Mist

THE GIRL WHO LEFT HER SHOE

"It's final. We are going for a picnic tomorrow!" Dad announced.

" Really, Dad ?" asked Kate and Kendrick , their eyes wide with enthusiasm.

"Yes , my dear little chipmunks !"

"Kay is not a chipmunk , Ken is a chipmunk !" Kate said. She giggled.

In response, Ken stuck his tongue out and shouted on top of his voice , "Bad , Kay ! Kay bad like Evil Queen !"

They both ran up to their mother, who had come running from the kitchen on hearing the news.

"Are you serious, Harris ?"

"Of course I am, dear. Long time since we had a family outing , eh ?"

"Very long time !" Mom grinned and wrapped her arms around Dad and kissed him on the forehead, " I love you. Thank you so much, hon."

Hazel had been sitting on the couch. A blanket covering her legs, she silently sipped the hot chocolate (which was no longer hot ) from the mug.

"Hathel !" Kate said, as she sat down next to Hazel, "Kay is going to picnic with Ken, Mommy, Daddy ,Gramma !" she said counting on her fingers.

"Kay will pway and run , run , run !" she said and clapped her hands, "You comin, Hathel ?"

"Yes, Kate."

"Yay ! Hathel comin with Kay." she said as she jumped up and down happily on the sofa. It was a few minutes later that Ken also joined her.

Hazel looked at her siblings. They filled her life with joy, hope, love; unconditional love and enthusiasm. They made her life so much better.

Hazel had never felt such warmth for anyone, neither had she experienced such protectiveness and responsibility before.

She stared at them rejoice, even though there was no big reason ...and that was their speciality. They needed absolutely no reason to be happy.

"Kate , Kendrick ! Get off the sofa right now !" Mom said.

For a moment, their smile vanished. They both slowed down and got off , their faces like drooped flowers.

"Kate and Kendrick, would you like to hear the story of Cinderella ? " Gran Luella said.

Immediately, excitement replaced the disappointment on their faces.

" Yesh, Gramma. Stoeee Time !" Ken said. Kate nodded happily. They held her hands tightly and dragged her(or at least tried to do so ) to the couch.

Gran sat between them and in her rich, deep voice started reading, "Once upon a time ..."

Gran's voice seemed to grip the listener's senses and grab attention of every part of their body. She said it all as if it were true, with conviction and belief.

"It was midnight. Cinderella remembered the fairy godmother's warning and ran, for now the magic would fade and the prince would know her reality. She was no princess , just a plain maid ! She ran, leaving behind the prince of her dreams who followed her ; ran , trying to avoid him, who begged her to stay ...she did not turn even for a second glance ...it was over ! Her life was over; her dream, the night she had been waiting for all her life, was over ...in just a moment ! How cruel time had been to her, to snatch it away from her !

"But she ran , as fast as her legs could manage and in her haste, left her shoe on the stairs."

****
"Hazel wake up ! We're waiting for you." Hazel heard her mother's voice ring in her ears. She woke up with a start.

"What? Who? When ?" she said , still dazed. Her mom giggled.

"Get ready quickly , Haze ."she said stroking Hazel's hair affectionately. "We have to leave for the woods in ten minutes ."

"Oh... yes , the picnic. I forgot."

"Don't be late."

"Yeah, fine."

She heard the door close with a thud. Slowly, she stretched her hands and legs ; the warm glow of the morning sun , illuminated her entire room. She lazily yawned and dragged her legs to the bathroom.

After a quick shower, she dressed up in a white blouse with denims and had barely started combing her hair when she heard her father shout,

"HAZEL! Everyone's seated in the car. Come down right away, will you ?"

"Yep, Dad ! A sec." she replied.

She put the hair brush down and ran downstairs, almost tripping on one of the steps.

When it came to clumsiness, Hazel put Cinderella to shame.

***

They reached the woods in half an hour. The weather was ideal for a picnic.

Hazel sat alone, looking at the sky while
Kate and Kendrick tried to play badminton. However, they did not know the rules, so after hitting each other with their rackets, they started running in circles. The adults were strolling nearby and were discussing very "interesting" matters.

This was the last thing Hazel wanted, to be left alone during a family outing, with nothing to do. As she sat alone aimlessly, unwanted thoughts that she had been avoiding, crept back into her mind.

The other world ...what was that supposed to mean ?

Hazel knew that she was out of the ordinary. But why ? What made her this way ? Who was her grandmother ?

She shook her head. Even thinking of these questions made her head ache. She felt irritated. It was as if all the pieces of the puzzle were in front of her but she was unable to solve them.

NO MORE ! Her mind yelled at her. She stood up.

Let's take a walk.

Hazel looked around. The canopy of trees shielded her from the sun and the moss carpeted ground welcomed her to explore hidden sights.

She walked ahead, admiring the beauty of nature; the birds, the jewel like flowers lying in patches. It was wild and slightly chaotic, but it had a beauty to it.

Suddenly, Hazel noticed a girl standing at a distance from her. She seemed to look in Hazel's direction, worried and anxious. Her long golden hair fell in ripples on her shoulder. Her sparkling blue eyes were the life of her, like gems studded on her small, round face.

Hazel gasped, as she stared at her. Her charm was beyond words.

The girl looked directly at Hazel. Hazel found herself taking a step towards her, but she scurried away from her.

She ran as fast as her legs could manage, never turning back for a second glance. The hem of her gown, a lovely shade of forget-me-not blue, swept behind her.

Hazel did not know why but she felt a sudden impulse to follow her .

She sprinted after the girl, but as she neared her, she seemed to go further out of reach.

Seriously ? A fancy dress race or what ?

After some time, Hazel's legs started aching badly and even moving a step seemed revolting. She fell down to her knees, panting for breath, realising that she had been on a wild goose chase.

She looked around for any sign of the girl, but she had disappeared. Strange.

She saw something in front of her. It looked like a transparent orb that gleamed in the sun's light. She trudged forward to it.

A few inches away from her, lay a beautiful, shining slipper... made of glass.