Cinderella or the Surpassing beautiful glass ballet shoe

A rewrite of Perrault's classic tale in the Fairy Tale Theater vein. Another version is in my Fairy Tales Classic and New published with KDP.

Cinderella or The Surpassing beautiful glass ballet shoe

By JOHN TAN

Words 3,542

Start: 26 �" 27 September, 2014; (reediting of an earlier version)

A MIDDLEAGED NOBLEMAN had the ill grace to marry a termagant woman succeeding the death of his first wife, by whom he himself had a sweet tempered and beautiful daughter, but his new bride also had by an earlier marriage issue �" two daughters who took after herself, all of which made the new family people with a difficult proposition to deal with.  People can be obese and cute but for these new additions, who instantly disliked their new young relation, their repulsiveness and cruelty grew and intensified with each passing day; and while they spent the nobleman’s money freely like water and were themselves dressed to kill, their fifteen-year-old victim were given the most menial tasks to do; and was dressed nuffin’ better than a vagrant and lived in a little garret at the top of the nobleman’s manor house.  The pampered daughters went freely to lavish parties and attended concerts and saw plays, stuffing themselves with expensive food and drink and other things, while the one that did all the dirty work got no credit for it, barely ate, and fell asleep every night with exhaustion on her straw pallet on which a draught blew �" for the attic was a gimcrack place, and shivered all the livelong night in her tearful slumbers.

Yet, she bore it all high-spiritedly, though it was a sad thing to be living in sich a family situation, like a black sheep which every other member ostracized �" and, even her father would have scolded her severely, for he had been under the thumb of his wife, all this while.  The poor girl would sit among the ashes in da chimney-corner, after she had done her day’s hard work, and so, in order to underline their superiority and out of spite, the stepsisters called her Cinderella, an appellation which made the girl sad.  But no matter how much and what the trio did to undo her good spirits, Cinderella grew gentler, kinder and more beautiful than ever; with a pair of eyes like doves’ that were the loveliest things that anyone outside the family could comment he or she had set his or her eyes upon.        

One day, a great social event was about to come to pass for all the citizenry in the country, for the King had decided to give a ball in honor of his son; and for this, everyone of position was thus being invited. Being of great showing in the neighborhood, Cinderella’s stepsisters were too invited.

‘If you don’t help us to beautify ourselves, I mean Nikki and I, to the extent we know you are capable, that is,-- to fetch, set, crimp and iron for us from morn to night, today onwards till the great day itself, we will certainly turn you out of doors, and see if we don’t mean it.  See that we don’t,’ said Cinderella’s stepsister, threateningly.

‘If you may, that is, in addition to your usual housework,’ said Cinderella’s stepmother, ‘or--rather, on top of that, to be sure�"and never you mind where my lovely daughters are going, or the why and wherefores!  Ask no dumb questions and you will hear no mean lies; only my girls are going to strut it out in the ballroom.’

Cinderella’s other stepsister, unable to stand her meekness any longer, then blurted out, ‘Vicki and I are going ballroom dancing�"because all the Principal Ladies of the Kingdom have been invited to the famous first and last Premier Royal Ball; there you are in a précis, ha-ha!’

‘There!’ said the first stepsister.

‘There! Humph!’ said Cinderella’s stepmother.

And Cinderella was now chased about the house to fetch, iron and crimp as, indeed, now, they were readily intent on dressing to kill, and when Cinderella was busily engaged in hair-dressing ‘em a few days before the special occasion, the elder stepsister said, ‘We shall go at four o’clock and there is a Chinese play got up for the Prince’s select guests served with oolong tea; it’s called An Old Fashioned Chinese Fairy Tale.  O, I love the theater, but Cinderella, should you be glad to go to the ball?’

‘How could I go?  I have nothing but these rags to wear on my back,’ was the young un’s answer.

‘Rags? You are right!  How you would look!  A sight and people would laugh their head off at the King’s ball.’

With this pronouncement, therefore, and reduced to  desperate gnawing wretchedness�"though not out of jealousy�"was Cinderella; first, at not being allowed to go, and second, from having to slave for two whole weeks without having a moment’s respite to herself in order to sleep, which was all the more surprising about this heroic young lady because there was no shred of rebelliousness or vulgarity about Cinderella’s attitude the whole time, but suffering herself to work harder than she had ever done without any complaint or bad temper. 

