Thursday 16 October, 2008But will they live happily ever after?

It's just like the tale of Cinderella and Prince Charming.

In this real-life story, Prince Charming is a Canadian man named Marc, who met a Belgian woman named Sabine on holiday in Cuba. He liked her a lot. In fact, he must have been besotted, because he evidently failed to get her address, or even her last name, before the clock struck twelve and she ran away home.

Undaunted, Marc discovered 3700 women named Sabine who lived in Belgium and set out to write to them all, hoping that his one, special Sabine would answer.

His epic search caught the attention of a Belgian radio station, which featured his story on the air. Sabine didn't hear it.

But a man who had a sister named Sabine did hear it. He told his sister, and she knew the shoe . . . er, story . . . fit her perfectly.

Impressed by Marc's heroic effort to to find her, Sabine tracked down his business office in Canada and asked for his phone number.

"I was so happy she found me," said our Prince Charming. "She said she is still thinking about me. We had only a very short moment on the phone, but she promised to send me a large e-mail."