Stepmothers And Glass Slippers (Part VI) Saturday, Jun 2 2012

We’re at the end of our Cinderella Adventure! :( It’s sort of a bitter-sweet thing for me.

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Cinderella was scrubbing the floor of the main hallway, dreaming about the fabulous night with the prince.  She was humming the tune of the first song that they danced to when Lady Tremaine burst through her bedroom doors, each slapping the wall with a loud bang.  “Cinderella!”  She said her name curtly and angrily.  “Come here, now.”

Cinderella slowly rose to her feet and started up the steps.  “Faster.  I want you here now.”  Cinderella ran up the steps quickly now and stood in front of her step-mother, wondering what she did to cause this mood.

“Were you at the ball last night?”  Cinderella nodded her head.  “Speak girl!”

“Yes, ma’am,” Cinderella said shyly.

“And where did you get that gown?  I have never seen that gown before and I haven’t seen it since.  What did you do with it?  Answer me!”  Lady Tremaine had not given her a chance to answer yet, but was still scolding her for not doing so.

“It was my mother’s gown, I was saving it for a special occasion.  And I gave to a charity for I have no more uses for it.”  Cinderella was proud of her lie, and how quickly she was able to come up with it.

“Well, you are to never talk to the prince again.  Do you understand?  If I ever catch you doing so, you will be severely punished.”  Cinderella nodded her head just as there was a knock at the door.  “Go answer that.”

Cinderella flew down the stairs and opened the door to find the short, white-haired man standing in the doorway.  “Why hello there!  Did you enjoy the ball last night?”  Cinderella nodded her head.  “Good, good.  Then you must know of this mysterious woman?  Well, I have here one glass slipper.  And I am looking for its partner.  Whomever can provide this other slipper is to come with me and meet the prince.”

“I have it here!”  But it was not Cinderella who spoke, but rather Lady Tremaine called from the top of the stairs.  In her hands was Cinderella’s glass slipper.  “ANASTASIA!  DRIZELLA!  Come down here now!”  She frantically approached the door.  “This is my daughter’s slipper, and there’s the other one! How perfect!  Thank you for returning it!”

Cinderella was awestruck.  “How did…” she muttered.  But Lady Tremaine hushed her.  Cinderella realized that her mouth was hanging open and she quickly closed it.  The sisters then exited their room, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes.  They were still in their nightgowns.

As they were walking down, the little man looked at their feet.  “Are you sure that these slippers are theirs?  Which one wore them?”  He looked disbelieving, for the girls’ feet were huge.

“Of course they are!  Anastasia, come sit down.  Put your slipper on.”  Lady Tremaine handed the slipper to her daughter and Anastasia looked confused but put it on anyways.

She grunted and curled her toes but there was no way that her monstrous foot was going to fit into Cinderella’s slipper.  Lady Tremaine grunted and snatched the slipper from her.  “Drizella, this must be your shoe.  Put it on for the man.”  Drizella gave her mother a shocked look and took the small shoe.  She started to protest but Lady Tremaine hushed her.

“Look, madam, but I really need to get going.  I don’t know how you got the other slipper but it is clear that it does not fit your daughter’s feet.”  Lady Tremaine gave the man a hard look and he quickly hushed and looked down.  Drizella grunted and tried to push her foot in, but it did not work.

“I can’t do it,”  she huffed.  “They’re Cinderella’s slippers.  She has such small feet, we could never fit into her slippers.”  Drizella looked defeated and Lady Tremaine looked very furious.

“Are you Cinderella?” the little man asked.  Cinderella nodded and asked for the slipper that he was holding.  She easily slipped it on and the man’s face lit up.  “Come with me then!”

“NO!  She can’t go!  She is our maid, we need her.”  Lady Tremaine was growing frantic, desperately not wanting something amazing happen to her step-daughter.

But the man ushered Cinderella out and quickly led her to the carriage waiting for them.  “Oh!  I nearly forgot!”  He turned around and smacked into Lady Tremaine.  She had been holding the other slipper but it was now flying through the air.  “NO!” yelled the man.  But it was too late.  It hit the ground and quickly exploded in a frenzy of glitter.  “What?”

