Cinderella --A Modern Tale

Contest Entry: Change Cinderella story.

I know, I know... Everyone can tell me the story of Cinderella, the chick with the glass slipper. But none of you ever get it right! All these years and you people always get it wrong. I'm really getting tired of it, so I'm here to set the record straight. Better cinch those sneakers, folks, I'm about to knock your socks off.

Cinderella, nice girl, rather pretty, bit of a drama queen though. Her step mom was a woman who thought chores and the like built character, Cinderella -just Ella for short-- thought that she was a slave to an evil, wicked woman, like a fairy tale from a children's book. When Ella's dad remarried, he also inherited two more little girls, Mariah and Cloe, sweet kids actually. They like to torment Ella, but then Ella was the oldest... little sisters tend to be a pain in the butt.

Ella, Mariah, Cloe, and Mum all lived together in a huge house on a hill. Ella's father built it before he passed away. (Ella liked to think her step mother killed Dad for his money.) Since the house was so large and Mum being the woman she was, they only had one servant; the girls did a lot of the simple chores like washing dishes and vacuuming. Mum thought it was an economical way to go about things and since it worked she didn't bother to change it. Years passed with much the same routine.

Ella finally reached eighteen, I say 'finally' because her sisters refrained from killing her; Ella made everything far too difficult and forced her little sisters to take most of her chores. Mariah finally had enough of her sister's attitude and ratted her out to Mum who had that mother's intuition that Ella wasn't tackling her jobs as she should. As punishment, Mum told Ella that she would not be going to the Autumn Masquerade. She freaked! Threw a fit that a two year old would have been ashamed to see. Ella stormed off to her room and slammed the door as the others got ready and finally left for the Masquerade.

Ella looked out her window and stared towards the centre of town, where the party was. She couldn't believe she'd been told to stay home! How unfair!

"Oh, I knew it. I knew Mummy dearest was evil! This is so not fair," she complained to no one in particular because she was, of course, alone. "I wish... oh how I wish I had a fairy godmother. She'd fix everything!"

"S'up, Ella. You rang?"

Ella turned round from the window and stared straight at the weirdest thing she'd ever seen. A twenty-something woman was in her bedroom, perched on her desk. She was wearing dark jeans with holes in the knees and frayed edges at the heals, a faded black tank top and a huge studded leather cuff on her right wrist. Her hair was black with vivid purple streaks in it. All in all, not a vision that Ella often saw in her small town. The kicker though was the wings... the woman had fairy wings! She looked like some sort of punk rocker fused with a fairy.

"Who are you?" Ella asked, more like an accusation then a true question.

"They call me Avalon," the fairy said.

"What are you doing in my room?"

"You called for me, Ella. I'm your fairy godmother. Don't look at me like that, dear, it's rude to hang your mouth open. Yes, I'm your fairy godmother. No, I do not grant eternal life. You called for a reason, so what is it, kid?'

Ella couldn't believe this, a real fairy godmother-- her very own fairy godmother. What should she do? What should she ask for?

"Mummy dearest", she sneered, "won't let me go to the masquerade. She said I couldn't go because I didn't do a few chores. And she took my dress away... an ugly thing she'd made. I want to go to the masquerade. There's supposed to be 'a happily ever after'!"

Avalon flitted her wings and landed softly in front of Ella, showing she was only five foot tall. When compared to Ella's five foot nine frame, Avalon was downright puny. She waked around Ella and sized her up, mumbling to herself. Finally, Avalon was in front of Ella once more, grinning slightly.

"Sure, I think I can fix something up for you. One masquerade with a touch of happily yadda yadda yadda... coming up! Close your eyes kid, the dust is a b***h."

Avalon waved an old oak wand gracefully, sparking some glitz and glam to burst from the tip. Ella was surrounded by a warm feeling with a sensation of being gently caressed. She could feel the texture of her clothing changing, her feet felt different, surrounded by something other then cotton toe socks.

"All right, Ella. You can open you're eyes now," Avalon said, smiling.

Ella looked in the mirror and saw she was now wearing a grand ball gown. Deep green in colour, the fabric fell smoothly to her ankles. Emeralds set in gold replaced the stupid simple gold chain she always wore. Her rich blue eyes were now concealed with a delicate mask of black satin and feathers. On her feet wear shoes unlike she'd ever seen. Clear crystal shoes, perfectly fitted to her own feet they felt as if she was wearing nothing at all.

