The darkness of the mansion seemed to reflect the mood of the night -- eerie; foreboding, with a sense of tense anticipation, like something terrible was teetering on the edge of rebirth.
An unnoticed stone lay forgotten in the corner, having tumbled there some hours later. And next to it was a faint glimmer in the air, like a specter or ghost were on the brink of materializing into existence. The stone it lay adjacent to was black, with strange cracks of an orange light throbbing like veins all across its surface. As the night stilled and the crickets quieted, having already sung all their songs, the orange light grew brighter, more visible. It seemed to take over more and more of the stone with every moment that passed, but still the blackness remained. It seemed to absorb the light, although the glow was still alive.
And the transparent figure beside the stone was slowly, steadily becoming more visible. Before it had only been a whisper, a hint of a dream. But as the light grew stronger, so did its substance, its aura. A low moan was heard, but immediately after it was followed by a deep, harsh grating that could have been laughter. "Fool," the voice hissed, becoming stronger with every moment.
Presently the black stone's cracks of light grew brighter, and the figure slowly reached up, grasping and clawing at the wall of the chamber in order to stand. A skewed hand reached down to pick up the stone, and at first it passed through. A grunt of frustration sounded, but a moment later the hand materialized enough to pick it up. A moment later a flash of light burst out from the stone, and a hiss of pain escaped the figure, which collapsed against the wall, then straightened again a few seconds later. "She thinks she's won, does she? We'll see about that." The voice was sinister and gleeful, though slightly sour with pain. "They still haven't drawn the line between friends and enemies."
And a second form materialized into the room, a young man wearing a dark cloak.
"You summoned, Father?"
YOU ARE READING
Cinderella: A Fractured Fairytale
Fiksi PenggemarSure, you've seen the Disney movie. You know how cruel and evil her stepmother and sisters were. ...But what if there were another side to the story? What if there were secrets about this tale that couldn't be revealed just from Ella's perspective...
