When the word spread around that there was to be a grand gathering of all mirrors, the kingdom crackled with excitement in the air. Everyone was talking about them and each had his or her own favorite to win the honor.

When the big day finally arrived, people began to gather in the kingdom square. They walked among the gathering of mirrors to see for themselves who was best. As the festivities began, one mirror, it was seen, would answer in poetry when you asked it a question. Another mirror had a built-in doorway to a different world.

Other mirrors claimed to be the best also. The gang of Fun House mirrors were boasting loudly that they could make the viewer appear fat or thin or distorted in different ways. They thought they were the best.

In one strange case, a stream wound through the Kingdom square. It claimed to be the best because it had caused a greedy dog, standing on its little bridge, to drop its food and try to grab the food in its reflection. The greedy dog, of course, lost its food in the stream.

But near the end of the festivities, it was finally decided that the best of them all were the barber shop mirrors. Those mirrors were judged to be the best because they could show the front and back of the viewer and their images stretched out to infinity. Everyone had to agree. They were the best.