Once upon a time there lived an old storyteller. He was two hundred years old, or maybe more, or a little less... Nobody knew. And it didn’t matter at all. The main thing is that he was very, very wise. Every evening a crowd of children gathered around him and he told a new fairy tale. He knew so many fairy tales that they were never repeated. And since he was old and forgetful, he certainly invited one of his listeners to help him, so that he could tell him everything that he had forgotten. Once he told a fairy tale about a little Girl who lived in one big City. - And what are there? girls? – The storyteller thought, raising his eyes to the sky. “Different,” answered the assistant. “And kind, and smart, and affectionate, and friendly, and neat, and caring.” “Yes, yes, this girl was just like that,” the storyteller continued. And her character was friendly and cheerful. God endowed her with various virtues. “But it wasn’t in her character...,” the storyteller thought again... “Self-confidence?” the assistant suggested. “How did you guess?” – the old man was surprised. “That’s what I thought to myself,” the boy became embarrassed. The sage smiled slyly and continued: “They told her about this confidence both at home and at school.” And she lacked this confidence so much that every day she dreamed of acquiring it. And then one day a junk dealer was passing along the street where she lived. He collected old things and gave the children lollipops in return. And the Girl ran home to bring her worn-out shoes to the junk dealer and exchange them for candy. When she brought her shoes and gave them to the junk dealer, he looked carefully at the Girl and said, “Whenever I come to your street, you bring me some things.” Do you like candy that much? “No,” the Girl answered. “I’m just sorry that you’re very poorly dressed, and I want to help at least with something.” “You’re a kind Girl.” For your kindness I want to reward you. Here's your ticket to the circus show. It will take place in the city square. Come, good Girl. There will be a lot of interesting things there. She thanked the junk dealer, took the ticket and ran home happy. At noon she went to the square where the Chapiteau circus stood. Her place was right next to the arena, from where she could perfectly see funny clowns, acrobats, and trained monkeys. But then an illusionist came on stage with his special act. He declared that he could fulfill any wish of anyone who dared to wish for everything possible. The girl wanted to gain self-confidence so much that she ran into the arena first. “What do you want, Girl?” - The magician asked her. - I want to be confident in myself. - You will get your confidence. Only in return you have to give me something. “But I don’t have money with me,” the Girl got excited. “I need something that costs more than money.” “But what?” – she was completely confused. “Do you have a skill or character trait that you are ready to give up without regret?” The girl was so inexperienced that she did not know many of her qualities, no one had ever told her what she was like. And the first thing that came to her mind, she blurted out in one breath: “I’m ready to give empty promises...” “Okay,” the magician said, you will be confident. And he handed her a shiny little box. But as soon as he handed the Girl the box, everything everything around disappeared, and the Girl found herself in the middle of a dark deserted street. She really wanted to look into the box. But it was so dark that there was no way to see the contents. A lone lantern was burning in the distance and she moved towards it. When she approached the light, she again opened the shiny casket. But it was still empty. She believed the magician so much! He could not deceive her hopes! Upset, the Girl wandered towards the house. That evening she fell asleep, barely leaning against the pillow... Meanwhile, while telling a fairy tale, the old storyteller also fell asleep. The children sitting around became quiet so as not to wake the old man. They really wanted to know how the fairy tale ended, but the old man fell into a deep sleep... So they began to slowly.