Cinderella isn't a princess. Anymore.
***
My heart is racing and I'm struggling to wheeze in the chilly night air. My feet are stinging with pain every step I take. I stumble down the grand staircase, tripping on the crumpled, red, velvet carpet. My glassy blue-stained-red slipper turns underneath me and I fall with a loud 'THUMP'. My slipper slides off my foot and tumbles the rest of the way down the stairs, stopping at the bottom. Its screeches ring in my ears, echoing in my head in remembrance. I scramble right back up forgetting about the small shoe and limp my way towards the glinting white carriage.
I look down at myself and gasp, all but crying. My beautiful, fluffy, blue, taffeta gown is destroyed. It's ripped, torn, and stained with mud and grass.
But that's not nearly the worst part; it's tinted with blood, but not my own. Tears well up in my eyes and my vision becomes blurry. This was supposed to be the best night of my life and now it's the worst night of my life.
I suddenly see it, the carriage, up ahead shining in all its moonlit glory. I blow out a breath of relief that I hadn't realized I was holding. I limp as fast as I can with my hurt foot to get to that carriage, but as I'm limping I can see that I'm already too late. The carriage is shrinking with every passing second, and my hope is shrinking with it. I stop running and stare wistfully, knowing my life will most likely end soon. The carriage turns back into a pumpkin and the horses turn back into furry, brown mice. It screams again, pulling me back into the stream of reality that death is in the near future.
What happens to dear old Cinderella? Read to find out!