to be friends with those people. Or what was bad about telling them so. Truth should not make you cry.
She sighed again and closed her eyes, dreaming of a better past.

"Nicci... Nicci!"
Nicci opened her eyes.
"What got into you lately? Why did you tell your friends that they're not good enough for you?"
"What...?" she mumbled.
"You need to grow a heart!" her maths teacher said. She had always liked her best.
"But... what happened? What did I do?"
Slowly, panic was rising inside the girl. She had gone to bed before her birthday and now she was at school being accused of things she couldn't remember. Or could she? Faint memories of the last three days tingled at the edge of her mind. Of her parents giving her a mountain bike and then selling it again to buy pink clothes.
"You said you were better than the other girls, you told them to go away. You made people cry. And then you stated in all honesty that you only wanted to play with people who have no hearts! You need to come around, girl..."
"For the future let those who come to play with me have no hearts." Nicci remembered the dream she'd had. She had been a princess. Or had the princess been her?
"I didn't do any of this!" she cried suddenly. But how should the adults believe this? They just stared at her with faithless and angry expressions.
"You should learn to take responsibility for your actions, child. You are twelve years old now, it's time," said her principal sternly.
'This is a nightmare,' Nicci thought. But it felt all too real. Pain and fear took over check on her body and she jumped to her feet. Then she rushed off, into the mountains, to a place of peace...