"This is so much better then that thing Mummy made!"

"Glad you like. Downstairs there's a car waiting for you. You have till midnight, then the spell breaks, you'll be back in jeans, so don't goof off too much and keep a good eye on that clock," Avalon told  her.

"Oh come on! Midnight?! That's just---"

"Yeah yeah, unfair, I know. Just deal with it kid. I don't do this kind of thing every time some one's folks punish them. Get going, you're burning daylight."

Ella practically flew down the stairs to catch her ride to the ball. She almost fell out of her shoes when she saw the car Avalon had set up for her. An orange beetle! A car like that with a dress this gorgeous, she had to be joking.

"No I'm not. Joking that is," Avalon said, now sitting up in a tree, feet swinging, "Best I could manage with what I had. Pumpkin from that patch over there and a touch of magic. It'll turn back too at midnight. So get going."

Rolling her eyes, Ella hopped in and drove across the valley to the centre of town and to the Autumn Masquerade, already in full swing. She parked at the back of the lot so no one would see that orange Beetle she had to arrive in. She entered and looked for her Mummy Dearest and step sisters. They were over by the food table, helping to get the line through. Boring! Ella thought, I'm going to have some fun. She mixed and mingled, weaving through the throngs of people to the dance floor. That was wear to be when the party starts, the dance floor.

The high school band was playing something that may have resembled music if anyone cared to listen very carefully and be very kind while doing so. Ella didn't care about the music, so long as it was loud and had a beat she could move to. While moving to the rhythm a young man came up to her, smiling like a loon. He was considered the town's Casanova, their favoured son. Daniel was the football team's quarter back, a prince in a small town were the only thing that mattered come fall was football. He'd been watching this girl in green since she walked in the door. He'd never seen a girl look as beautiful as that one did.

"Care to dance?" He asked, smiling brightly. His tuxedo was a perfect fit with his face partially concealed with a mask of faux leather mask that was tied to the back of his head.

Ella couldn't believe it, she was dancing with the hottest guy in town! It truly was a dream come true. She was going to have her fairy tale and her happily ever after. Mariah and Cloe would have to do chores forever while she was living high with a man that would become the next Football Hall of Famer. She was so caught up in her daydream she managed to completely loose track of the time. It wasn't until the band played a bad version of Linkin Park's "Minutes To Midnight" Ella finally glanced over Daniel's shoulder and to the clock on the wall.

"Oh no!" She said, seeing she had only fifteen minutes left, "I have to go."

Without giving Daniel a reason, like he'd believe her anyway, Ella pulled from him and started to run to the door. He followed quickly, wanting to get her name. He had to have at least her name so he could ask her out again. Ella ran toward the parking lot, tripping over a couple groping on the stairs and loosing a shoe. Not having the chance to grab it, she ran towards her horrid little pumpkin car and revved the engine. Daniel had just managed to touch the door when Ella slammed her foot on the gas and took off towards her house.

She never quite made it home via the pumpkin-mobile. On the exact stroke of midnight, her pumpkin started to shrink and her dress regress into ratty jeans. She was tossed to the side of the road and landed in a heap upon a hedge. She stood and dusted herself off, complaining about how unfair it was. Without a ride, she had to walk the next three miles home, barefoot. She'd lost one shoe and the other was in her hand. Ella managed to arrive home before her step- mom and sisters, but only just.

"Did you see her?" Cloe was saying, "That girl danced with the quarter back all night. Wonder what he said to make her run off like that?"

The others joined in the gossip while Ella just went upstairs to her room again. She fell asleep thinking of the night and dreamed of dancing with Daniel.



Morning came with a loud knock on the door. All the women of this house were downstairs finishing breakfast. Cloe managed to get to the door first. She let in a tired looking teen aged boy and his dad who was muttering something about his son being crazy.

"I know this is going to sound weird, but I was dancing with a girl last night at the Masquerade thing. She was wearing this shoe. I'd like to try it on each girl here to see if it fits her."

Cloe didn't think it was weird, she thought he was just plain crazy. She called for her mum and sisters to come and hear this boy. Mum, Ella and Mariah all entered the front room and listened as Daniel repeated his request. Cloe was game and tried on the shoe first. Of course she being only ten, it was too small. Mum bowed out. Mariah, who was actually rather pretty in her own right, tried on the shoe and, much to Ella's horror, it fit her perfectly.

