Cinderella With A Twist

Everyone knows the magical tale of Cinderella. It's an overrated tale that puts unrealistic image in little girls minds. Many of these little girls grow up waiting for their Prince Charming or their Fairy Godmother but they are just going to be disappointed. I decided that I want to re-write this tale my way. I replaced elements of magic to self motivation, the perfect ending to an even more perfect one. Not only does this give people a more realistic view but it encourages people to fight for what they want, stand up for themselves and believe that anything is possible. 

Once upon a time, there lived a beautiful, blond haired girl in the picturesque town on Chesterville. There was something unusual about this girl, a good kind of unusual and her father knew it. The father-daughter duo were extremely close until the young girl turned 8 and her mother died. It took her father a year to move on and marry a woman he met on his walk back home. This woman had two daughters who were even worse than their mother. She kept all her inner feelings aside and allowed the marriage, even though no one asked for her permission. The next few years, she stayed out of her family's way keeping everything to herself until tragedy struck and her father died of a terminal cancer.

This, now 14 year old girl was named Ella. The death of her father turned a corner in her step family. Their generally nasty attitudes turned into an even worse one. They physically and mentally abused Ella by making her clean the house, cook, wash the dishes and basically do all the chores a maid did. They never let her step out of the house except for school and grocery shopping. They kept the girl in unfair custody making her do everything and anything they wanted her to do. Her foul stepsisters even made her a nickname when Ella was cleaning the cinders. Her new, more oftenly used name was "Cinderella".

By the time Ella was 18, she had seen less of the world than a sewer rat. Her stepmother and stepsisters didn't see it but there was a small flame building up inside Ella and sooner or later, she was going to break into a fit of rage. The sick work they made Ella do was soon going to result in her leaving them and heading off to do what she wanted. What really got to her was that they never bothered to appreciate the things she did which they obviously took for granted. Instead of saying "Thank You", they told her to scam. Instead of saying "Please", they told her to hurry up or they would cut off her hair.

Ella was almost 19 years old when the Annual Prince's Ball came along. Her family, excuse me, stepfamily were never invited but this year was an exception. A lovely handwritten letter was left on their doorstep inviting them for the special party. The next week was a hasty set of events. Cinderella was busier than ever in stitching up their dresses, polishing shoes, plus the regular amount of work she did.

By the time the day of the Ball arrived, all the 4 dresses were fully stitched, the 4 sets of shoes were polished and all the jewelry was laid out, ready to be chosen. The three wicked woman walk into the room and immediately notice the extra set of clothing, shoes and jewelry. The stepmother walks forward, laughing before saying, "Oh Cinderella! You're not coming with us! I bet you thought you were but I have a huge list of things for you to do."

Words cannot describe how disappointed Ella was. After holding her tears in for 2 hours while helping them get ready, she began sobbing rather heavily the second that her stepfamily left. The fire inside of her finally ignited. She pushed herself up and began to get ready. She washed her face, cleansed her body and slipped into a silver and blue dress she stitched herself before. She wore her special glass heels that her father gave her, which surprisingly still fit. She brushed her hair and included a little hair bow.

Her complete transformation took her about an hour. She ran out of the house, motivated to go to that ball. She took a cab to the ballroom in the centre of town. Chesterville was very small and only had one stoplight so it took Ella a very short time to reach the ball. As Ella ran up to the big doors to the ballroom, she promised herself that she would leave by midnight, otherwise she would get caught by her stepmother. 

Her entrance to the ball was rather spectacular. She pushed the doors open and just stood there. She knew that all eyes were fixated on her. She began her walk into the ballroom but she was interrupted by the one and only Prince Charming. 

"Why, hello there! Don't you look lovely tonight! I don't believe we've met, my name is Eric, Prince Charming" he said rather boastfully. 

"Hello! My name is Ella, Cinderella" she said mimicking his boastful way of talking.

The next two hours of the ball, Ella spent all that time with Eric as they got to know each other. They shared personal stories and experiences and helped each other out. It was the most nicest conversation Ella had had since her father died. She told him all about her situation, she asked him for advice, he gave her advice, helped her out.

But Ella's time was running out. It was 10 minutes to midnight and Ella was still deep in conversation with Eric. She had to leave or she would never hear the end of it. Hours passed and Ella and Eric still spoke over the lovely harpist that goes by the name of "June Blue Harper". Rather ironic.

Ella left the ball at 2am right at the end of the ball. It was obvious that she had no intent on working for her stepmother anymore. She knew what she wanted, and she knew what she didn't want, and she definitely didn't want any more of this abuse. It was finally time for her to stand up for herself.

The second Ella walked through the front door of her house she could hear her stepmother yelling at her. 

"Enough!" Ella yelled to get her stepmother to stop talking "I am sick and tired of doing all the work in this house and I am not doing it anymore. I am an 18 year old woman and I don't deserve this anymore. I don't know what my father was thinking when he married you. I tried. I tried so hard to see the goodness in you and your daughters but that side never surfaced. For years, I have been afraid to stand up to you. I kept giving you another chance to be better but you couldn't be helped.  I am an adult and you don't have the right to keep me here anymore so I have made up my mind. I am going to go to college, explore the world, meet new people and have a good time" 

"Oh okay! And where are you going to get the money?" her stepmother said in a snobbish tone

"This is my house. My father left it to me in his will and the law says that it will be in my custody when I turn 18. I will sell it and use that money. I hope you realize that I am not your puppet anymore. A very wise friend I met today at the ball told me that sometimes I have to forget how I feel and remember what I deserve. He told me to take a chance, and here I am because life is a chance. A chance I want to take advantage of.  I am a strong human being with individual rights and I am finally standing up for myself because I deserve it!"

Over the next year, Ella really pulled her life together. She applied to many colleges and was accepted into an array of them. She scored a job in a community service called "Kids For The Future". She dedicated her life to making sure that no child ever had to go through what she went through. She wanted to make a difference and she did.