Beware the Glass Slipper

Hear ye, hear ye! And listen well,

Maiden, beware of the glass slipper’s spell

If despair comes, do not seek its aid

Unless ye ought fate be remade.

“Cinderella! Cinderella!”

“Where are you? Hurry up, Cinderella!”

The maddening voices returned, shrieking Cinderella’s name from the moment her stepmother and stepsisters wake. Cinderella this, Cinderella that! Blind to the servant’s anguish, they burden her with endless labor as they persist with their own desires.

After her biological mother died, Cinderella realized her stepmother's intention to seize her father's wealth and power. She lived through example and made sure her daughters felt the same way about marriage. After all, it was fairly common for women to depend on men with status.

She grew determined to avoid the same fate, as she only had herself to rely on. There are no fairy godmothers with magic wands to save her in the real world, hope as she might.

Despite her inner defiance, she was terrified to defy her stepmother. But as midnight approached, Cinderella felt compelled to spite her and sneak out.

She eventually came across the owner of a small run-down shoe store and made it clear that she would never return to her stepfamily. The lady saw Cinderella’s determination and promised not only would she watch after her, but also allow her the opportunity to assist with the business, and Cinderella agreed.

Months later, the king announced that a ball would be held for the prince to choose a suitable wife, and a pair of luxurious glass slippers would be given as a keepsake. Women from all over the land came, but the prince was uninterested in them.

Cinderella was reluctant to attend as she had no desire in meeting the prince. However, she realized that any maiden was welcome to join, and this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for someone of her stature. She wanted to have fun for a change and put on the most lovely gown and shoes she could find.

As Cinderella roamed the castle, she noticed that everyone seemed perplexed by her appearance. It must have caused quite a stir because the prince approached her before she realized it.

“Your name, milady?”

“Cinderella.”

“Oh, so you are the local shoemaker.”

“And what about it?”

“Nothing. It’s just that I find you very beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

Her stepmother peered at them from afar, realizing that the odd girl was her runaway stepdaughter.

Cinderella was the one the prince had been looking for. A gorgeous wife would be his crown jewel. Confident she would not decline such an illustrious offer, the prince proposed.

“I know it’s all so sudden, but I can't help thinking you must be exhausted with the amount of work you put in every day. A woman like you shouldn't be responsible for so much on her own. Think about it, I could provide everything you desire-”

He hands her a pair of glass slippers. Cinderella stares at them, and a sense of pride overwhelms her.

“No thank you, and please keep the glass slippers. I am in no need of your sympathy. While it is true I do not have much, I've settled with the fact that I don't need a man to get what I need; I'm capable of making glass slippers myself.”

Cinderella boldly turned her back and walked away, leaving the prince dumbfounded. But she was stopped short by a familiar firm grip on her arm. It was her stepmother.

“How dare you, and after everything I’ve done for you. You wouldn’t even spare the prince for your stepsisters. Is this your way of repaying my generosity?”

“Who are you to demand my gratitude? All you've ever given me was your cruel and bitter resentment ever since my father’s death.”

She turns to her stepsisters. “And you, Anastasia and Drizella. Do you see how she manipulates you into believing that women are condemned to wait for marriage? Your worth is so much more than putting on that glass slipper.”

For a brief moment, the abused girl saw terror in her tormentor's eyes. Just as she was gathering the strength to talk back, her stepsisters broke the silence.

“She's right, mother.”

“Why, for our whole lives, have we been conditioned to think and act how a man desires? We’re not like you. You only settled for wealth!”

Her stepmother couldn't believe what she was hearing from her children, whom she had strived to give an advantage over the child of her dead spouse. Outnumbered, embarrassed, and defeated, she departed from the ball.

There was finally a moment of reconciliation. Cinderella’s stepsisters had realized their mistake, which led her to believe that they, too, had been misunderstood. In the end, she forgave them.

They say, “In dreams, you will lose your heartaches, whatever you wish for, you keep.” Yet heartaches will never fade if one merely dreams, until one puts in the effort to make them a reality.

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Written by Alexia Wagas

Visual and Layout by Kyla Mondejar