The Girls from Downstairs

Sixteen: how fruit consumption leads to depressing thoughts

New chapter.  Yay!  (Strange chapter name, I know, but it's the best i could come up with at four in the morning)

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We spent the rest of the afternoon with the group of women.  It was absolutely splendid!  We ate some of the world’s tiniest cakes - not like ones back home, in Reality.  They were full-fledged cakes, just mini. Our godmother’s (for those who had them) made sure our glasses were never empty.  Whatever was in the juice - whether it was naturally found in the fruit or added later on - it made my head begin to spin after so long.

“What exactly is in this?  Just that fruit stuff?” I giggled.

Snow White smiled softly, taking the cup out of my hands.  “I think you’ve had enough.”

“Come on, Snow!  It’s just a little fruit juice!” I laughed as I tried to get my cup back.

“We don’t often get visitors from Reality, if you can’t tell.  We tend to forget how strong our food is compared to your usual victuals back home,” Cinderella apologized.

“Why?  What makes you say that?  I’ve been fine with everything else I’ve eaten or had to drink!” I insisted.  Jinx was in the middle of an enthusiastic telling of a story behind us.  I laughed - hard - as she pretended to choke herself.

“Are you normally so giddy?” Aden asked. 

I shook my head, still giggling.  “No!  Not at all!  Well, yes, sort of.  Maybe, kinda, sorta, no?!”

“What about obedience?  Would you normally do everything that they’ve all told you to do back home?” Mirela asked.

My smile faded.  “Yes and no.  At home I did anything anyone told me to do.  But at school, among my colleagues, I would do it only if I wanted to.”

“But being here it’s much like a slightly hazy dream, your limbs tend to feel either really light or heavy, and you’re hardly thinking much for yourself, right?  Everyone else tells you what to do and you just do it without asking why?” Cinderella guessed.

I straightened.  “Well... yeah.  Sort of.”

“Sort of?” Snow White asked.

“Fine,” I sighed.  “Yes.  But so what?  Can food cause all that?”

They laughed.  Snow put another soft hand on my knee.  “You’d be surprised.  If we fed you the right things we could have you in a near hypnotic state.  I could easily control you if I wanted to.”

Harlow magically appeared by my side (or so it seemed).  “Don’t listen to these women!  They’re trying to scare you!  Come, I think our time here is up.  Want to get back in time to greet the boys when they come back from their hunt, don’t you?”

“Well, wait.  Do you have to leave now?” Cinderella asked.

Harlow nodded.  “Oh yes.  King Garfield loves for his queen to be waiting for him after a long day of hunting.  I’m sure his two boys would feel the exact same way.”

She took my elbow in her hands and led me towards the door.  Our godmothers followed behind us silently as the others bid us farewell.  Outside we switched back into our traveling clothes and prepared for our long trek back to the castle.  The sun was already setting, somewhere around five o’clock.

“Hey, Harlow?”

“What?”  

“Do all those queens live around here?”