THE RED SHOES.
They fitted her, and were bought. But the old lady knew nothing of their being red, for she would never have allowed Karen to be confirmed in red shoes, as she was now to be.
Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen.
Henry Altemus Company: Philadelphia. Ca 1920.
Elephant's Picture Book 
Now I think this is a truly scary story. There is a thread of cruelty in all of Andersen’s work, I think. And a lot of sadness.
You are absolutely right about the story – depending on the translation it gets more or less extreme. This is my second Red Shoes post – in the first she went to church in her red shoes – in this version she wears the red shoes to her confirmation! Ouch!
I will look for the Andersen thread – thanks,
Elephant
One I used to really like as a child was the Snow Queen – I think the ice castle idea intrigued me – then I read it again recently. Definitely dark, I thought, although it came out ok in the end, but still…