Cinderella

18.Impossible List

"Wash the dishes, muck out the stalls, wash the stalls, feed the horses, brush the horses, beat the rugs, mend the clothes, wash the clothes, press and iron the clothes, dust the house, clean the chandelier, reorganize the kitchen, wipe down the dining room table, wash the floors, wash the stairs, make the beds, clean the bedrooms, empty the rat traps, reset the rat traps, buy a dozen eggs from the market, scrub the windows, buy a head of lettuce from the market, find my pearl necklace, do the girls and my hair for the ball, find our dresses for the ball, get us ready for the ball, clean the fireplaces, weed the garden, sweep the stairs, clean the drawing room, reorganize the girls closets, reorganize my closet, clean put the gutters, buy food for the horses, clean the bathrooms, water the plants, clean the oven, clean the study, reorganize the books in the study, sweep the entry hall, wash the bedding, wash the carriage, clean the carpets, prune the trees, clean the kitchen counters, clean the dining room chairs, clean the couches, clean under all the furniture in the drawing room and other rooms, and clean everything else that needs to be cleaned" my stepmother listed handing me the paper that it was all written down on. (A/N Just want to quickly say that I managed to get the list of chores to a bit over 200 words)

This was more work then I had ever been given. I wasn't sure if I would be able to finish it within a week, much less the half a day I had.

I took the list from her and looked at how long it was. It really would be impossible to finish before they left, but I had to try. I threw on my apron and put up my hair. I was going to go to the ball tonight and no one, not even my stepmother was going to stop me.

I was lying on my back staring at the ceiling. Somehow, with the help of my sisters, I had managed to finish everything on my stepmother's list. To say she was furious was an understatement. Now, I had to go get myself ready. I peeled myself off the floor and ran to my room. I grabbed my dress and slipped it on.

The dress was a simple pale pink color with a tight bodice and a full skirt. The reason I wore it was because the dress used to belong to my mother. As I finished changing, Laney and Lele came into my room. They were already dressed.

Laney wore a black gown that slowly faded until it became a dark purple color. Lele wore a long sleeved, forest green, off the shoulder gown. Lele had straightened her hair and Laney had pinned her hair up in a complicated updo. I was still working on pinning my hair up.

"You both look beautiful" I complimented them once I saw them.

"You look amazing" Laney said.

"Your mother's gown really suits you" Lele agreed.

"We should go down now" I said.

"Yes, we should" Laney agreed. We all walked downstairs and found that my stepmother was missing. That's when I heard a giant crash. I rushed outside to see what had caused it.

At first, I saw nothing. Then, I felt Laney grip my arm and point towards my mother's garden. That's when I realized it. I could no longer see the tree. I took off running and soon reached the garden. I stopped running and fell to my knees in front of the fallen tree. My stepmother stood there smugly, holding an axe in her hand.

I began to cry. I had done everything she asked of me and she still cut down the tree. I never thought that she would actually cut it down. I thought that as long as I followed her orders and never fought back, the tree and her grave would be safe. I didn't believe that she could be cruel enough to follow through with her threat.

"The ball is no place for a worthless orphan like you. You're dress is probably stolen, the color looks horrible on you, your hair looks like a rat's nest, you don't even have shoes. Everything about you screams poor and worthless. You are not going to the ball. If you do, your mother's grave will be in a swamp" she threatened.

Then, she proceeded to tear my dress down the middle, leaving me in nothing but tatters. I watched as she walked off and dragged my sisters into the carriage with her. They tried to reach me, but they couldn't. I watched as they disappeared from my view and I begun to cry once again.

Everything had gone wrong. I had lost the tree, my mother's dress was ruined, and I wouldn't be able to see Anthony. Come morning, I would probably be arrested for treason. Then, everything would be taken away for good. I wouldn't even have my sisters if they decided to execute me.

"Child, why are you crying?" A voice softly asked. I looked up and saw an old woman wearing black through my tear filled eyes.

"I am crying because everything has gone wrong tonight" I said.

"So you are crying over a ripped dress?" She asked.

"No. I am crying because my mother's dress is ruined and I have almost nothing to remember her. I am crying because my mother's favorite tree has been mercilessly torn down. I cry because I won't be able to see him tonight. But above everything, I am crying because I may never get to see my sisters again. If I'm executed, then I'll never be able to see them again" I said.

"That is a reason to cry. Well then, I guess we have to get you to the ball" the woman said.

"But I don't have a dress or any way to get there" I said.

"You just leave that to me" the woman said as she started to glow. A stick appeared out of thin air and landed in her hand. Her dress became colorful and seemed to glow. Wings sprouted from her back. Her grey hair was pinned up in a bun.

"Who are you?" I asked in awe.

"Me? I'm your fairy godmother and I'm here to get you to the ball" she said.

Author's Note

Hey everyone! Did you know that it's really hard to come up with 200 words worth of chores? Seriously, I had to try to remember different chores and even then I had to add details about stuff like cleaning the kitchen just to make it. Can you guess what the 200 words of chores is for? It's for the 200 reads that this story now has!

Anyways, I just wanted to give thank a couple of random people. So first off, my newest followers. Thanks mousiepoobear , @itsam_duhh , and @spectrumsaga . Next we have the people who have added this story to their reading lists. Thanks @JojoCReads and @PaulynYawa . Then we have the commenters. Thanks mousiepoobear and @PaulynYawa . The voters. Thanks mousiepoobear . Finally we have retro_wonderwoman who's just her. Thanks. If I missed anyone then I'm sorry. Also, thanks to everyone who is reading this story.

To everyone reading, I hope you'll check out my newest story that I just posted. Please comment and vote. Sorry this note is so long

-Panda12Panda12
P.S. Don't think that I forgot to thank the pandas!