"Finally!" Daniel cried out, "I've been looking for you all night! I want to go out with you, you're most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

"But... but..." Ella started. Mariah cut her off.

"Hold on there, slick. I wasn't dancing with you last night. I just tried it out for a joke." Mariah said.

"Don't you see? This is fate, we were meant for each other. We are meant to be together!"

"Not so fast there, Danny boy. Come by on Friday and take me to a movie," Mariah said, smiling and being generally smitten.

"Daniel, come on. We're going home. You've bothered enough people today," his father said. Reluctantly, Daniel walked out with his dad, not sure that he believed he'd found his girl in green, not wanting to let her out of his sight, just in case.

Ella was furious with Mariah, she was furious with herself for not saying anything when she should have. Then it hit her, Ella had the other shoe, she could prove she was the one Daniel had danced with last night! In a rush, she ran up the stairs to her room again and dove under the bed to where she left it. There was nothing there. She was completely under the bed and shoving minor junk out of her way till she could that crystal shoe. She stopped moving when she heard the sound of laughter coming from the direction of her desk. Crawling out from under the bed, she saw Avalon sitting in her chair backwards and laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" Ella spat angrilly.

"You, of course! I told you, that magic of mine was going to expire at midnight and here you are looking for a shoe," she said between laughs.

"But Daniel has one!"

"Now that he doesn't need it anymore, it'll vanish too."

"You promised! You promised a happily ever after! You lied to me!!"

Avalon was suddenly not laughing anymore. Never call a fairy a liar, they don't like it.

"You asked for a 'happily ever after', just like a fairy tale. I gave you one. Just like in all those stories, since you weren't specific, that happy thingy went to someone who truly deserved it. You're too selfish to deserve what Mariah now has."

"But that's---"

"Not fair, I know. I've heard this line before," Avalon yawned.

Ella was fuming, "I hate you, you stupid little bug!"

"Bug am I? Well, let's see about that." Avalon waved her wand gracefully in the air then ended the flourish with a severe flick of her wrist. The air crackled and popped angrily, there was none of the glittery stuff from the night before, just the harsh smell of sulfur. A flash of light and a loud bang later, Avalon stood back and looked at the floor where a pile of clothes now lay.

"Better not be seen, kid. Your step mum doesn't care for cockroaches in her house," Avalon said, smiling. The cockroach, formerly known as Cinderella, skittered out of the light and into a crack in the wall.

I don't know what happened to her after that. Once she was no longer human, she was no longer my responcibility to watch. Fairy god mothers don't have to keep tabs on bugs. Though, now I think of it, I really shouldn't have turned her into something as fowl as a cockroach. Too late now.


And they lived.... well you know.



N. Strong

Author's Note

Yes, I misspelled a few things

Reviews

[spence]

This is hilarious! Being an aging punk rocker myself, I loved the fairy godmother...cool attitude. I was going to point out a couple of typo's, but I see you're aware of 'em..not that it made an iota of difference to the marvellously rewritten fairytale. Ella's attitude 'like totally' sums up the post modern folly of selfish nihilism and counterposed against Avalon it reminded me of some of the run ins I've had with the younger generation recently. I mean- who could dislike an orange beetle...aside from the VW 'hippie vans', that's my dream car, (except i don't drive)!
I was about to mention that the original cinderella contains a paradox in that the glass slipper still exists post- midnight and then I was so glad that you identified that age long flaw.
I hate to be pedantic, but there is one part that didn't make sense..you said that the shoe was too small for Cloe's foot...should it not have been too big, given that she's ten? Or did i read that wrong?
Makes little difference though...excellent storytelling and finally some realism in 'pretty princess' fairytales. I'm still smiling! Ha ha! take care, spence

[SilentDreamer]

Oh, this is hilarious. Great irony when you compare to the traditional story. Very well done story.

[Samuel Dickens]

This is certainly a different twist on the tale, and one that I wouldn't have expected. Well, maybe I should have since Cindarella seemed early on to not be a particularly admirable person. I love fairy tales, even if they're new ones like this. Good job, Nyida.

[David Darabian]

A modern version of the Cinderella Story to say the least :) Maybe you could have extended the part when she attended the Masquerade, felt a bit rushed. Aside from that I liked it, it was fun to read