Elizabeth's Beauty - A Faust Legend | Teen Ink

Elizabeth's Beauty - A Faust Legend

November 9, 2011
By SamanthaMichaels BRONZE, Lawrenceville, Georgia
SamanthaMichaels BRONZE, Lawrenceville, Georgia
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Elizabeth Foster walked amongst her town as nothing but a repulsive being to all those who surrounded her. She walked the street taunted and harassed for her hideous looks everyday of her life, taking endless lashing of verbal abuse from anyone who laid eyes on her. The common people cursed her name and her family’s name as an ongoing source of amusement; sometimes, they would even resort to throwing rocks which struck her with great force. Her eyes were cocked and her teeth were chipped as black spots festered on them. Her backside was hunched while soars and lumps grew from it. Her skin was pale, dry, and visibly unhealthy. However, her smell was the worst. She reeked as if she regularly swam in human stool. Even the two people who raised her could not stand her horrific hygiene and odor. Elizabeth saw this as God’s fault for causing her pain. Constantly, mortified and bruised both physically and emotionally, her hatred for those around her augmented and dark thoughts snuck upon her.





The woods were her resting place; a place where no person could mock her and as she thought of her triumphant day of retribution. Elizabeth’s soul was ominous and ran wild with cold thoughts. She trotted in the forest along the swampy slough and the warm mire, which would possible explain her odor. Every day, she sleeps under a massive tree and dreams of the day she will be the most beautiful in the entire world. One day, she awakes to be exposed to a light that shined brighter than the forest around her. She wiped the dirt from her eyes and squinted to get a better look. There within the light she saw a woman. This woman’s beauty was far from what Elizabeth had ever seen. ?



She turned her head away, ashamed of her of own appearance. This woman saw Elizabeth and walked towards her through the grimy forest pathway. “Do not turn your head away child.” She said softly. Elizabeth peeked to her, “But you should not dare come before me; I am repugnant being.” This woman smiled at Elizabeth, “There is no reason for you to be this gruesome. I can give you what you want.” Elizabeth turned her head, but still hid her face. “How can you do that?” She grabbed Elizabeth’s hand, “I can do anything you want. You just have to promise me your soul.” “You can make me beautiful?” “I said anything, didn’t I?







Elizabeth jumped up and shouted,” Yes, I want this.” The woman stood up straight and said, “Done!” They shook hands and immediately Elizabeth could feel a change. She looked down to her skin. It was as clear as the sky. She peered into a murky puddle just enough to see how beautiful she had become. Her hair was long and golden as it flowed in the air. Her back was no longer hunched and her teeth were as white as pearls. She had received what she had wanted for so long. She dashed through the swampy forest and headed straight for the town for all the people to see her. Once she walked into the town, all eyes were on her. Men became infatuated and women became jealous. Everyone asked about whom she was but no one recognized her enough to know it was Elizabeth. She thought to herself, “They think I’m beautiful. This is amazing.”





As the days rolled on, she was given flattering statements on her looks, her hair, and her smile. Everything she was originally mocked for, she was now being envied for. Endless amounts of men approached her asking for her hand in marriage. Woman cursed her, still hating her, but only because she was stealing all the men’s hearts away. She thought to herself, “I will never get use to this. I’m so happy now.” She filled her heart with pride and before she knew it, she was scorning other that did not share her beauty. She started to become exactly what she hated and she cherished it.






This pride consumed so much of her judgment that she would throw stones at people passing by, chanting nothing but how beautiful she was. It was her idea of pure vengeance. She neglected her church teachings and refused to go anywhere with God around her. People would walk into town and she would walk as if she were the Queen, prancing around without a care towards anyone but herself. One day, an elderly man who had long past his prime staggered into the town. He was on a cane and had a hunched back with ugly gray hairs everywhere except his head and face. Elizabeth saw this as a golden opportunity for her to have fun mocking the elderly and ugly man. She threw giant rocks at his decaying and fragile body. Elizabeth chanted, “Oh how ugly you are! You can barely stand by yourself, you hideous old man!” The old man angrily replied,” Wicked child! You will pay for your sin!” Elizabeth speaking from her pride shouts loudly,” Not even the Devil himself could punish me!”





At that moment, a trotting of horse hoofs is heard; the sound of chains jangling ring throughout the town. A man or woman dressed in all black and eyes as red as blood come to collect the soul of Elizabeth Foster. They run upon her side and wrap the chains around her body. The horse speeds off, dragging Elizabeth’s body with it. Her body and face are ripped off by the ground and the friction upon her body. She becomes as hideous as she once was. After that moment, Elizabeth was never seen again by the townspeople. Everyone began to speculate that she gave her soul for that beauty and that her soul was now resting in h*ll.


The author's comments:
This was a project for Language Arts

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