Shoes of Fortune, The

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 the 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."