The Real Cinderella Story

Dear Reader,

We’ve all heard the story of Cinderella, right? Well, everything told about the Cinderella story is wrong. Take it from me, Elizabetha, one of the “ugly” stepsisters.

After I am finished with my story, you will no longer believe that Cinderella deserved her happy ending. The story starts the afternoon of the Royal Ball.



Cinderella locked the barn door. She knelt on the ground and peered into the mouse hole.

“Do you have it?” she whispered.

A squeaking noise came out of the hole. Two mice ran out, carrying a small book. It was about the same size as a deck of cards. The mice placed the book in Cinderella’s hands. She ran her fingers along the silver writing at the top of the book.

“Prunella the Witch’s Spellbook and Potion Recipes for the Everyday Peasant,” she whispered.

Cinderella tossed the mice a piece of cheese and walked out of the barn. On the way out, she ran into her two hardworking stepsisters, Elizabetha and Mabel. Elizabetha had long luxurious chocolate brown hair. Mabel had short blonde hair that fell to her jawline. Both had elegant features. Neither one of them was fat, nor ugly in any way. How Cinderella envied them as she ran her own huge hands through her stringy red hair.

“Oh. Sorry, Cinderella,” Mabel said in a courteous voice.

“Oh, you will be,” Cinderella muttered under her breath.

“Dear, Mother wants you to get your best dress ready for the Royal Ball tonight,” Elizabetha said.

“If you need extra time, we can do the rest of your chores,” offered Mabel.

“No, thank you,” Cinderella said as she hid the spellbook behind her back.

“Alright then,” Elizabetha looked at her, concerned. Then she and Mabel went off into the barn to milk the cows.

Cinderella stole into the house, but not before Stepmother caught her.

“Sweetie, you have to pick the pumpkins from the garden before you can go off and do whatever it is you do. But, before that, I made hot chocolate!” Stepmother produced a steaming cup of cocoa.

Cinderella grumbled a thank you and sipped the hot chocolate while she secretly flipped through the spell book. The names of the spells ran through her head. They arranged themselves into the perfect plan.

“Thank you, Mother. I’ve had enough.”

“Alright, Cinderella. Don’t forget to get your best dress ready.”

Cinderella set the cup down and stood. She walked out to the pumpkin patch. She hated her life. They were so poor! Before Father died, she had been rich. But then Father died and left all his money to his brother, Febaccio! Now his orphaned daughter and his wife and stepdaughters were forced to toil in poverty. Uncle Febaccio refused to help them at all with their financial struggles. Stepmother, Elizabetha, and Mabel were content with this farm life, but Cinderella hated it! Her plan would make it all better.

She arrived at the pumpkin patch. Phase one of the plan began. She let all her anger loose on the pumpkins. She kicked them to pieces and then scattered the pieces.

“Young lady, what do you think you’re doing?”

Cinderella spun around to see Stepmother glaring at her, arms crossed over her chest.

“That is it, Cinderella! I didn’t want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice. You are grounded! You cannot go to the Royal Ball tonight!”

“But, Stepmother.”

“No buts! That is final! As your punishment, you shall scrub the kitchen floor tonight while the rest of us are at the ball.”

Cinderella ran to her room, faking tears. Once there, she locked the door. She opened her diary and wrote out all the phases of her plan. Then she checked phase one off of the list.

A few hours later, Stepmother and Elizabetha and Mabel left for the ball. Cinderella feigned tears, but scrubbed away. After the carriage had pulled out of sight, Cinderella sprang up from her knees. Phases two, three, and four were about to commence.

She snatched up the sponge and the bucket of soapy water. She grabbed a few ashes from the fireplace. She ran about the house and farm, grabbing items. Finally, she lit a fire in the fireplace and let it grow hot. She filled a cauldron with the soapy water and began tossing in items while she said her spell.

“Sponge, ashes, strawberry, make the prince love only me! Pumpkin seeds and bread of rye, pull the wool over his eyes! Rose and thorn, feather of dove, make him smell the scent of love!”

A cloud of smoke burst from the pot, then the mixture turned a deep red. Cinderella pricked her finger with a needle and let a drop of her blood fall into the mixture. The fire went out immediately. Cinderella took a ladleful of the love potion and put it in a corked vial. She dumped the rest out and crossed phase two off of her list.

She wandered out to the pumpkin patch and found a pumpkin she had not destroyed. Reading from the spellbook, she said, “O Pumpkin, I bid thee change thy form. To my very will conform. A carriage ride is what I need. Give me that, without the seeds!”

The pumpkin sweltered and began to grow. The vine turned into wheels. Eventually, a beautiful carriage sat in front of her.

“Phase three, completed,” she said as she checked it off her list.

She cast another spell.

“Hair arrange, beautify! Dress, be pleasing to the eye! Shoes, be envied by the latter! Eye color? It doesn’t matter!”

Her raggedy old work clothes transformed into a beautiful black satin dress. Her shoes became a darkened glass. Heels grew out of the shoes. Cinderella looked into a puddle and saw her reflection. Her hair was braided with many beads. Two braids circled the top of her head like a crown. White pearls appeared on her neck. Black gloves appeared on her hands. The transformation was complete.

Quickly, Cinderella got into the carriage. She cast a spell on it to make it drive itself. When she arrived at the ball, she saw the prince dancing with Elizabetha.

Elizabetha looked happier than she ever had before. The prince gazed at her with loving eyes. Phase five of Cinderella’s plan was about to begin. She pointed at Mabel.

“Hog body, hog wrinkles, moles on her chin!”

Mabel began to get fatter as she danced. Wrinkles appeared. Three moles grew up out of her chin.

Cinderella pointed at Elizabetha.

“Toad warts, thin hair, dry, scaly skin!”

Elizabetha began to get warts. Her hair became thinner until it was ratty and ugly. Her skin cracked and grew dry. The prince backed away in horror. Now was the time for Cinderella to begin phase six.

She snatched two goblets of wine off of a silver platter. She dripped the love potion into one. Then she walked over to the prince.

“Sir, would you like a glass of wine?”

The prince thanked her and grabbed the cup. He drank it while Cinderella stared at him, waiting expectantly. After he finished it, he stared at her wide eyed. He got down on his knees.

“Will you dance with me?”

Cinderella set down her wine and danced. She danced and danced until midnight. She had decided it would be more romantic if the prince looked for her, so she ran off at midnight, purposely leaving behind a glass shoe. The prince chased after her, but she got in her carriage and rode away.

The next day, the prince ran around searching for the wearer of the glass shoe. When he knocked on Cinderella’s door, she was in her room, grounded. Stepmother tried to keep her in, but Cinderella burst out at the last second. The prince put the shoe on, and it fit. Cinderella was whisked off and married the prince, living a life of luxury in the palace. The curse of ugliness eventually wore off Elizabetha and Mabel, but it was too late.



So, that’s what really happened. I was heartbroken. I had been turned ugly and taken away from my true love by my jealous stepsister. For a while, we had no idea what had happened that night. Then, we found Cinderella’s diary and the spellbook. We then used the spellbook for a less complicated get-rich-quick scheme. Cinderella failed to notice the “Create Sacks of Gold” spell. Mabel and I married the two sons of a wealthy merchant. We were able to let our mother finally rest. Cinderella got her happily ever after, but I doubt she is truly happy. But we are truly happy. Who do you think the better end of the deal?

-Elizabetha