Soon the happy day arrived; they went off with a rustling of silk skirts, one with golden lace trimmings and the other wearing her blue petticoat, powdered and rouged and without so much as a good-bye. When her sisters left for the Grand Ball, Cinderella settled in her bed after ascending the uncomfortable and rickety staircase to her garret for she was resolved to give in to her tears softly, till her eyes were grown heavy and she fell asleep�"since she was weary enough anyway from doing so much work, lately.

Suddenly, there appeared a White Lady with beehive hair-do and so capacious a bosom that Cinderella would indeed have wept into her bosom, for, the lady was of such a kindly and solicitous disposition that the poor girl’s heart couldn’t help it and so she did; and so, at once let fall the tears in commodious drops, drop after drop, until she thought it expedient to stop and ask the lady where she had hailed from, and what she was doing that evening in her room.  The old woman had completely white hair and wise wrinkles and, unperturbed, asked Cinderella what the matter was.  She let Cinderella sniffle for a few minutes longer and then she said, ‘Don’t tell me �" you would like to go to the ball too, is that it? That is what you have been weeping about, isn’t it, my dearest child? I have come to promote your happiness, and as I have come, so shall you be happy.  I am your Fairy Godmother,’ said the White Lady. ‘If I were to judge by your tears and the look of general disappointment in your childish mien, you are wanting to go to the Royal Ball, am I right?  So you shall, my young one; hurry up kiddo,--if your heart is really set on it, be a good girl and fetch me a pumpkin that that is the jewel of the garden which is loaded with minerals and zinc from the pumpkin patch, and we shall see what we can do. I’ll wait for you and meet you again outside your front door.’

 ‘Yes,’ said Cinderella, ‘I would like to go to the ball, and I can’t.’

Cinderella hurried to the garden, her tears completely dried, went skipping until she found a big pumpkin growing near the old barn overgrown with honeysuckle, and she brought it to her Fairy Godmother with eager anticipation, and this turned to thrilling delight a moment later, when, with a touch of her wand, her Fairy Godmother turned the pumpkin into a splendiferous coach, complete with the most gorgeous court-of-arms to boot. Then, the old lady said she required six mice, and Cinderella brought her some mousetraps in which scuttled six gray furry creatures; the Fairy Godmother nodded politely and waved her wand and each mouse was changed into a fine dapple-gray horse, forming three pairs, which immediately attached themselves to the coach and ready to go!  The old lady then asked for a big, bewhiskered old rat, which she turned into a portly and gloved coachman; and then, she told Cinderella, ‘now go to the garden and behind the dahlia-pot, you will find six fine green lizards; these shall be your livery.’

 ‘What about my rags?  Can you do something about that?’ pleaded Cinderella.

‘Sure, certainly, I’ll fix that too,’ said Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother; and she touched Cinderella on the head with her wand.  Immediately, Cinderella’s rags were transformed into the most magnificent blouse and a tutu made of star-shower and moonbeams, and for her feet, the old lady fitted into ‘em a pair of glass ballet shoes that was the most beautiful in the world and, after this was taken care of, the Old Lady of the magical kind put a hundred pounds of bank-bills into her pockets.

‘Dance and enjoy yourself as much as you please, but do not stay past midnight; for the coach would turn back into a pumpkin; the horses, mice; the coachman, a rat, and the lizards will be restored to their former shapes.  Remember, Cinderella! And your clothes will again be the old ones on your back again.’ ‘Goodbye,’ said the old lady. ‘Now you are smelling like a million dollars, but, remember don’t tarry past midnight. 

‘I promise not to stay past midnight, Fairy Godmother,’ said Cinderella.

‘Hurry up; go, and God bless!’ chirruped her Fairy Godmother.

 

 2

 

So Cinderella was setting off under the most superlative auspice to the King’s Residence at No: 1 Royal Main Street.  The moon galvanized the torturous streets by scratching out the greys on the cloud-drifts, and in light and shadow, on and on she rode, in silence.

Soon the well-lighted Palace hove into sight.  There were people everywhere, and young ladies dressed in finery, the vanity of their moms and dads,--as Cinderella’s coach drove up the plane-treed drive, and she saw the moonlit sky above the cistern in the middle of the garden, and the marble faun, ear ringed and proffering a roguish smile in its plastered beard.

