Moonlight Dwelling

 "Look at the princess all dressed up," they mocked her. Still laughing they took her to the kitchen. She was expected to work from morning till night so each morning she was up before dawn. Her sisters did everything they could to make her life miserable like pouring peas and lentil into the fireplace and making her sit there and pick them up. They even took away her bed and forced her to sleep by the hearth in the ashes so she always looked dirty and dusty so they started calling her Cinderella.

One day the King decided to throw a ball and invited all the beautiful young girls in the kingdom so his son could choose a bride. When the two sisters learned that they were invited they called for Cinderella and gave her a list of demands to help them prepare for the big night since each sister was determined that the Prince would choose her to be his wife. Cinderella did everything they asked but she cried because she wanted to go to the ball too so she asked her stepmother for permission to go.

When the sisters learned this they said, "You! You're all dirty and have nothing to wear. Do you think you can win the Prince when you don't even have a pair of shoes to wear besides those wooden ones and you can't even dance."

Her stepmother emptied a bowl of lentils into the ashes and told Cinderella that if she could pick them out in two hours that she would be allowed to go to the ball. The little free time Cinderella had was spent under a sprawling tree where she fed the birds and made friends with them for they were the only friends she had. She called them to her and the birds pecked out the lentils well before the two hours was up. Cinderella was thrilled so she went to her stepmother thinking that now she'd be allowed to go.

But her stepmother still wouldn't let her go because she had nothing to wear or even knew how to dance. She gave her a smirk before walking out the door with her two daughters who both turned around and stuck their tongues out at her. Cinderella went to her tree and started crying.

 "Oh dear girl stop crying for I am here to help you."

 Looking up Cinderella saw a beautiful woman standing before her with fluttering gossamer wings.

 "Who are you?"

"My dear I am your fairy godmother and I'm here to grant you your fondest wish."

Wiping away her tears Cinderella said, "Really you can help me but I have nothing to wear."

 "Wish is granted."

 With a wave of her wand Cinderella found herself suddenly surrounded by bright swirling lights and when she looked down she found herself in a beautiful ball gown that matched her blue eyes. She was wearing beautiful slippers that glistened like diamonds.

 "All ready for the ball and now all you need is a way to get there."

 With another wave of her wand a coach appeared with four shining white horses along with a coachman.

"My dear have a wonderful time but be sure to leave by the stroke of midnight. If you aren't the spell will be broken and you'll have no way to get home."

 Cinderella thanked her and got inside and went to the ball. At the ball beautiful girls were anxiously awaiting the Prince's arrival. Just before he arrived Cinderella walked in but her stepmother and stepsisters didn't recognize her and just assumed that she was some foreign Princess. The Prince's presence was announced and in he walked. His eyes were immediately drawn to Cinderella and he smiled as he walked towards her. As he walked by the two sisters they both tried to get his attention but he walked on by not even noticing them.

He stood in front of Cinderella and offering his arm he asked her to dance. They danced the night away. The Prince only had eyes for Cinderella but when the clock struck midnight she dashed outside and barely made it home before the spell was broken and she was back in her tattered dress. The Prince called out to her but she shot out like a rabbit and he couldn't catch her but he did find the slipper that she had left behind. He made a vow to find her and make her his bride so he took the slipper.

The second Cinderella stepped out of the coach it disappeared along with the horses and the driver. She still had the one slipper so she went to her special tree and thought about the magical evening she had just had. She sat there for a while but when she heard her stepmother and stepsisters coming she hid the slipper and went inside.

Her stepsisters were as mean and vicious as ever telling her about the wonderful evening they had had and how she was all alone at home which sent them into gales of laughter. Their laughter and taunts threw her into a rage. She raced outside with their laughs following her she just knew that she had to stop this once and for all. She went out to the woodshed and grabbed an axe. She decided that she had to get rid of these bitches that had made her life nothing but miserable since day one.

With a firm grip on the axe she went back inside and started swinging. The laughs soon turned to screams. She showed no mercy just as they had shown none to her since they entered her life and her nightmare began. Soon it was quiet with no demands or taunts being screamed her way.

Cinderella for the first time in ages was able to enjoy some peace and quiet since her Father had died in a hunting accident a few years she had been stuck with those three who enjoyed making her life a living hell. Meanwhile the Prince was trying to track down the owner of the slipper. He started going from house to house where every young woman in the house would be allowed to try the slipper on.

 He finally reached Cinderella's house and knocked on the door. He was beginning to lose hope that he would find her. By this time Cinderella had gathered a bunch of wood and built a funeral pyre and dragged over the pieces of her former family. If a piece was too heavy she used the axe to cut them into smaller more manageable pieces. She had started the fire and hadn't had a chance to clean up when she heard someone in the front.

Cinderella decided to ignore whoever was out there even though he was calling out in the hopes that whoever it was would go away. The Prince was persistent though and opened the door which was unlocked and went inside. He called out to see if anyone was home when he smelled smoke. He went out back and found a girl covered in blood with an axe lying by her standing in front of a funeral pyre. He walked over to her and asked her if she was all right.

Cinderella was stunned to see the Prince there so she just nodded because she couldn't form any words. He just knew that this was the woman who had run out of the ball when he looked into those eyes so he pulled out the slipper and placed it on her foot and of course it fit perfectly.

"You will be my Princess if you consent to be my wife."

Cinderella was so stunned that she still couldn't speak. He took her inside the house and helped her clean up. Blood was all over the house but all she saw in his eyes was love. He sat her down and she was able to tell him the whole story.

"You don't want to marry me now that you know what happened do you?"

"No my sweet for I know these three and all they've done. The mother finds a newly widowed man that she marries and there's always a daughter which they would treat as a slave and work her to death. The husband would usually die in a hunting accident that was no accident at all. So you see you did the right thing and of course I want to marry you. I knew that you would be my bride from the moment I first laid eyes on you."

She agreed and they went to his castle where a big wedding was planned and they lived the rest of their days there.

By Barbara Desmond