At the same time, the other glass slipper that Cinderella was holding, became a pile of glitter in her lap.  “Witch! This is the devil’s work!  You! You are a witch!”  The little man’s hair was disheveled.  His finger was pointing accusingly at Lady Tremaine.  She was trying to get off the ground from their fall.

“I’m no witch!  The girl is a witch!”  She then pointed her finger at Cinderella.

“Wrong! This woman is an angel and is to be married to the prince.  You, however, are a witch.  And I will see to your hanging when I get her to the safety of the castle.”  He then jumped into the carriage and it took off.

“She’s not a witch.  You can’t hang her, she’s my stepmother.”  Cinderella feared that Lady Tremaine would be hanged because of her mother’s gift.

“Stepmother?  But you work for her!”  The man was astonished and still fueled by adrenaline.

“I never said that she was a good stepmother.  But still, she is not a witch.”

“Then how do you explain the sorcery?”  He questioned, slowly calming down.

“I cannot answer that, but she is not a witch, end of story.”  The little man grunted as they entered the castle gates.

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“Why did you leave last night?”  Was the first question the prince had for her.

“It’s really hard to explain and you probably won’t believe me.”  Cinderella felt very childish, and embarrassed to be in her work clothes.

“Oh, we can worry about that later.  What is your name?  I was up all night trying to guess what it was but nothing seemed beautiful enough to suit you.”  His smile was beautiful, teeth so white, it was unreal.

“Cinderella.”  She had not made eye contact with the prince yet, for she was afraid that he would fall out of love with her.

“Wow, that suits you well!  It’s so beautiful.  Why won’t you look at me?”  The prince ducked to catch her eyes, but she averted them.  “Do you believe in love at first sight?  Because dancing with you last night was unlike anything I had every imagined.  You are so beautiful, and I really don’t understand why you aren’t looking at me.”  His tone was playful and sweet and Cinderella couldn’t help but smile slightly.

Cinderella finally lifted her head and looked into his brown eyes.  They were sparkling with a certain shine that Cinderella could not describe, it was as if he was looking into her heart.

“There you go.  You are so undeniably beautiful.”  He was speaking slowly now, deliberately.  “I love you, Cinderella.  Do you love me too?”

“I… love you, Ryan.  I knew the second I saw you.”  Cinderella was smiling and so inexplicably happy that she could hardly contain it.  The prince’s face lit up and he grabbed Cinderella in one swift motion and they kissed.

Cinderella had never kissed a man before, but had imagined it many times.  However, she had never imagined this.  Her eyes were shut tight, her hands held onto his shoulders, and her lips expertly matched his as their kiss grew from a spur-of-the-moment into a passionate kiss.

His hands were tightly wrapped around her waist and his tongue started to tease her lips.  Cinderella let out a small laugh for it started to tickle, having his tongue trace her lips.  He pulled away and smiled with her.  He bent down onto one knee, never leaving her eyes.  “Cinderella, the love of my life, will you do me the honor and be my wife?”

His palms were sweaty, gripping hers.  They were growing tighter and she gripped his hands as well.  “Of course!” was her reply.  He got back up and they embraced again.

And They Lived Happily Ever After… :)

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Stepmothers and Glass Slippers (Part V) Wednesday, May 30 2012

Finally some prince action!!!  IT”S ABOUT TIME!!  I hope you enjoy this one!  I enjoyed writing this part a whole lot!  And I love to hear your feedback! So don’t hesitate to tell me what you think, good, bad, or anything in between.

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Just like her mother had said it would, the horse took the carriage right up to the steps of the huge building.  Going through the gates was overwhelming enough for Cinderella, and now she felt intimidated by the large white pillars, gold plaited railings, and marble-topped floors.  She slowly stepped out of the carriage and found a hand waiting for her.  She gingerly took the hand as she stepped out of the carriage.

“Madam, you don’t have a coachman.”  He said matter-of-factually but had a rather confused look on his face.

“Just tell the horse where to go and he will get there on his own.”  She gave the man a reassuring smile and he nodded.  He turned to the horse and started to speak to it as Cinderella started up the steps.

She reached the top of the stairs and two men opened the large doors.  The light was disorienting for a second, but she quickly regained composer and found herself at the top of a grand staircase.  A young man approached her and asked for her name and title.  “I don’t have a title.  I’m just a house maid.”

