Cinderella
Marcus has decided to take
Cinderella on a date to a charity ball in
his hometown. The ball is being held to raise money for the Children's
Medical Center at Hillcrest in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Prior to the commercial
break we saw Marcus pick Cinderella up in the most charming horse-drawn
carriage, and they have just arrived at the ball. Let's check in with
them and see what is going on.
(The television screen shows Marcus
and Cinderella dancing while in deep conversation.)
"What
is wrong, Cinderella? You do not seem to be your same happy self.
Although, if I may say, you are looking as beautiful as always," Marcus
says.
"Aw, I suppose you may say that.
Thank you," laughs Cinderella. "I am just feeling a case of deja-vu."
"What could tonight be reminding
you of?" inquires Marcus.
"Well this is not the first ball I
have been to, and you are not the first charming man I have been with."
"Please go on," pleads Marcus. "I
want to know all about what makes you who you are today."
"Well,
several years ago, I attended a ball under the most bizarre
circumstances. You see my father, Lord rest his soul, had married the
most awful of women, and had called her my stepmother. She never
treated me like a daughter, so I continue to refer to her as my
father's other wife. She was most awful to me. She made me scrub the
floors, take out all the trash, hand wash all the dishes, and do
everyone's laundry. Her own daughters did nothing around the house, and
they were spoiled and given everything they desired. If I ever brought
that up, or refused to do the chores, she threatened to complain to my
father. I was afraid that he would take her side, because he was so
blindly in love with her."
"That is terrible. I am so sorry."
"When
my family got an invitation to go to a ball, everyone was ecstatic,
secretly even me. You see, I was hoping I would get to go.
Unfortunately, my father's other wife had different plans. She said
that the ball was no place for a girl like me. The night of the ball,
after they left, I was sitting on the step crying when the weirdest
thing happened. There I was crying when all of a sudden my fairy
godmother appeared. She asked me what was the matter, and I told her I
really wanted to go to the ball. She told me go get the best pumpkin I
could find from the garden. When I returned with it, wondering why in
the heck she needed a pumpkin, she hollowed it out, and then she tapped
it with her wand and it turned into a gorgeous golden carriage."
"No way, really?" said Marcus,
completely shocked.
"Yeah,
it really did. Then she used the mice caught in the trap to make six
horses and a coachman, and she turned six lizards into competent
footmen. Finally, she transformed my hideous clothes into a beautiful
gown, and she gave me glass slippers to wear. It was an incredible
sight to see."
"I can imagine it was. I am
impressed and I was not even there to see it. So, did you have fun at
the ball?"
"I
did. It was a blast. Everyone just stared at me when I came in. I swear
it was the dress, but people told me later it was because of my beauty.
Whatever it was, the prince came to me and I spent the evening with
him. No one seemed to recognize me. I even sat and talked to my
sisters, and they did not know it was me. It was strange. While I was
talking to them, I heard the clock strike 11:45pm. My fairy godmother
told me I must leave before midnight, so I curtsied as politely as
possible and exited in a hurry. Are you getting bored with my story?"
"No, of course not," replied
Marcus. "I am very interested in this story. I am learning so much
about you."
"Okay,
if you are sure, I will keep going. My fairy godmother helped me go to
the ball the next night as well. Again, I was with the handsome prince
all evening. This time however, I lost track of time, so at midnight I
had to make a run for it. While I was exiting, one of the glass
slippers I was wearing fell off, and I did not have time to get it.
When my sisters returned home that evening, they told me how the prince
had picked up the shoe. The next day the prince made an announcement
that he would marry the woman whose foot fit the shoe. For a few days
the prince's men went to every princess, duchess, and lady of the
court, but the shoe did not fit them. Eventually they made it to my
house, where my stepsisters tried everything they could to get
their
foot to fit. Finally they allowed me to try my foot, with much
skepticism of course. They were all shocked when it fit."
"So did you marry the prince?"
"Yes
I did, but I did not love him like a wife should. He was very kind and
I cared for him very much, but he was not my true love. After we had
spent five wonderful years together, he died in a hunting accident. His
brother is now King, and I am starting over with my life, still looking
for my one and only."
(Television returns to the narrator)
Well,
like I said earlier, we always learn a lot about our young ladies
during these dates, and Cinderella does not seem to be the exception.
Coming up later we will see what Marcus has to say about Cinderella's
past. But after these commercials is his date with Snow White.
Author's Note:
I hope you enjoyed my story; I know I enjoyed writing
it. I do have a few things to note. There were a couple things I did so
that Cinderella's outing with the bachelor mocked her original story,
thus creating her deja-vu. I had their one-on-one date take place at
the ball, and their mode of transportation was a horse-drawn carriage.
I think keeping these things the same really adds to the comparison of
the stories. I plan to invent a modern setting for each date that
resembles the setting of the original story. I also kept Cinderella's
retelling of the story as consistent as possible with the original
story written by Charles Perrault. I told most of the story through
dialogue, since the audience is public viewers of a television show.
Telling the story through dialogue was difficult for me. It was hard
for me to make the discussion sound like a conversation that two people
would hold, rather than scripted words. I chose to have a picture of
the glass slipper, because it is the link between Cinderella and Prince
Charming. Now that you have met the first bachelorette, I hope you will
stick around to meet the others.
Bibliography
Story Title: Cinderella
Story Author: Charles Perrault
Book: The Blue Fairy Book
Book Author: Andrew Lang
Year Published: 1889
Web Source: SurLaLune
Fairy Tales
Image Information
Cinderella's Glass Slipper
How to Make a Cinderella Costume