Mist

THE OLD HAG AND THE LAME GIRLS

"Good Morning , Hazel." Cindy smiled at her, as she reached the table.

"Your hair looks like a bird's nest."

Classic Cedron greeting.

"Thank you." Hazel replied. She sat down and sighed, looking down at the plate of food, with a plain loaf of bread and eggs. She forced a small bite into her mouth.

"You eat like mice." Ced observed.

"First crickets, then mice. You seem to hate the entire animal kingdom." said Hazel.

Cindy rolled her eyes. "Quit bickering, you two."

Jack walked onto the stage, wearing a suit that was shades of butter and bright, yellow yolk. "Good Morning , my folks ! This pleasant day, I bring along a sad news. Our old group of entertainers met with an accident, last night. I'm afraid some of them are no more."

The audience was quiet.

" But do not worry! The problem has been taken care of. We have a new set of artistes among us. Give them a round of applause !"

No one cheered as the three woman limped onto the stage, waving at the crowd , shooting kisses at random people.

The old woman had her hair in a fancy updo-turned-into-a-mess . She wore a velvet gown, crumbling into rags . The two younger ladies had their head covered in frilly bonnets and were adorned in bright layers of lace, ribbons, and silk; the colour and sheen of their garments were faded with time.

To complement their outfit, they carried walking sticks and wore cat eye spectacles. They had applied so much make up, that it looked like their faces were covered in cake flour.

Crazy is the new chic.

" Bonjour ! Good Morning ! Welcome to the 'Cinder-ella ? More like Cinder fella' show. These are my daughters Audrey and Aubrey. And I am ..."

The girls started giggling. The old lady scoffed at them, suppressing the urge to cane them with their own walking sticks.

"Hazel, look !" Cindy said.

" Believe me, I can't not."

" No, look at their eyes."

Hazel was shocked. Beneath the glasses that the girls wore, was a gruesome red bruise.

"Goodness, they are blind !"

" Exactly." Cindy said, looking uneasy.

"Cinderella might pretend to be a queen now, but what you might not know is that, she used to be a scullery maid." Aubrey began.

"Everyone knows that, woman!" someone shouted.

"Do we really think a woman who can't take care of her shoes is fit to be a ruler?" Audrey said.

"It really is a mystery how she lost that shoe, Audrey." Audrey added, "Maybe they weren't a perfect fit after all."

"Perhaps, she fooled the Prince into believing she was Cinderella." Aubrey said, "Which reminds me of a joke. What would Cinderella be called, if she was a kitchen maid?"

" Mozzarella !" Audrey shouted, before her sister could complete her sentence. This annoyed Aubrey.

"It's my turn !" she shrieked.

" Wait. You aren't going to say that one are you ?" Audrey asked.

Aubrey grinned with malice. " Why did Cinderella not get into the croquet team ?"

" Because she ran away from the ball !"  Audrey said. The two burst into ugly, monstrous laughter.

" Also, her coach was a pumpkin !" Aubrey added. That was when a boiled egg crashed against the folds of her dress.

" Something hit me. What is it, Audrey?"

"I don't know. I can't see a thing !"

" It's just a boiled egg." their mother said with extreme disinterest.

"Oh sweet pudding ! My dress .... Do I have egg on me ? Wash it off."

" These people are terrible. Why are they not laughing at our jokes ? You are supposed to laugh !" , Audrey barked at the crowd . Everyone stared at her, blankly.

Mental asylum needed these people .

"Mother ! Teach them a lesson . They have disrespected us by not getting entertained by our efforts. And they threw an egg at my sister !" Audrey complained.

" Very well ." the old lady yawned. She got up . Her lips twitched into a lopsided smirk . She pointed her finger at one of the waiters.

" Laugh !" she commanded. The man looked at her with concern.

"Ugh ! They told me it might not work the first time ." she grumbled.

"LAUGH." she growled and her eyes glowed like two neon bulbs. The man laughed and did not stop. He guffawed uncontrollably, so much that he fell down and his eyes turned red. Tears rolled down his cheeks. Everyone gasped, whispering to each other, nervously.

The sisters chuckled sadistically.

"These people are dangerous. We have to get out of here !" Hazel said.

Cindy looked like she might faint, her face had turned pale white. "H..Hazel , you have to go .We can't ...", she began.

" Wait ! It smells like her in here." Audrey said.

"Her? Who do you mean ?"

"Who else. Cinderella." She said the name like it was the meanest profanity in the world.

" I can smell all that joy, cinders and disgusting hope. " She snorted , sniffing in her surroundings.

" Hazel, you have to go! They know." Cindy said.

" What ? I am not leaving you."

" I know you care for us, but you must leave immediately." Cindy asserted.

"They can't be..." Hazel said, "The step-sisters."

"Yes." Ced replied.

The sisters inched closer, covering their nose.

" Hazel ! Go !" Cindy pushed her away.

A layer of mist clouded her vision.

*******

The descendants of Cinderella were about to face their arch nemesis. Cinderella's step-family.

Not unlike the other hosts of evil, they had met a terrible end. The sisters had taken drastic measures to have the glass slipper fit them. One had chopped off her toe, and the other, her heel. However, their efforts had been detected. As punishment for their dishonesty, greed and envy, their sight had been taken from them, their eyes pierced by heaven-sent doves.

As the sisters approached them, a haze blinded Cindy.

She was in dense woods. The trees swayed and the birds chirped cheerfully. Sunlight seeped through the canopy of greenery. Water rushed down a rocky path. The leaves rustled and the trees whispered.
A scent of wild flowers wafted into the surroundings.

The dream was interrupted. "Please come with me. I can help you."  The stranger had cloaked herself in black, hiding most of herself.

" Hurry! This illusion will not last forever. Please follow me." Her beautiful green eyes looked at Cindy, anxiously. Something in them made her trust the stranger.

Cindy followed her.

****

AUTHOR'S NOTE :

Next update will be up soon (hopefully ) . Have a lot on my plate , so excuse the late update .