THIS is my lucky day! The prince decided to search the land for his true love… and I get to go! I’m so excited to see all the pretty girls in the city- and it’s my chance to look for her...the girl at the ball. Her eyes, her lips, her…..feet! Her dress was fantastic and ornate, like a peacock showing off its feathers. I don’t think she noticed me, but I only had eyes for her. Maybe today is the day I will see her again, and claim her for my own.  My deepest desire is for my prince to find his princess, and for me to find my mystery lady love. 

House after house we searched with no success. My prince kept his spirits high, and I encouraged him that we would find his love. Secretly, I searched for my precious jewel...knowing I would recognize her immediately.

Finally, after a long day of riding, talking, bending, and stuffing…I decided that it might not be my dream come true because all I can smell is stinky feet. Big feet, small feet, smelly feet, young and old feet. MY job… to try the slipper on every fair maiden, well… it STINKS! NOt only do I have to bend over and touch strangers’ feet… but also I have to clean the glass slipper after each attempt. I’m starting to think I might be exposed to a number of ailments such as toe jam, fungus, and the dreaded gangrene. THIS is not the day I imagined, and I’m starting to think about telling the prince it’s a lost cause. 

As the sun was setting, we approached the final house in the kingdom. I could see a young maiden sprinting from the house, screaming that the prince need look no further. We get down from the horses, and I bring out the slipper to try it on. I’m so tired that I do not look her in the eye, but focus on the right foot of this determined maiden as I attempt to shove it into the slipper. Once… “Shove harder!” Twice “Come on, it fits!” The third time I decide to look up, and to my disbelief… it’s her- my lady love, and I have her oversized, beautiful foot in my hand. Her rosy skin, her long and elegant toes… did not fit into the glass slipper. It wasn’t my Prince’s lady, it was mine. 

“What the HELL?!” I thought to myself. “What am I supposed to do now?”

My curiosity was quickly cured as Karen had a master plan for me and my so-called destiny. She shared this plan with me as she stuffed me into her bag, turned away from the shore and, ignoring my protests, took me away from the beach I love so much.

“Get ready to work!” Karen trilled in her syrupy sweet voice.

Her master plan for me was going to make her famous, yet I hadn’t even been on the job for 24 hours before she asked to speak to my manager to which I confusingly replied, “Karen, you’re my manager.”

Apparently, I wasn’t performing my responsibilities to her expectations- but, seriously, who would ENJOY having people’s nasty fungus-filled feet all up in your space all day?!?

“Listen here, Shoe! I don’t care if there are thousands of feet shoved in your space, YOU are my ticket to fame and you’re dealing with it!!!” 

Much to my surprise, a young lady had called on Karen for help. She had the predatory aggression of an injury lawyer who knows that there’s oodles of money to be made off this poor schmuck.

Directions: Every member of the group should be able to type onto the Google Doc. You may choose one person to type or everyone in the group may type. Your task is to write a new version of Cinderella from the first person point of view of the younger stepsister.

There she goes again getting all of Mom’s attention. Just because she’s about to age out now doesn’t mean she should get to marry the prince. I mean, who’s to say he wouldn’t choose me? I mean, I am the prettier one! 

Mom is doing Shawna’s claws for nails, talking her up and telling her how the prince is just going to LOVE everything about her, and I’m just about to get a word in when Cinderella comes in and starts blabbering on about how SHE should get to go to the ball, too. That raises Mom’s hackles and instead of giving me the time of day, she spends the next hour looking for the dungeon key and alerting the whole staff to keep Cinderella locked away, when all I wanted to know was if these shoes worked with my dress.

“They don’t, by the way,” Shawna says, not even bothering to glance in my direction.  “This night is all about me anyway, so stay out of my way or else.” 

“Or else what? There’s only room for one in the dungeon,” I mumble.  I mean to say this to myself, but Shawna’s whirls around and cuts me a menacing glare.

“You know the prince is going to pick me.  When I’m queen, you can HAVE my shoes.” She carefully wipes a drop of spit from her lower lip and adjusts a fallen strand of hair.  

We sit in silence for a moment. I let Shawna think she’s won this battle, but she better watch her back. 

“Who do you think the prince will choose?” Mary called out to the room in general.

“Got your hopes up Mary?”  Gerald shot back.

“No, just hoping for a kind hearted princess”.

“Who cares???” I spat out. I was hungry and just wanted to get out of there. Plus, I had seen this spoiled prince turn down offers of marriage for years now; I knew this would be another failed arrangement and a waste of my time. Even if he did pick a bride, I’m sure she would just be some gold-digger who had no idea what it was like to work for a living. I grabbed the last platter and entered the ball room just as a new guest arrived late. 

I watched this new mystery guest all evening.  She wasn’t like the others that had been to the palace before.  Maybe she had promise

-Liza, Laurie & Cat