“Well, you are the best dressed house maid here.  Look over there,” he pointed to a far corner in the ball room.  “That’s where the other house maids are.  Do you see?  They came in their work clothes.”  He turned away from her and announced her arrival.  “Now entering, Lady Emily.”  Cinderella was puzzled as to why he chose to call her Emily.  She gave him a confused look and he said, “It means ‘admiring.’  And already everyone here is admiring you.” Cinderella turned to look at the ball room and saw that everyone was staring at her, and she couldn’t fathom why.

She slowly walked down the steps and looked at all of the people, mostly women.  It didn’t take long for her to lock eyes with her stepmother and stepsisters.  Their mouths dropped and a scornful look crossed all of their faces at the same moment.

She reached the bottom of the stairs and was offered a glass of champagne, but refused because she didn’t want her senses impaired tonight.  As she walked across the dance floor the crowd parted until she was face to face with the prince.  His face contorted into a look of shock but was quickly changed into a look of pleasure.  “I’m sorry, but I was in a conversation when you name was announced.  What is it?”  His voice sounded like doves flying in an open field, or like a calm river teeming with fish.

Cinderella stuttered for a second, not sure whether to use the new name or her actual name. Then she looked into his eyes and noticed that they were like a cool glass of water, crisp and refreshing.  Cinderella noticed that everything was perfect about him, even his nose was shaped perfectly, as if he had been chiseled by angels.

“Let’s not worry about that right now,” he gave her a reassuring smile.  “I’m Prince Ryan.  Would you like to dance?”  Little did Cinderella know, but the prince had not danced with anyone yet.  He kept telling his father that he had not found the right one yet and would know as soon as he saw her.  Cinderella carefully took the prince’s offered hand and he looked over at the band who had stopped playing when she entered.

They quickly started up a soft ballad that was very easy to dance to.  For Cinderella, the entire crowd had disappeared, and for the prince, he marveled at how beautiful this woman was. They danced long after the first song was finished, and didn’t stop dancing until Cinderella noticed a heavenly figure in the distance.  “Excuse me, but I need to freshen up. May I use your powder room?”

“Of course!  Just down that hall there.  I’ll be waiting here.”  Cinderella went towards the figure and noticed that it was her mother.

“Mama! What are you doing here? What if someone sees you?”

“No one can see me, my dear.  I just had to watch you.  And I had forgotten to warn you about the gifts.  They wear off at midnight, make sure you leave here before then.  You two look so perfect together!”  Tears were teasing her eyes, and she gave a sad smile.

“Oh mama.  Thank you.  I love you!”  Then Cinderella turned around and went back to the prince.

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When Cinderella turned back to return to the prince, she found him surrounded by women.  The women were trying to woo him with their over-perfumed faces.  One woman looked like she could be Cinderella’s grandmother.  Another woman looked like a clown with the amount of powder and lipstick that covered her face.  Another woman looked like she belonged in a whorehouse.

But the prince was not interested in any of them.  He kept looking around and when he caught Cinderella’s eyes he smiled from ear to ear and pushed his way through the crowd.  “I’m sorry, but they pounce at the first chance they get.  But only wish to dance with you, if that is what you want.”  Prince Ryan’s cheeks were turning a rosy color and Cinderella smiled at his humbleness.

“Of course I want to dance with you.”  She was surprised that she had actually forgotten he was the prince, he had become just another man at a ball to her, but a very special man that she was falling for.

They resumed dancing and Cinderella caught a glimpse of her step-family.  They all were glaring at her and had envy written all over their faces.  Cinderella focused back on the prince and lost herself in his sparkling dark brown eyes.

Then the inevitable happened: the grand clock struck twelve times.  “Oh no,” muttered Cinderella.  “I must go.  I’m terribly sorry!”

“Wait, you can’t just leave!  We’re having a great time! And I don’t even know your name!”

Cinderella ran up the steps that led to large doors.  The two men quickly opened them and Cinderella slipped out before the prince could catch her.  As she was running down the marble steps she slipped and fell down.  She quickly jumped up and found her horse waiting without the carriage.  She gracefully jumped onto the white horse and yelled for him to go.  As soon as they took off Cinderella’s white gloves vanished in a plethora of glitter.

