Cinder Ella

               Cinder Ella 

Little Guddu was very fond of listening to fairy tales. Every night her Mom had to tell her one such tale at bedtime. Ordinarily, narrating a fairy tale to a little girl of six should be an easy and simple task for her Mom. But such was not the case for Guddu's Mom. Guddu was an inquisitive child. Her curiosity often prompted her to ask questions which were too matured for her six years. Her Mom, who felt proud of her daughter's intelligence, tried to answer her queries with reasonable patience. But mostly her answers failed to satisfy Guddu. Sometimes the little girl herself came up with such practical and reasonable answers that her Mom wondered how a six-year-old could think with such clarity. 

That night Mom was telling the story of Cinderella.

"Once upon a time there lived a little girl named Ella. Poor Ella lost her mom at a very young age. Soon her father married again. Ella's step mom was a heartless and wicked woman. She had two daughters from her previous marriage who were equally evil. The three of them made little Ella do all the household works. She had to do all the cooking, washing, scrubbing and cleaning. Her life became miserable. They gave her breadcrumbs to eat and the floor of the kitchen to sleep on. On cold nights she would move near the hot cinders to derive some warmth. Next morning she'd wake up with cinders smudged in her hair and face. Her step mom and step sisters made fun of her dirty face and nicknamed her 'Cinderella'."

"How mean of them! Why didn't Ella's Dad object? Wasn't Ella his only daughter? Didn't he love her?"

"Of course he loved her. But he... Well, you see, the step mom was such a nasty and bossy woman that Ella's Dad failed to control her. So he became heartbroken and died a few years later."

"How sad! He shouldn't have married her in the first place."

"Maybe he did not understand that she was so evil. Now shall we continue with the story?"

"Yes, yes, please continue."

"Cinderella grew up to be a very beautiful young woman. Her step sisters, who were not pretty at all, were very jealous of her. Poor Cinderella never owned a new or pretty dress. Her step mom made her wear old, discarded clothes, while she and her ugly daughters wore new, fashionable dresses."

"Excuse me Mom, but her name was Ella. Why do copy her wicked step mom and step sisters and call her Cinderella?"

"Because everybody called her Cinderella. Moreover the title of the story is also 'Cinderella', isn't it?"

"That's true. But I think Ella was a better name. Anyway, what happened next?"

"One day there came an announcement that the king's son, Prince Charming, was about to get married. There was going to be a huge ball dance party in the palace on the following Sunday. All the young maidens of the kingdom had been invited to attend the ball. The Prince would choose his bride from among them.

The announcement created huge enthusiasm among the young girls. All of them wanted to be the Prince's bride. They bought pretty, new dresses for the royal ball and worked hard to look their best on that day.

Cinderella's step mom too bought expensive new dresses for her two daughters. She hoped that the Prince would choose one among them. On the day of the ball, Cinderella helped her step sisters and step mom get ready. She had never been to a palace and wished she could also go with them.

'May I come with you Mom?' she asked in a small voice. 'I want to see the palace.'

'Of course not!' snapped her step mom. 'Complete your works and guard the house till we return.'

Her step sisters made fun of her unkempt appearance and old, soiled clothes.

'The palace guards will mistake you for a beggar and throw you out,' they laughed.

Cinderella felt miserable, but said nothing. After her step mom and step sisters left, she went to the kitchen and cried. 

Suddenly she heard a soft, sweet voice calling her.

'Dear Cinderella, please do not cry.'

Cinderella looked up and saw a small, beautiful fairy standing in front of her.

'Who are you?' asked Cinderella.

'I'm your Fairy Godmother,' replied the fairy. 'I've come to fulfill your wish of going to the palace.'

'Really?' Cinderella asked.

'Yes,' assured Fairy Godmother. 'But first you must bring me a few things.'

The Fairy Godmother asked her to get a pumpkin, six mice and two lizards. Cinderella brought a big pumpkin from the garden, a mouse trap with six mice trapped inside it and caught two lizards from the kitchen wall. The Fairy Godmother touched these things with her magic wand and lo! The pumpkin turned into a beautiful carriage, the six mice became six big horses to pull it and the two lizards became a driver and a coachman respectively. Then her magic wand touched Cinderella. Instantly her old, soiled clothes changed into a gorgeous pink gown accessorized with matching ornaments and pretty glass slippers. She turned to look at the mirror and found herself staring at the most beautiful girl she'd ever seen. 

