Happily Ever After?

I grabbed the rustic handle and felt the cold metal sting my hand as I turned it this way and that. I was so upset and confused as I recalled what had just happened. I was walking with a load of laundry when my own step mother pushed me into this bathroom and locked it. I pressed my ear to the thick wooden door and concentrated hard so I could hear the faint voices downstairs.
“Good morning ladies…” I could hear Grand Dukes voice over the tiny mice scurrying around my feet.
I looked down at Gus and told him to be quiet. The tiny mouse that looked up at me in an apologetic head nod was my best friend for I was just a small, unfortunate girl locked in this house as a slave for my step mother, Lady Tremaine and her evil daughters, Anastasia and Drizella.
“I’m sorry to bother you,” Grand Duke continued in his low voice but Drizella interrupted.
“Why that is fine sir, and we think we know why you’re here… I lost a glass slipper the night of your annual ball, Prince Charming. Are you here to give it back to me?” Her voice was high and overwhelmingly flirtatious.
My mind clicked in a instant and everything made complete and total sense. The magical night that I played over and over in my head as I fed the chickens, washed the dishes and cleaned the cinder of the fireplace came back to me. The way he held the small of my back and his wispy hair fell over his green sparkly eyes made my heart pound as I felt all eyes on me. For it was me who lost that glass slipper that night and danced with the prince but was rudely interrupted my midnight curfew. I remember lifting my soft graceful dress when I descended the steps and had my Prince running after me. I remember apologizing to him for leaving so early and him saying that he was falling for me. My heart pounded and my eyes started to water and I lost my balance when one of my glass slippers slipped off of my slender foot. I didn’t have enough time to put it back on so I kept running now hearing Grand Duck and Prince Charming both yelling after me wanting me to come back. They must be here to find me! My heart lunged with joy in my chest but was taken aback by the words of my step mother.
“Yes! She has been looking everywhere for that!” Her piercing voice made my hear want to cry out. The rest of the puzzle clicked in to place. I wasn’t fooling anyone when I came home at the right time that night. They all knew I was at the ball dancing with my Prince and now they are trying to take my place.
“NO!” I cried and all the mice ran for the door certain that they can help.
“You were there that night?” Prince Charming asked with confusion. His voice was just liked I remembered it.
“Of course I was, dear! I danced with you, why don’t you remember?” Drizella said in her voice again.
“And that is why we’re here!” Grand Duke boomed. “I heard many say that they were that one girl who danced with this young boy and we know they were lying for the shoe did not fit.”
I rattled the door knob even more and my eyes were filled with tears. I could hear one of my step sisters walk across the room.
“ Okay sir. See if the slipper fits. It is mine so this shouldn’t be a problem.” Although she tried not to, Drizella’s voice was shaking in fright for she was scared the slipper wouldn’t fit. It was quiet for a while and then the silence was broken by Lady Tremaine.
“IT FITS!” She cried and my heart broke right then and there. The tears came streaming down my cheeks as I leaned against the door and slowly sank down the floor of the small bathroom.
“You’re the one!?” Prince Charming’s voice was excited but unsure.
“Well of course I am! How could you forget?” Drizella’s voice was full of pure victory.
“Well then it is settled! You shall get married on Sunday and you shall invite whoever.” Grand Duke said unsure also. Sunday? That was in two days! My sobs were so loud I was surprised they couldn’t hear them. I looked out the window two minutes later to see my Prince carrying my evil step sister in his strong muscular arms to the carriage awaiting outside our large home.
Five minutes later, the door of the bathroom that I had been locked in opened up so fast that my blond, dirty hair blew back. My step mother turned around without saying a word and started to walk down the hallway.
“I don’t see my laundry that I have been waiting for…” she said in her evil, tense tone.
“Why? Why would you do that to me?” the tears started to well up in my eyes.
“Because you are not that girl! You will never be! My daughters deserve way more than you should ever! Now stop this and go finish the dishes!” She shouted and the tears overflowed in my eyes. I ran past her and to my claustrophobic room. I shut the door after my mice followed in. I put my face in the pillow and cried as hard as I could to think my fairytale was in reach but will never come true.
“Isn’t this just perfect!?” The voice of Drizella came behind me. She was back. “I had to send my fiancé home so I could gather my things and of course that you.” Her sarcastic tone was hard to listen to. I turned my head to look at her. “I just love how you thought you got away with everything! I saw you dancing with that man and thought you were actually going to steal my dream guy… but of course, poor, ugly servants never get the happy ending.” I looked at myself in the rusty mirror that hung next to my small bed. Starring back was a delicate girl was long blond hair. Her eyes were red and puffy which made the blue in them disappear. Her cheeks were white but her nose was as red as ever from blowing her noise.
“Not only am I happy, but my Prince has a cousin that Anastasia is brilliantly in love with and guess what?” I just looked at her. “Guess who is all going to move into the house with us? You and my mother. Ahh… aren’t I just so nice? Oh wait! There is a catch though… you will be my butler!” My heart sank with disbelief.