As the horse dashed through the gates Cinderella’s dress started erupting in a cloud of glitter.  It didn’t take long for the horse to make it back to Cinderella’s home and by then Cinderella’s entire dress was gone, all she had on was the shredded gold dress.  Cinderella got off the horse and thanked him, then he too became a shimmering pile of glitter.

As Cinderella was admiring the pile of glitter on the ground she noticed one item that had not returned back to its normal state: her glass slipper.  However, there was only one, she must have lost one when she tripped on the stairs.  “Great,” she thought.  “Well, at least the prince will be able to keep a souvenir of our night.”

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Stepmothers and Glass Slippers (Part IV) Saturday, May 26 2012

Now it starts getting really good!  This is the part that I have been jumping up and down to write!  :D

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Cinderella was gazing at the floor as she daydreamed about the upcoming night.  She pictured herself spinning and dancing with the prince himself.  She knew that would never happened, but she still dreamed.  “Cinderella!” screeched Drizella.  “I need your help.  Pin my hair up.  Now!”  She snapped her fingers in front of Cinderella’s face to take her out of her trance.

Cinderella jumped and quickly helped Drizella with her hair.  She secretly wondered when this was all going to end… She had already done Drizella’s hair three times now.  “I really need to go get ready myself.  Do you think you can finish the rest yourself?  All you have to do is your makeup.”

Drizella waved her away and she skipped down the hall to the spare bedroom where the sisters housed their extra gowns.  Cinderella didn’t have a proper gown for the ball and figured that the sisters had so many that wouldn’t mind her borrowing one for the night.

She looked at all of the dresses and felt very overwhelmed.  There were pink ones, blues, reds, grays, greens.  As she was looking at a blue gown a light blinded her. She turned towards it and saw the gown of her dreams.  It was a shimmering gold dress.  It was unlike all of the other gowns, it was thin and elegant, and not pompous.  The neck dipped low and the skirt grazed the floor eloquently.  “This is the dress for me.”

She carefully grabbed it and ran up her narrow to don the dress.

To accent the dress she opened the small jewelry box that was her mothers, before she died.  It held only one necklace, and this necklace was beyond anything Cinderella had ever seen.  It was simple, only pearls were along the necklace, but it sparkled and shown in a way that made it seem fragile yet sturdy at the same time.  Cinderella had never worn it before but knew that tonight was the time to wear it.

She slowly walked down the steps, keeping her balance by having one white-gloved hand rest on the banister as she graced downwards.  The sisters and Lady Tremaine were at the bottom of the steps fussing over something.

Lady Tremaine saw her first.  She looked up and saw the beauty and her eyes bulged.  She quickly hushed the girls and they followed her gaze.  All of their mouths gaped open as they stared.

Then realization crossed Anastasia’s face as Cinderella stepped off the stairs.  “That is my dress!  How dare you!”

Anastasia grabbed a hold of one of the straps and ripped it off.  Cinderella was astonished and backed away.  “And those are my pearls!”  Drizella lunged toward Cinderella and ripped the pearls off of her neck.  The two girls then attacked at the same time, relentlessly ripping the gold fabric off of Cinderella until she was only wearing shreds of the dress.

“GIRLS!” Lady Tremaine said, even though the sisters were already finished with their rampage.  “We need to go now.  We don’t want to be late.  Cinderella, are you coming?”

Cinderella fell to the floor in a burst of tears.  Lady Tremaine and the sisters left, leaving Cinderella on the floor.

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She didn’t know how long she had been laying on the floor, drenched in her tears, but her body felt sore as she tried to get up.  She looked around her and saw the pearls scattered about and started sobbing again.

The room was dark but she saw a small glimmer appearing before her.  The glimmer grew brighter and brighter until Cinderella was forced to squint.  From the light came a silhouette.  The silhouette came towards and this frightened Cinderella.  She pressed herself against the wall, still sitting on the floor.

The silhouette reached a dark hand out to her and she took it.  Cinderella was brought to her feet and the silhouette started to gain features.

