A shape moved through the dark streets. It was terrible cold and it was snowing. The shape slowly came closer...It was a little girl. Her clothes were dirty, and she had no shoes. Some time ago she had slippers. Unfortunately, she lost them. Her shoes were once her mother's. But they were so big. One day, when she was running across a street, they fell off. The snow was falling from the beautiful winter sky...It was New Year's Eve.
The streets were almost empty. Everyone was inside their warm homes. The little girl walked in the snow with bare feet. In her hands, she was carrying some matches. Everyday, she went out to sell matches but that day, she didn't sell any. She was so cold but she couldn't go home. When she didn't sell any matches, her father would beat her.
''Oh!...I am so hungry...I want to eat something...and i am so cold too...'', she said. She walked past some houses and through the windows, she could see bright lights shining. Then, she smelled some meat roasting. It was painful to her, she was so hungry. ''I want to eat that delicious meat...'', she thought. ''So many people are spending a wonderful time with their families...They are eating wonderful food....''.
On that terrible day, she found a corner and sat down. She tried to warm herself but she only was like ice. She rubbed her hands together to make them warm, it was useless. ''Ah! The matches'', she remembered. ''Just one! It will make my hands warmer''. She took one match and struck it against the wall. She was amazed. ''Oh, it is so beautiful!'', she thought. She felt the warmth from that one tiny match.
Suddenly, everything became very strange. The little girl was in a new place. There was a large stove in front of her! ''What is this?...'', she asked. ''This stove is so warm, I want to stay here forever!'' She felt the warmth from that wonderful stove, but when she put her hands closer to the stove...in a flash, everything was gone. She looked at her hand, in her hand was the burnt match. She felt very disappointed.
''I will light another match, maybe the stove will come again'', she thought. Again, the match sparked like a diamond in the cold night air. This time was really different, she could see a wonderful room. ''Oh! How wonderful it is!'', she cried out. There was elegant furniture, one the table there was an amazing feast. In the middle was a bid goose....The smell was mouth-watering. The little girl watched all of that, she thought: '' I want to eat the delicious food and sit in the elegant chair...''. But suddenly, the goose rolled toward the poor little girl. She tried to get it,but it all disappeared. There was nothing left but the burnt match.
Without thinking, she took another match and lit it. She wanted to see that wonderful sight again. This time, she was sitting under the most amazing Christmas tree. This scene was too much better than any of the others. She wanted to touch one of the candles. She lifted her hands toward the tree, but all the candles rose higher and higher. The candles became the stars. She watched one of them falling, it made a fiery line the sky. The little girl then thought of her grandmother. Her granny died many years ago. She was the only person who was kind to the little girl. ''A person is dying somewhere'', she whispered. ''Granny tole me that when a star falls trough the sky, the person's soul goes up to the heaven.''
She felt very sad. She missed her grandmother very much, she immediately lit another match. It was brighter than all of the other matches. She watched the center of the light...Slowly, the shape of her grandmother appeared. Her face looked so gentle and kind. ''Granny! She cried out. ''I miss you so much, i am so sad without you. Please take me with you, don't disappear when the match goes out. I don't want you to leave me again''.
Then, the little girl had an idea. She lit the rest of the matches. The matches shone so brightly. The grandmother took the little girl in her arms, the little girl felt safe with her grandmother now. They flew higher and higher into the air. The grandmother took the little girl to paradise. In that place, the girl never felt cold again, she never felt hungry or sad again. She could live happily with her loving grandmother.