The One Act Play called An Old Fashioned Chinese Fairy Tale had just ended, and the crowd was buzzing and commenting on the plot which was about an old cottager’s widow �" the old cottager having passed on two years before �" who had been very un-Chinese altogether.  Her second daughter, Ah Nyuk, who would like to get married to Ah Suk could not do so, because her mother had always disliked her and she refused to give her some money to do so.  The old lady still held tightly on to the purse strings, although she was in fact getting very old, was bad tempered and had selective amnesia.  Dressed in young woman’s clothing, she pretended she was still young although she was gap-toothed and embittered, for the guardian spirits had dried up in her body and it was not replaced by an influx of new spirits.  Thus, spring passed by the home of the Wong Family that year.  It will be deep winter there, until Ah Nyuk’s mother relented…’

The supper had begun and the guests were drinking up the brandy and crunching larks and spiced choice birds together with their bones dipped in savory, epicurean sauces, with everyone planning to be happy and as jolly as can be; without any thought to hinder them but thronging their minds with thoughts of more good food.

By this time, Cinderella was being helped out by her coachman, and so glittering had her coach looked that the soldiers on guard duty could not help but salute to her while holding their coffee mugs with one hand; it suddenly, being a cold and crisp night, with a blustery wind blowing.

One soldier with the robust cheek, nudged his comrade, and said, ‘You gotta love this, a princess�"we have a live one�"with unknown livery and court-of-arms�"and that young person the most beautiful that I ever set eyes upon�"without any escort or chaperon; quick, open the door for her at once, lest she think there is any discourtesy in us of the Palace; and oh look, she is handing us fistfuls of dollar bills and giving us a dreamy smile.’

Cinderella carelessly dipped her fingers into her blouse pockets and gave the King’s servants more money on set purpose, and so she came to the Great Banqueting Hall and it was announced by a youthful, curly-haired servant that the Princess Cindy had arrived.  “May I present Princess Cindy Pamina.’

And so, Cinderella was admitted to the public eye for the very first time in her life.   

Cinderella’s sisters were talking about the various aspects of the play when the guests were informed that a little-known Princess had arrived and everybody stopped to have a look at her.  At that moment, the Prince Eugene who had a masters in engineering and who was an accomplished expert in field artillery was thinking about what degrees to raise the howitzers, and stuffs about sine and cosine, of course; and all that jazz; and he was hardly attending in regard to the piccolo and flutes and oboes of the court musicians who were playing a piece from The Magic Flute, when, upon suddenly hearing the name of Pamina, this recollected him to himself and his clean-shaven jowl nearly dropped.  He had seen Cinderella!

And, he saw her blush of pure ravishment spread to her forehead. Cinderella was dressed in a lacy orange blouse that was sparkling with emeralds and rubies, and mother-of-pearl buttons which she wore over her tutu and on her feet she wore glass ballet slippers.  Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake was struck up at once, and the Prince hurried by her side, while his Old Sire whirred round like an ornamental clock�"himself all dressed in gold tissue�"and pronounced, ‘Quite cute,’ with an air of true kingliness.  He was as short-haired as a pug and as powdery, which would account for his great advanced age.  All the while making pleasant conversation with her, the Prince conducted Cinderella to a place of honor, beside him, and serving-men served her dainty and sumptuous fare, which she tried out a few of the most tempting dishes but His Royal Highness, the Prince, ate almost nothing at all.

 Cinderella’s sisters, eager to make her acquaintance, said to her that she looked perfect, and Cinderella was perfectly civil to them. When the meal was at last over, the Prince held out his hand and led Cinderella to the dance floor.  Were it not for some unaccountable reason, Cinderella would not have known how to dance�"but her ballet shoes seemed to have a life of their own.  Cinderella twirled with elegant suppleness of limbs and neck, and such consummate grace that it was little surprising indeed that the Prince watched breathlessly, and before the first dance ended, he had fallen head over heels in love with her.  She seemed to be transmitting to him a current that thrilled him to the very innards.  Then, resting her head on his breast, they were doing a slow dance while he was being susceptible to Cinderella’s manifold charms and elegant whisperings, when the clock in the tower boomed the quarter hour, and it was fifteen minutes to midnight.  It rang inside Cinderella’s ears as if to say, ‘Go back!  Go back!’ and she gave him her last look and stammered out, ‘I must go-- She squeezed her way through the crowds of people, the Prince, reduced to surprise, the Unknown Foreign Princess Cindy fled from the Upper Story of the Great Hall and down the checkered hallways with twinkling feet as if her soles were on fire�"making the King’s son think of a favorite stallion champing on its bit, winging in its abrupt flight, in the wind.  Prince Eugene had great beauty in his bodily form, accomplishments and military honors, and original thought which he had the rare genius to cultivate

 Cinderella rushed on, lifting up her skirts �" ‘oh, one of my slippers has dropped off �"’          

The prince was amazed by the abruptness of the mysterious Princess’s departure; and by the time he had collected his wits fully, not to say he had not an overabundance of these, the coach with Cinderella in it had clattered down the carriage drive, with the top hatted coachman briskly touching the horses’ flanks with his whip. 