She first noticed the golden hair, much like her own.  Then the soft curve of the woman’s face, then the bright blue eyes, then the soft red lips.  Cinderella’s hands covered her mouth as she stifled a sob for she realized that this figure before her was her mother.  She threw her arms around her mother and hugged her with all her strength.

Tears streamed down her face and her mother gently pushed her away, for they had been hugging for quite some time.  “I hear you are to attend a ball.”  Cinderella nodded her head sheepishly.  “Well, no daughter of mine is going looking like this.”  Her mother raised her hands and a shower of glitter covered Cinderella.

When the glitter settled Cinderella looked at herself.  The blue dress was sparkling and made a swishing noise with every move.  The white gloves covered her arms all the way up to her elbow.  She lifted the dress and took in the beautiful pair of glass slippers that covered her feet.  “Oh Mama!”  was all she could say.

She hugged her again, but this hug was shorter.  “Come, we need to get you to that ball!”  Her mother’s eyes were filled with tears as she led Cinderella outside.

There was a beautiful white carriage waiting for her.  One elegant white horse was at the front of it.  There were no coachmen, and Cinderella looked at her mother in confusion.  “The horse knows where to go.  Trust him and he will get you there.”

Cinderella gave her mother a farewell hug and said “Please tell Papa that I love him.”

“He knows, and here is another gift.”  Her mother touched Cinderella’s neck and the pearls appeared.  They were unbroken and sparkled with a new polished look.  “Now go!  Or else you will be late!”  Cinderella stepped into the carriage and blew her mother a kiss.  The horse set off at a steady pace and Cinderella eagerly awaited her arrival.

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Stepmothers and Glass Slippers (Part III) Wednesday, May 23 2012

I’m having so much fun with this!  I hope that you are too!  I’m sorry that this one took a bit longer to publish, I wanted to make sure that I had time between graduating, the open house, and everything else that is going on, to get this published.  Again, I love to hear what you think!  :) Enjoy!

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“I’m so bored,” Drizella slumped onto the floor and gave her best pouting face.  Anastasia was in a very similar position, but her pouting face made her look like she was in pain.  Ella continued to pace as the doctor tried to help her father get better.  She hadn’t seen any sight of her father, the doctor, or even Lady Tremaine for hours.  She kept remembering memories of her mother when the doctor tried to help her, but then Ella had been with her.

Anastasia shot up from her position on the floor and stomped to her room.  Drizella then got up the same way and stomped to her room, parroting Anastasia.  Ella marveled at their selfishness just when the door was opening.  The doctor came out with a solemn look on his face.  “Ella, I… I tried but there was nothing… I could do.”  He talked slowly and stared at the floor, wringing the damp cloth that was gripped in his tight hands.  Small water droplets fell to the floor from the cloth and the doctor started to speak some more, but Ella ran past him and burst into the dark room.

The first thing she saw was the lump in the bed.  Blankets were covering her father up to his neck.  He was laying on his back, he never laid on his back, she thought.  Always on the side, facing away from the bed is how he slept after Mama died.

She slowly approached the bed, not wanting to disturb the piercing silence.  She vaguely noticed the figure sitting in a chair next to her cold father.  When she was next to him, she reached out to stroke his face but stopped just before touching him.  Her hand hovered over his rough face.  There was a strong battle going on inside Ella’s head; a part of her wanted to touch him on last time, the other wanted to remember his warm skin and disrupt that memory with a new, colder one.  The latter won the battle and she dropped her hand limply to her side.

“You disobeyed me, Ella.”  The sound of her voice assaulted Ella’s ears after the long silence.  “I told you that the doctor would do nothing.  You should have listened to me, because now you are to be punished.  Everyday you are to do your normal chores, however I am going to add more chores to your list.  Everyday you must finish everything, and if you don’t you will be severely punished.  Do you understand me?”

Ella did not take her eyes off of her father as she nodded her head.  Lady Tremaine grunted her approval and told Ella to go fix dinner.  Ella numbly left her father’s side and walked past the doctor who was still strangling the cloth.  He started to speak when he saw her but stopped when he saw her face.

Ella went to the kitchen and started to make her stepmother and step sisters dinner.  She could not bear to eat.