I now cleaned the dishes in the large palace until I heard Drizella’s voice from the other room.
“Cindy?!” I ran to the other room to see my step mom, Drizella and Anastasia sitting by the large fireplace in the study. “Three ice teas please with lemon on the side…” Her voice was interrupted by the thumping of a person’s feet walking down the hallway.
“I can’t find my…” Prince Charming’s voice stopped when he saw my face.
“My Prince what are you doing here?” Drizella’s voice sounded more than concerned. She told me more than once to stay away from “her” Prince for he might remember what she looked like. I remember her telling me the only reason why I would be coming was because they had nowhere else to put me.
“Wow.” He said as he saw me and ignored his soon to be wife. “You look very… very familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?” His eyes looked hard into mine and I became very aware of what I must have looked like.
“You don’t know her!” Drizella’s voice came out in shivers of fright.
“Yes. I think I do know her…. From somewhere.” He replied in a easy tone but was still looking at me hard as ever and I blushed. I opened my mouth to say something, sure that he would know it was me if I spoke but my step mother shot me a look that was worse than I have ever seen.
“What were you going to ask darling?” Drizella said trying to change the subject. “ Anyways… tomorrow’s the BIG day!!!” She almost screamed it like she was trying to make her Prince remember they were getting married the next day. I was so close to speaking and telling him that I was the one he met at the ball but he left before I could say anymore. I stared at him as he left and was disturbed by Lady Tremaine harsh voice.
“Cindy???? Get your act together and get those drinks! And don’t even think about talking to the Prince. You know what I did to you last time, don’t make me do it again.” I shuddered at the thought of being locked up in the bathroom again and waiting through the day with my “sister” getting married to my Prince that I loved.
It was the morning of the wedding and I was setting the table for the big dinner that is after the wedding. The tears ran down my face overwhelmingly fast and splattered down onto one of the golden plates. I missed my mice that ran around my feet. I missed the house that still had some remains and memories of my dad and me together. I missed that night that I would never get back; the night that I found my true love.
“Bidabee, Bidabo! What is there to do?!” A sing-song voice interrupted my shining of the silverware. I turned around to see none other than my fairy godmother. “Why I know what to do for this young girl with no clue!” She kept singing and I wiped my eyes.
“Grandmother…” I said happily. “Can you make me a dress or make the Prince remember me?”
“Why no child.” She said and there was a sharp feeling in my chest. “For you are the one who can make a difference, not me because love is the closest thing we have to magic.” She was right and I knew it but the wedding was in less than half an hour and I didn’t have enough time to get over to the of the palace were my prince was getting ready. I could run but I didn’t know if I was fast enough. My fairy godmother smiled at me, knowing what I was thinking.
“ Go ahead child and good luck.” She sang and disappeared into the air.
I ran right after she left and went to my “closet” room. I pulled out the last thing I had from that night I went to the ball: The other glass slipper. I ran out of the room and to the hall and darted down the 100 step stairs.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Anastasia’s voice pierced through the air and stopped me dead in my tracks. I didn’t have time for this.
“I am trying to put my life back together… that is what I am doing.” My voice was sweet or that is what I was trying to make it sound like anyway.
“Ha ha ha.” She laughed like a hyena. “And do what? Make your prince fall in love with you? My sister is marrying him in 15 minutes and if you think…” I ignored her and brushed past her and ran.
“MOM!!!” She yelled so she could get her mom to stop me but I was determined to tell Prince Charming how I felt.
I held the glass slipper tight as I sprinted around the corner looking back to see if anyone was following me. I finally got to the door of where my Prince was getting ready. I opened the door and ran in and closed it behind me for I heard my step mother yelling my name from the other hall.
“Cindy? What are you doing here?” He said as he turned around and I noticed he looked more handsome than he did the night of the ball.
“I have to tell you something…” I said with my voice shaking. “I, I..” I couldn’t talk so instead I held up the other glass slipper. “I love you.’ I ended up saying.
“it was you!” He said it with excitement and happiness other than the way he said it to Drizella with questioning in his voice.
“Yes. I was the one who danced with you that night. I was the one that left at the sight of midnight. And I was the one who dropped this slipper that you have the pair to.” I looked up at him and he smiled and his white teeth glimmered n the light coming from the window. He crossed the room.
“I love you too. Even when I thought your sister was the one I danced with that night.” He bent down and kissed me and then grabbed my hand and went for the door. He locked it and then after 2 seconds you could hear the beating on the door.
“CINDERELLA!!!! What do you think you’re doing!” My step mom screamed so loud I thought the guest could hear her downstairs while waiting for the wedding to start.
“Let’s get out of here.” He said and we went out the back door of the room while his hand was pushing against mine.

…AND WE LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER!