Twisted Cinderella

                ‘Oh no! He’s going to catch you! Run Ella! RUN!’ I mentally screamed at myself as I was running over the flat, barren prairie, during the worst rain storm in history. I could hear the pounding of feet and the heavy panting of breath, coming closer, as he started to gain ground on me. Then I made the fatal mistake of looking behind my shoulder. The man was right behind me! Suddenly, my right foot became tangled in the fabric of my dress and I fell down hard. Picking up speed at an alarming rate, I tumbled down the steep hill, and just before I hit the bottom; my head struck a rock. I felt it crack against my skull and felt the instant rush of warm blood down the side of my face. Finally, I rolled to a stop on my back, gazing up at the sky as the thunderheads peeled away to reveal a magnificent full moon and twinkling stars. The world started to take on a fuzzy hue as I heard the man’s feet come to a rest beside me. I saw his face come into view and saw he was crying. I didn’t know who he was, but I smiled as my eyes closed. His voice came out in a choked sob, “NO!” then I felt his warm lips against mine as I exited the world of the living.

                “Ahhhh!” I bolted straight out of bed covered in sweat.

                Phew! It was just a dream, but then I could still feel the spot where my head had struck the rock and my lips were still tingling from where the man had kissed me. Darn it! I had just received another vision, but I didn’t know who was going to suffer this horrible fate. That was how the visions worked: I was the poor soul who was going to die in four days, and I got to see how they were going to die first-hand. To top off the matter, the vision kept coming back to me until the person was dead. Then a new vision would come a few nights later. During the day when I am not asleep and dreaming of dead people, I am the servant to my stepmother and two beautiful stepsisters. You might think that they are as sweet as they look, but beware, they are as poisonous as vipers and as cold as the coldest winter night. Yes, I am Cinderella, but I prefer Ella, it's the only thing that seems to keep me sane in my crazy life.