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The sun poked through a crack in her window and woke Ella.  She quickly dressed in her torn up blue dress and expertly tied her apron in the back.  She slipped into the plain black slippers and threw open the small window to let the sun spill into her small room.  So loved being in the attic, it was quiet and peaceful, and the birds sounded heavenly as they flew by and sang.

She ran down the narrow stairs, easily avoiding the ones that groaned and squeaked.  The stairs led into the kitchen and she immediately started to make breakfast for the women.  When she was done she went up the main stairs and slowly rapped on Lady Tremaine’s door twice.  When there was no reply she opened the door and set the tray down next to her bed.

She did the same for sisters but they were never awake this early.  They preferred to sleep the morning away and lazily wake up when their mother forced them to.  If they had it their way they would sleep all day.

It had been eight years since her father’s death, and it had been eight years since she started working for the women instead of living with them.  However, she enjoyed the work.  It helped her think and gave her something to do.  She was very good at it too, only once has Lady Tremaine ever complained; that was how she ended up in the attic.  She had tripped and spilled and broke a glass cup, Lady Tremaine had been furious and thought it was a punishment to sent to the attic, but Ella loved it.

While she was cleaning the attic, she was getting covered in dust.  She came down the stairs and the sisters saw her.  They pointed and laughed and mistook the dust for cinders since it was so dark.  They called her Cinderella as they laughed.  Ella actually liked the sound of the name and decided that she would rather enjoy being called Cinderella.  When she told the sisters this, they figured she was too stupid to realize that it was an insult and called her Cinderella anyways.

Cinderella was scrubbing the floor of the entryway.  She hummed a tune that she remembered her mother singing once.  When she was about to reach the end of her song there was a knock on the door.  She opened the door and found a very short, white-haired man standing on the stoop.

“Hello, may I help you?”

“Are you the lady of the house?”  His voice was astonishingly loud and Cinderella was slightly taken aback.

“Uh, no.  I’m her maid, may I take a message?”

The man and nodded and continued in his booming voice.  “There is a ball being held at the Royal Castle tonight.  The prince will be hosting it and is requiring that all women of the district attend.  Absence will not be accepted.”  The man handed Cinderella a sealed envelope and mentioned that it held the details of the event.

The little man turned to leave but Cinderella called out after him.  “Excuse me, are maids allowed to attend as well?”

He turned to look at her and said, “Are you a woman?”  Cinderella nodded dumbly.  “Then you are to attend,” he said with a chuckle.

Cinderella shut the door and ran up the stairs, taking two at a time and nearly tripping as she found the second level.  She stopped at Lady Tremaine’s door and gave two fast knocks.  “Lady Tremaine, there is a letter for you.  Sent from the Royal Prince.”  Cinderella was panting and overjoyed at what the man had said.

Lady Tremaine opened the door and snatched the envelope from her grip.  She opened it and read it painstakingly slow.  Cinderella was nearly jumping out of her shoes as Lady Tremaine finished reading.  “Tell the girls.  Get them ready as soon as possible.”

Lady Tremaine turned to leave but Cinderella called after her.  “The man said that I am to attend as well.  He said that absence will not be tolerated.”  She was scared that the woman would not let her attend, but felt proud that she had spoken up.

The old woman turned on her heel and stared at Cinderella in her cool manner.  She didn’t speak for several minutes.  “Well, I suppose I can’t argue with a royal summon.  If you finish the chores, get the girls ready, and find something decent to wear, then I suppose you may attend.”

Cinderella tried to contain her excitement as she nodded her head and turned to help the sisters with their gowns and makeup.

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Stepmothers and Glass Slippers (Part II) Wednesday, May 16 2012

After a week of waiting I am sure you are all waiting with bated breath to read this!!  Or at least, that is what I imagine ;)  I hope you enjoy this as much as I am!  Again, I love hearing what you all think about it!  Enjoy!

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Ella was astonished at the amount of luggage that was pouring into her home.  As soon as she thought they were done, more would come and fill the small room that she called her own.  The sisters could have had their own room, but insisted on having Ella’s.  She protested but to no prevail, she was to be moved down the hall.  But right now she was trying to help the girls unpack.  They kept whispering to each other and would often snicker.  Ella ignored it for the most part, but couldn’t help feeling out-of-place in her own home.