She made it just in time before her sisters came back.  And, they began telling her their adventures and about how just about the most beautiful princess in the world that came to the ball; ‘if you only had seen her, how your mouth would water and drool,’ they mocked and teased her.

This event affected the whole kingdom like a mal de mer�"by which, I mean the rare kind of excitement which is of the over-stimulated mind�"so that--until the Princess was found, the country was not able to find her footing again; for, the people who had seen her, the state dignitaries, the burghers and their fat wives all declared that the Prince had fallen in love with her, and everything relative to finding her was to be explored and discussed by the barons at court and the King’s councilors till it was finally decided that by proclamation and fanfare, the King’s Majordomo was to try every marriageable girl’s foot with the glass ballet shoes which had been discovered on the twenty-eighth step leading out of the Palace because this was where the Princess, presumably, had dropped it.

A few weeks later there was a royal proclamation that the king’s son will marry the lady whose foot exactly fitted the glass ballet slipper that he’d found on the stair of the Palace. The royal herald was dispatched to every part of the kingdom, for this set purpose: and at first ladies of high rank tried it, the daughters o’ duchesses and marquesas an’ baroness at court, the ladies of renowned houses and nobility had their stab in this lottery, for the famous prize.  Next, the girls and ladies of common gentility tried their luck, but, since none of their foot fitted the shoe, the Majordomo tried daughters of ordinary folk and then servant girls as well.  At last, he came to the house in the suburbs where Cinderella lived.  Cinderella immediately made herself scarce, by disappearing when the front-door was unlatched, and lurked and watched behind the buttery door.

‘Surely, it will fit me,’ said Cinderella’s eldest stepsister, trembling like a blob of jelly with excitement; but alas! no matter how hard she tried, either her foot was too large or the slipper a few sizes too small; so there was no helping it. ‘Poo!’ she cried.

‘Aha �" now it’s my turn to try,’ cried the other, gaily; but she did not succeed either.

‘Is there no one else in this house,’ the Majordomo intoned sharply, looking round and scrutinizing the place; ‘I have expressed orders to try every young lady’s foot, even the scullery maid.’

‘No;--no one,’ Cinderella’s stepsisters and stepmother cried; looking shocked at the very idea; but then, Cinderella shamefacedly skulked out from behind the door, conscious of da embarrassing rags she was wearing.

‘Who is that?’

‘Our stepsister,’ they grudgingly replied and looked at her with ugly, censorious eyes. 

The herald looked at her wearing her rags on her back, and, there was a bee in his bonnet, and he said, ‘Depend upon it, Miss�"let’s get it done, okay, time is but love�"on with this sandal and give me your foot. Quick, let me try your foot.’        

‘Very well, call her over, and we shall try the ballet slipper to fit her foot if it can,’ said the Majordomo, who had a discerning eye; bowing graciously to her.  He took the slipper from the satin pillow that one of his underlings held out and it fitted easily like her feet was greased with melted butter.  There was a universal ‘oh!’ and then silence as by a slight of hand, Cinderella produced the slipper’s twin from behind her back and put it on as well.  At that same moment, Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother appeared and tapped the joyfully delirious girl on the forehead, and she was once again, the mysterious Princess of the ball, but her raiment was now even more beautiful than the one she had worn before.  Cinderella’s stepsisters were aghast; but now that they recognized the one that had treated very unkindly in another state, they were frightened, and begged her to forgive ‘em �" the years of malice, cruelty and insensitivity �" and, willingly and without cherishing rancor, did she forgive ‘em. ‘Having treated you like that �" I suppose you must feel it very sore all these years,’ they said, ‘we’re so sorry!’  The herald and all his men conducted her to the palace, and the news spread rapidly, and people ran out to see, and the joy-bells rang out from church steeples and amid great rejoicings and Prince Eugene and Cinderella were married that very day, in front of the whole rapturous court and indeed there was no end to their joy and marital bliss, need I tell you? 

 

                                END

Author's Note

I rewrote my earlier version of this story apropos nothing in six hours; and i had just incorporated the new bits into the old story of mine which was one of the tales in my Fairy Tales Classic and New which was published with Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.

Reviews

[John Tan]

A better version; the editing is now perfect!