Cinderella

Once upon a time there lived a little girl. Her hair was as rich as Chateau Margaux and her chocolate eyes could melt any frozen soul. As a baby she always smiled, happy and silly, just a baby should. Her laughter was contagious, her smile brightened anyone's day and her radiant energy kissed all who were exposed to it. She was the apple of her parents eye, the miracle child that brought joy to her mothers heart after she'd been through countless miscarriages. Even the pets loved the baby, allowing her to hug them and play with their soft fur. 

Three years after her birth two more were introduced into this world, one with a sour expression and one similar to her own. The little girl wasn't the only one now, she had two little sisters. It was exciting for her at first, but her mother's adoring attention was on them now and her father began showing brute colors she hadn't seen before. Before too long her energy simmered until negativity replaced it, her laughter ceased and sobs resumed where it'd stopped and her smile vanished behind a stoic expression. 

The little girl didn't know what happened, or what was happening. She didn't know why her father was being so cruel to her, beating and screaming at her whenever she made simple mistakes, or whenever her sisters put the blame on her just to save themselves, or for no reason at all. She couldn't understand why her sisters were against her, always putting her in harms way, making her seem like the bad child. And she didn't know why her mother neither cared nor helped her. There may have been few moments when she comforted her, but her mother hardly paid attention to her.
 She was alone now, watching her family from a distance, behind a closed door. Eventually she stopped watching and began doodling, listening to music and reading. Solitary wasn't all that bad, until it got lonely. Oh how she longed for a playmate, a true friend. And when she grew to an older age she longed for more: a mate. 

She'd day dream constantly about who her lover would be when she reached an age of maturity. She visioned herself walking hand in hand with them, laughing and talking. Or curling up together on a sofa playing thumb war with each other while talking and giggling. Or curling up in front of a fire and falling asleep in one another's arms...but she could never find the one. 

School came and went and she became the house maid and her mother's personal servant. Cleaning, cooking, assisting and serving is all she did now, day in and day out, whether she liked it or not. She took care of the pets and humans in the household, while her sisters became hermits in their bedrooms, her mother sat comfortably on the couch and her father moaned and groaned about everything under the sun and moon. If she messed up once she got the full force of the consequences and then some. But if her sisters made a mistake they only got a small taste of the consequences and sometimes less. She hardly ever got time to herself, and even that got interrupted by more duties. 

By this time her mother had welcomed her back into her life with open arms and compassion, one sister had accepted her into her life and treated her as a sister, while the other sister remained a tyrant, just like her father. 

For a few years suitors came and went, staying in her life only a month or less due to many problems, both her fault and their. One day, however, an unexpected man waltzes into her life. She hated him at first, but grew to like him, before falling in love with him. But before there was love there was caution and distrust. She was used to being hurt over and over, betrayed, tricked, strung along and manipulated. How could she trust a stranger, a man she barely knows, with something as precious, and damaged, as her heart? How could she know that he wouldn't break her fragile, withered and scarred, heart more? How was she to know he would mend her, help her and be the one person she can't live without? 

She'd finally found her prince charming, even though she didn't realize that's what he was when she met him. As more time moved on she became closer with him. They talked, laughed, and she cried. Trust grew more each day, and she decided to take a leaping chance on him. And why wouldn't she? She found her laughter again, her smile and energy. It was all minor, but she discovered it again, through him. Little by little she went back to being the little girl she was born as, a little ray of sunshine. But her past dampened the little girl she used to be and she found herself with a new challenge. Her prince charming wasn't going to let her deal with the new challenge by herself; he helped her in every way he could by comforting her and advising her, supporting her and listening to her with patience. 

And now, no one really knows what happened to the girl and her prince charming. Perhaps his patience ran out and she lost herself all over again, as if they were in a nightmare the whole time. Or did prince charming sweep her off her feet and elope with her. Or maybe they did what all couples do in fairy-tales and married, living happily ever after in a grand castle together. I suppose you'll have to figure that out on your own. Use your imagination. Write out the ending. 

What happened to Cinderella?