The Girl with the Almond Eyes

“Daddy, have you seen my new classmate?” asked Meg when she showed up at the school gate. “She’s got such strange eyes!” She looked at her father, her light blue eyes wide open.

“Strange eyes? What do you mean, Meg?” asked her father as he took the backpack from her shoulders so that she could walk lighter.

“You know, they're... different. My friend Tommy said... hold on... He called them… slanted?”

“I see,” said her father, smiling. “So, she’s got almond eyes!”

“Almond eyes?” Meg didn’t understand. Well, she knew what almonds were: the sweet brown nuts that her mother added to cakes. Or snacks she sometimes had with fruit.

“If you want, I can tell you more about almond eyes," offered her father.

It was beautiful outside and they were in no hurry, so they both sat on a park bench.

“Long ago, every person could choose what they wanted to look like. They could choose their hair, eyes, nose... In short, if you wanted new ears for your birthday, you could go to the store and get a pair.

There was once a girl named Lin, who adored almonds. Her parents had a huge almond orchard. They grew the most delicate almonds far and wide: large, golden brown and delicious. And it occurred to Lin she wanted exactly the same almond brown eyes. And not only that. When the salesman asked her in the store to draw her dreamy eyes, she gave them the shape of her beloved almonds.

Of course, it took a while for such eyes to be created, but they finally managed it. Lin was very excited. And what happened when she showed them to her classmates at school? The factory couldn't keep up with making them. Almond eyes were hugely successful. Everyone liked the…