Theodore Fan, Period 7, 9/23/22, Modern Mythology 2023

 

Shunned for her superior beauty, and the useless protection from a -6 foot father, Cinderella was locked deep underground in her family's cottage basement. The only friends she’d known were the rats during story time, the cockroaches that helped her find warmth and the ants that snuck her food. The stepmother was the meanest of the meanest, trapping Cinderella in the basement with nothing but a dog whistle to cry for help. She would prance around like the Queen of England only she looked 100 years older than her despite an age of 35. The only food she would give Cinderella was a bone from the T-bone steak that she ate every day. “High in fat, high in happiness” she always said, her bellowing booms of laughter shaking the house. Her stepsisters were the ugliest of the ugliest, with twisted razor sharp vine-like hair and snot that smells like donkey. Despite their attempts to be the most graceful in the land, they would spend night after night, crying and combing their twisted vine-growth hair into submission. The hairs of the comb would fall down through the cracks of the floor slowly drifting into the basement where Cinderella lay. She would use the hair to make dolls for the rats to play with, and the snot as food for the cockroaches. Anyone would go insane in such a rock-bottom  environment if it weren’t for the blessing of the night. 

At night when all was silent but the house, the roaring snores of Cinderella’s stepsisters and stepmother would be just the thunderous booms needed to escape the house. It was a little ritual you could say where Cinderella got to go to the pond outside to wash herself, and bathe in the glory of nature. The boundless freedom of doing anything she wanted. She could climb the trees, feel the wind in her hair, and look towards the moon, dreaming she could be there. The daily bones she gained from her stepmother would be used to feed a pet wolf she so dearly loved. Abandoned by his parents, the wolf and Cinderella would find each other as family. She would whistle the whistle of the dog and the wolf would come straight away to greet his family. Life wasn’t great but Cinderella felt content as is. Yet there was always a creeping feeling on her, that she wanted more to do in life. Her ambition being as boundless as the universe itself. 

The great prince Tree had a ball for all the world to see, the only problem was that you must come in groups of three. The dust and dirt would rain in the basement as Cinderella could feel her stepsister and stepmother scurrying around the house, preparing for the ball of a lifetime, cooing and “eeeking” at each other's gowns. Oh how Cinderella begged her stepmother to go but the stepmother was as stubborn as her size, saying “that even if you could take four, it only rhymes with three.” With a goal of passion and want in place, there was no stopping her pace, as Cinderella snuck out once again, greeting her pet wolf on the way. Despite the sounds of thunder growing past what she knew to hear, Cinderella treaded on as it rained through the night. The thunder roared louder and louder as Cinderella fled to get a gown with the last earnings of her father. She glanced around the shop and got a plain looking dress. It turned into the prettiest dress there ever was to see. She continued to try on dress after dress as each looked fairer than the last. On Cinderella, every dress was the prettiest dress. Even with the mud and dirt and dust, Cinderella’s beauty shone through like a star in the sky. The owner of the shop said how Cinderella’s light brighten her day as she gave the dresses to her for free.

Everything was going perfect! As she snuck back into the house, the lightning finally crashed down on her. There her stepmother stood, soaked in rain and mud as the lightning revealed Cinderella’s dust prints on the floor, her mud prints past the house and towards the town. Her stepmother saw the beautiful gowns on Cinderella and seeing their awe and beauty, took them for herself. Cinderella cried and screamed for the very first time, begging her stepmother to let her go to the ball. The stepmother responded “even if four rhymed with three, the dress would be too hideous for anyone to see!” The stepmother laughed as she threw down a dress made for Cinderella. The first gift her stepmother ever gave her. Until the lightning once again struck down, illuminating the room as the dress was made out of wolf fur, the dog whistle dangling around the neck of the dress. Cinderella bawled and weeped, but no one could hear anything as the storm raged louder and louder. 

As Cinderella was thrown back into the basement, she clasped the dog whistle in her hands weeping and mourning into the night. Her only company were the rats, the ants and the cockroaches. But then the dog whistle spoke, it was the wolf. He heard her cries of agony and pain and was determined to ascertain vengeance. To grant Cinderella the wish she wanted most. Cinderella, one who was so compassionate and kind, who endured the depths of hell and was tempted with the fruit of the devil. She grasped the whistle and wished for a gown of unimaginable beauty, an escort brighter than the stars and a veil more mystifying and glamorous than all in the world. The wolf whistle shone bright as the moon as the mice, cockroaches, and ants transformed into civilized servants, a royal carriage and beautiful strong horses. The wolf skin became a dress as bright as the moonlight, its dazzling glow reflecting the stars. Despite not wishing for it, the basement of the cottage teleported outside the house and became a tower taller than all could see. A tower with no way down but a little window to peek out of. The wolf warned that the powers fade at dawn as the connection they had was during the night, the only thing that would remain unchanged was the dress and the tower. With a brisk pace, Cinderella and her entourage made their way to the ball.

As soon as she entered the ball, all eyes were on Cinderella. The people, unable to look away at something as mysterious as the moon. The stepmother and stepsisters  were captivated, the people were captivated, but the most captivated of all was the great prince Tree. The two stars of the show danced into the night, seemingly becoming the sun as all the eyes staring became the planets. As dawn approached, the mysterious Cinderella began to panic. As the great prince Tree looked to take off the veil, he received a kick in the acorns instead as Cinderella fled the scene. The great prince Tree ran after her but all he could grab was her veil.  Cinderella fled the scene as the magic started to fade, the great carriage made of cockroaches became only cockroaches, the servants becoming rats and the horses becoming ants. Cinderella made it all the way home and fled up her tower as it magically opened up for her. 

The great prince Tree was shocked and defeated as much as the eye could see. All who tried the veil made it turn into a vicious skunk that smelled like snotty donkey. The great prince tree vowed he would find the one who fit the veil. His ambition was higher than all could see. 

As he tried townsfolk after townsfolk nothing would deter his unwavering confidence that he would find the one. When he finally got to Cinderella’s old household, it was obvious that the veil would not fit their heads but the prince tried it nonetheless. When the prince placed the veil on the stepmother's head, the racoon shriveled and died of old age. When the veil was placed upon the stepsister’s head, it started shrieking in agony, tearing the stepsisters hair off until they were balder than their combs. As much as they tried to hide it, nothing could stop the great prince Tree from seeing the tower taller than all could see. Despite no way up, the prince climbed the tower for three days and three nights. Finally at the top he placed the veil upon the maiden so fair and they lived happily ever after.