'Now you are ready go to the royal ball, Cinderella,' said Fairy Godmother. 'But remember, you must return home before the clock strikes twelve. The impact of my magic wand will stay till midnight. After that all the things will return to their original forms.'

'Thank you so much Fairy Godmother,' said Cinderella happily. 'I promise to return home before midnight.'

Cinderella boarded the carriage and went to the palace. She had a great time there. Everybody was charmed by her beauty and elegance. They thought she was a princess from a foreign land. Even her step mom and step sisters failed to recognize her. Prince Charming was absolutely smitten by Cinderella's beauty and charm. He danced with her only and no one else. So engrossed was she in her new found happiness that she forgot all about Fairy Godmother's warning. When she remembered it was almost too late. The huge grandfather clock had already begun to strike twelve!

A petrified Cinderella mumbled a hasty good bye to the Prince and started running down the stairs. In her hurry she lost one of her glass slippers which landed on the staircase. She managed to come out of the palace gate by the time the clock completed striking twelve. She found herself standing alone on the road, wearing her old, soiled clothes and torn slippers. She saw a pumpkin beside the road with six mice and two lizards running around it. She let out a sigh and walked towards her home.

Prince Charming was extremely surprised at the suddenness with which Cinderella left the palace. He didn't even get the time to ask her name or know where she lived. But he was sure about one thing. He had fallen in love with this girl and wanted her as his bride.

Next morning, Cinderella's glass slipper was found on the staircase. The Prince ordered his messengers to visit every house and ask every young girl to try out the slipper. The girl whose foot fitted into the slipper would become the Prince's wife."

"Wait a minute, Mom. This is so confusing! How can the Prince possibly find Cinderella's glass slipper? Didn't all the magical things turn back into their actual forms after midnight? Then the Prince should find Cinderella's original torn slipper and not the magical glass one."

"Well...er...you see, the glass slipper somehow didn't change its form. I mean..."

"But why? If all the magical things returned to their original forms, then why shouldn't the same happen to the glass slipper too? It makes no sense at all!"

"Maybe you're right."

"Why did the Prince promise to marry the girl whose foot fitted into the glass slipper? Wan't that silly of him? What if many girls' feet fitted into that slipper? Who would he marry then?"

"Okay, Mom surrenders. Imagine you are the Prince. How would you try to find Cinderella?"

"That's easy! If I was the prince, I wouldn't try to find Cinderella at all!"

"What! Wouldn't you try to find the girl you love?"

"Why should I love a stranger? The Prince didn't even know her name, did he?"

"But he danced with her and was charmed by her beauty."

"That's not love. He just liked her."

"Oh my God! Who would say you're just six years old! Okay, so who would you marry then?"

"I don't know. If I found Cinderella maybe I would marry her. Otherwise I would find someone else."

"But fairy tales must have a happy ending."

"The Little Matchstick Girl didn't have a happy ending. Anyway, I think the Prince should find another pretty girl and marry her."

"What about Cinderella? Will she forever live in misery?"

"Of course not! She should go to the Prince and tell him the truth. If he really loved her then he would marry her in spite of her dirty clothes."

"What if he didn't?"

"Then she too should find someone else and marry him."

"That's not a fairy tale my dear."

"Can't Cinderella marry an ordinary man and be happy with him?"

"Of course she can."

"Then why does she have to marry the Prince?"

"Okay then, let her marry her neighbour's young son who silently admired her from her childhood days. He got a decent job and proposed to her with a box of chocolates and a bunch of red roses. She happily accepted his proposal... and his gifts too. Soon they got married and happily lived ever after. How's that?"

"Better I guess. Let the Prince marry the doctor's cute daughter who nursed him during his illness. I'm sure he'll be happy with her."

"Of course they'll be very happy."

"Don't you think the story is much better now?"

"I'm sure it is, my love. But now it's high time for you to sleep. Good night Guddu baby."

"Good night Mom dear."

Soon Guddu fell asleep. Her Mom lightly kissed her on the forehead and tiptoed out of the room. She remembered how, during her own childhood days, she had often wondered how Cinderella's glass slipper managed to retain its magical effect. Her Ma never cared about fairy tales because she considered them to be absurd. Today her little girl not only answered her query but also gave an interesting twist to the story. She smiled as she walked towards the dining room.

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