Cinderella (Our Version)

It was spring when I first met him. My heart was filled with an undescribable feeling. I was anxious yet this little heart was fulled with overflowed joy until this heart of mine can barely keep hold of it. For the first time in my life, I felt like a miracle had just taken place in my life. The special miracle just for me. The minute he put my hand into his, I knew that he’s the one. He is the one whom God had sent forth to. The one whom I am going to cherish the rest of my life with; alongside my two beloved daughters.

Just like in a fairytale, I thought I was going to live happily ever after but alas, otherwise happened. He left me not long after. I could still remember that day. The memory was vividly clear in my mind. On the day of our matrimony, he brought us back at the ranch. We were all so excited. From far, I could see a number of jovial people lining up at the entrance and the thing that caught my eyes the most was a little young girl who was running towards the main gate shouting and waving to my husband. She must be his little girl that he mentioned before. Turning to him, I saw a huge smile glowing on his face. As soon as we reached, he and the little girl clung to each other tightly, so close that I knew that she is someone dear to him, someone that he cannot live without.

The next day, he was preparing to set on a journey. “This time I might be going for quite a long time sweetheart. Please take good care of our children. I’ll see you soon.” he said and laid a kiss on my lips. He then kissed three of his daughters, hugged the little one and bid farewell to all. I knew that I was going to miss him. All of us waited until he was really out of sight when suddenly we saw him tumbled down from the horse. My heart felt as if a big rock had just crushed on me. I was so shocked that I was rooted on the ground unable to even move. Tears started rolling down my face. I could see everyone rushing to the scene. His little girl was crying and running towards her father. I tried to move my feet but it just seemed to be as stiff as a tree. Fighting my rebellious body, I dashed with all my might to see him. I sobbed pleading him to hold on, telling him not leave me. He looked at me for a second and then turned to her little girl. “I love you” he said and blew out his last breath.

I was still in a mood of shocked and sadness when he left. But later I realized that maybe he didn’t love me after all. I must’ve been wedded as a replacement for his daughter’s mother. I cried and I cried; every morning and evening since his death. But gradually, I realized that it was no use. I started to pull myself together again and led the household normally. However, I really hated the girl. I hated her happy smile, I hated her beautiful eyes, I hated her voice and….and….I hated her father...

“There you see her, smiling to the birds again,
Smiling and singing are what she likes to do, there’s just somehting about her,
And I don’t know why, but I’m dying to try,
To stop her from smiling again.”

I just couldn’t bear to see her happiness through out all her life. I….I myself…that had been searching for true love that could make me happy for the rest of my life failed. The second marriage that I had with him was what I thought to be lasting. Yet, he left me without even saying a word. Seeing her just reminded me more of her father. Works and works and more works were what I’d given her as daily chores. I tried my best to keep her off my face. Cleaning the kitchen, cleaning the cinder and feeding the swine were also her jobs. She that was always covered with dust and mud was gradually called Cinderella.

Now, comparing her to both of my lovely daughters, with beautiful garments on and adorned with the finest jewelry plus the most expensive perfume were no match to her dirty old stained ragged maid-dress. Though my daughters obviously lost in terms of her pretty smile, I was sure that they could catch up in terms of physical appearances. That had always been my daily chores; to keep the trio unequaled.

“Hear ye, hear ye!” came the royal messenger to our house one day, saying that the prince were going to have a ball to pick his bride. Happy and speechless, I had a plan in mind. I needed to make sure that my girls, at least one of them to be selected. Cinderella? Of course she wanted to go too. But I wouldn’t allowed her to do so. Only if she would had stayed out of the way and didn’t rebel when we “borrowed” her late-mother’s dress, she could have ben waiting in the house instead of being locked in. She must be crying to her rat-friends by now. However, during the ball, I was feeling intimidated. I wondered who was the gorgeous lady with the most outstanding garments and jewelry of all. The prince seemed to be very enchanted by her beauty and they danced the night away with her hands in his. My daughters on the other hand were no match at all. However, the next morn, the whole kingdom started talking about this mysterious girl and how the prince was going to throw another ball today to meet her again after the rush departure of hers last night. Smiling to myself, that was another good opportunity for my daughters. Maybe this time she wouldn’t turn up and the prince minght get his eyes fixed onto one of my daughters.

The ball had started. As usual, the myterious girl was late again. She was dressed in another enchanting silver gown with the brightest face ever. They danced the night away while the other girls in the room watched enviously to the couple.

Since that night, I’d lost hope. I was sure that my daughters stood no chance over marrying him. My poor girls…He didn’t even glimpse on my daughters. Was it because of the bright orange and green gowns of theirs? Or was it the featherly top on their heads? Or maybe the ugly look they inherited from their late father? I wondered. But I guess the prince had lost her again since he was going to have another ball tonight. Like usual, he was again captivated by her charm. Only that this time, she left her glass slipper on the stairs. Now that he had a clue to find the girl, he had ordered that all the girls in the kingdom to try on the slippers. There went my hope again, litted up this time as only the foot was taken into account. Well..Grizelda had huge feet. But not Mathilda. She should be able to put it on. Hmm…about Cinderella. I’d been neglected her for the past few days. Now that the royal troop was coming to visit every household, I started feeling uncomfortable thinking about her. She may be up to something fishy.

Determined not to let the prince see her, I had her locked up in the room upstairs. I was sure that my daughters would not stand any chances if Cinderella was there too. Well…what can I say…that pretty smile and great manners of hers were appealing too. However, despite all those effort I’d done to prevent Cinderella from the try-on, I was deeply dissapointed when Mathilda couldn’t fit into the slipper. Instead of having a small feet, her toe was the largest. I really felt like slicing it off in that hour. While I was into all the evil plan of chopping off my daughter’s toe to help her fit in the slipper, Cinderella came down the stairs. I was in great shocked. I slipped my hand in my pocket and realized that the key was not there. “Arrrrghhhhh….” It must be those filthy friends of hers again. Those rats…those ungrateful rats…

In the middle of my anger, Cinderella fitted the slipper like a glove. So she was the mysterious girl. I was dumbfounded. She was the pretty young lady in the ball. But why oh why can’t it be my daughters? Enough of me suffering for the short-lasting marriage and poor love, my daughters deserved more than I do; more love and ever lasting care. My poor daughters…my unfortunate little one…sob…sob…

Written by,
Tress, Grace, Lilly, Niisan, Hadi