“Don’t put that there, imbecile.  That is a French dress and needs a special place.  Are there any other closets?”  The red-head spoke in a condescending tone, Ella was almost certain her name was Anastasia.

Ella nodded her head and showed them the small guest bedroom.  “This shall be our closet.”  Said the brunette, Drizella.

Ella said, “This isn’t a closet, it’s a guest bedroom.”  But the sisters had already left to retrieve their things.  Ella shook her head and  searched for her father.

She entered the dining room and found her father and Lady Tremaine sitting at the long table.  They were speaking quietly and her father had a rough look on his face.  She had never seen her father look so stern and hesitantly entered the room.  “Papa, I’m going out to the barn to tend to the horse.  I’ll be back before dinner.”  Lady Tremaine glared at the girl and Ella felt a cold shiver rush down her spine.

“Very well, dear.  Are the girls done unpacking?”  Ella explained the situation and he let out a long sigh.  “Okay, that is fine.  Run along now.”

Ella ran off to the small barn that housed one horse, Major.  Major has been her horse ever since she was a little girl.  They loved each other and she felt that she was able to talk to the horse and he could listen to her.  The gray horse whinnied as she approached and she entered his stall.  She picked up the brush and groomed the grand horse as she spoke to him.  She talked about everything: her stepmother, step sisters, how her father looked, how she misses her mother.

The sun was beginning to set and she knew that dinner would be set out soon, so she said her goodbyes to the horse and left his stall.

She was the last person to take her seat at the dinning table and all eyes were on her.  She slowly lowered herself into the seat, sensing some sort of tension but was unaware of why it was there.  The rest of the dinner was had in silence.

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Ella was sitting on the stairs, waiting for her father to come through the door and wrap her in a big hug.  He worked in the market place, selling fruits and vegetables for the elderly man who lived next to them.  He was due to be home any minute now.

She saw him coming up the steps outside through the window and ran to the door to greet him first.  She threw open the door and was immediately taken aback at the sight of her father.  His hair was a mess, he was hunched over, and his breathing grew more and more strained with each step.  “Papa?  Papa, what’s wrong?”  She ran to his side and tried to support his weight with her nine-year-old body.

“I’m okay, sweetheart.  Please help me to my room, though.”  He tried to give her a smile but he didn’t have enough energy.

Ella managed to get her father up the stairs, though he kept tripping and they had to stop to rest many times.  But they did get up there and all the while Ella was yelling for Lady Tremaine to assist them, but no one came.  She laid her father down on the bed and ran down to get him a cup of water, while also looking for Lady Tremaine.  She ran back up the stairs and offered him the water.  He tried to drink it but could not stop coughing.

“Papa, I’m going to run and get the doctor.  I’ll be right back.”  Ella went to leave but he called after her.

“Ella.  Please… please get Lady… Lady Tremaine.”  Ella nodded her head and ran around the entire house looking for her stepmother.

“LADY TREMAINE!  DRIZELLA!  ANASTASIA!”  She repeated the sequence over and over but could not find them.  Then she heard the front door open and ran around the corner to confront them.  “It’s Papa,” she panted.  “He needs you.  He’s fallen very ill.  I’m off to retrieve the doctor.”

“Do not go to the doctor.  I can handle this.  Just leave us be.”  Lady Tremaine glared into the young girl’s piercing and innocent blue eyes.  Ella protested but Lady Tremaine cut her off.  “If you leave, you will regret it for the rest of your life.  You will be punished for disobeying me.”

Ella ignored her and ran to the stable to jump on Major.

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Stepmothers and Glass Slippers Thursday, May 10 2012

Okay, third time’s the charm right?  I hope so… WordPress has been acting up for me.  I’m not sure why but I’m trying to figure it out.  I wanted a picture for this post but I think it may be the reason for it messing up.. Let’s see if this works.  If you like this post let me know!  Please leave feedback!

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The young girl squirmed under the blankets due to a nightmare she was having.  She started screaming and shook herself awake before her father heard her.  She started panting and looked around to ensure that she was still in her bedroom.  When she was assured, she laid back down and tried to fall into sleep again, but it proved to be impossible with the threat of another nightmare.  Ella laid there until her father came in and bid her good morning.

