The Little Match Girl is the titular protagonist of an 1845 short story, concerning a dying child's hallucinations. On New Year's Eve, a poor girl attempts to sell matches in the street. She is freezing and has few customers but, is afraid to return home empty-handed, where her father will surely beat her. She has nothing to cover her head and has ended up barefoot. She lost one of her slippers and a boy stole the other one. She takes shelter in the corner between two houses and lights her own matches, trying to keep warm.