The Shoes of Fortune

In The Shoes of Fortune, a series of people who are dissatisfied with their lives put on a pair of magic shoes that grants them wishes. A civil servant who idealizes the middle ages experiences all its inconveniences. A watchman lives the lonely life of his superior and endures a terrifying visit to the moon. The shoes pass from owner to owner until one exhausted wearer who wishes for rest and spiritual freedom dies. Andersen concludes with a quote by Solon: Call no man happy until he rests in his grave.