She turned to face the wall and she cringed as she heard his sigh.  She didn’t want to be cruel to the man, but she wanted to be left alone.  She had been laying in her bed for a week, only leaving to relieve herself which was happening less frequently for she wasn’t eating nor drinking anything.  She heard her father walking up the steps to enter her room again.

He knocked like he always did, two slow, crisp, raps.  He opened the door without her blessing and set down a plate and cup on her bedside table.  “Please eat, sweetheart.  You need to at least drink this water.”  His voice was strained as he tried to hold back the tears that had been tugging at his heart for the past week.  Ella didn’t budge and he fell to his knees next to her bed.  She didn’t realize it at first but felt horrible when she noticed that her father was sobbing silently into her bed.

She rolled over and stroked his thick, brown hair, and thought about how different his coarse hair was from her smooth, straight, blonde hair.  She felt him trembling and felt her heart growing heavier.  He was mumbling into the bed and his fists were clenching the blankets around him, looking as though if he were to let go, the floor would steal him from her.  “Ella,” she made out through the muffled sobs, “You need to eat, or drink, or bathe, or something.  Your mother would not let you behave like this.  What would she say if she saw you like this?  It’s okay to mourn her, but you are going to kill yourself too if you keep this up.  I can’t lose both of you.”

Ella felt a lump form in her throat.  She was causing him so much pain when all she wanted to do was hide away.  She sat up and took the cup of water and drank the entire glass.  She then grabbed the plate and ate both slices of bread and started biting into the apple when her father lifted his head.  “Oh thank God!  Don’t ever do this to me again, Ella.  My heart can’t take it!”  He had a smile that stretched from ear to ear.  He left her room, giving her a kiss on her forehead.  “I’m going to go to the market to get some fruits and vegetables.  I’ll be back soon.  If you want, I drew a bath for you.”

Ella got out of her bed and padded into the washroom.  She saw the steaming water and slowly stepped in.  As she lowered herself she sighed, letting her stress ease little by little for a moment.

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They had fallen into a routine.  Ella learned how to pin-up her own hair, her father was learning how to cook, and they both adjusted to life without her mother.  It was now three months since the doctor tried to cure her.  She had fallen ill and the doctor had predicted she would pass, but Ella had prayed for her strength to get her through this, but it proved to be too much.

She missed the sound of her mother’s laughter, her singing, and her sing-song voice.  The large house now seemed very empty without her.  And her father hardly ever talked.  He had been that way before her passing, but Ella noticed it more now.  They only talked when necessary.

Sometimes when Ella walked down a hallway she would imagine seeing her mother dancing to her own tune, as she often did.  Ella once danced with the premonition and her father saw her, when he came to the top of the stairs he had stopped and just stared.  He then came over to Ella and danced with her.  She stepped up onto the tops of his shoes as he stepped side-to-side and front to back.  That was now her favorite memory of her father.

One night, while at dinner, her father cleared his throat and said, “Ella, I’ve been thinking, and I believe it is time I get you a mother.  Well, not a mother, really, but a maternal figure.”  He was stumbling over his words and was talking to his bowl of chicken soup.

“What do you mean?  Aren’t we fine?”  Ella was confused for she had become accustomed to the new lifestyle.

“Well, yes, but you’re growing up, you’re already nine years old.  And you will need to learn things that a man cannot teach you.  We need a woman around here, and she may be able to help me with my cooking,” he smirked at the last part and lifted his spoon of watery soup.

But Ella was not amused.  “Your cooking is fine, and I don’t need to learn anything.  We are fine.  I like how it is.”

Her father’s face now grew solemn.  “Sweetheart, I am arranged to marry Lady Tremaine.  It has already been settled.  She is to be your new maternal figure.  She also has two daughters the same age as you.  You will like them.”  He said the last bit hesitantly then added, “They are very… spirited children.”

Ella grunted and excused herself from the table.  “Ella, you are to treat your family with respect.  And that now includes Lady Tremaine and her daughters.  Do you understand me?”

“Yes, Papa.  I understand.”  She then went up the grand staircase and went to her room, collapsing on her bed as soon as she entered.

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