Cinders & Sparks

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‘That’s the least of my problems,’ Cinders replied. ‘What do you think Elly and Aggy saw in the forest?’

As it turned out, Elly and Aggy had seen everything.

‘And there was a lady with red hair and she had wings!’ Aggy wailed as Cinders walked into the cottage with Sparks close behind. ‘And Sparks was floating!’

Closing her eyes and crossing her fingers, Cinders prepared herself for the worst. But Margery didn’t say a thing. When Cinders opened her eyes, she saw that her stepmother was far too busy reading a golden scroll to listen to her daughters.

‘And then the lady with the wings disappeared!’ Aggy squealed. ‘Poof – just like that!’

‘Agnes, I do not have time to listen to your nonsense,’ Margery announced. ‘And I’ve told you before, I won’t have you telling lies.’

‘But it’s not a lie,’ Aggy said sulkily. ‘There was a lady with wings and Sparks was flying and—’

‘Enough!’ snapped her mother, waving the scroll in the air. ‘Can any of you guess what this scroll says?’

Aggy and Elly shook their heads.

‘Obviously not,’ Cinders replied, breathing a sigh of relief. ‘Who sends scrolls any more? Why wouldn’t they send you a DM like normal people?’

‘Because it isn’t from normal people,’ Margery replied. ‘This is from the palace. It’s an invitation to the king’s ball, the most fabulous party the palace has ever thrown.’

Elly and Aggy forgot all about Brian as soon as they heard the word ‘ball’.

‘Will we have new dresses, Mother?’ asked Elly.

Margery nodded.

‘And new shoes?’ asked Aggy.

Margery nodded.

‘Can I go too?’ asked Cinders.

‘Certainly not,’ replied Margery. ‘Your name isn’t on the invitation, so you’re not invited. And I don’t want to hear another word on the matter. Now haven’t you got chores to do?’

Of course the answer was yes. Cinders always had chores to do.

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Awhole week went by and Cinders hadn’t been able to make a single wish come true.

Every morning, she woke up and did all her jobs: she washed the dishes, fed the animals and polished her stepsisters’ shoes until she could see her own sad face reflected in the super-shiny leather. She hadn’t teased Elly or Aggy, she hadn’t talked back to her stepmother and she hadn’t eaten a single cake all week long. Once the whole cottage was spick and span, Cinders snuck out of the house and into the forest with Sparks at her side where they spent each and every day wishing and wishing and wishing for Brian to come back and tell Cinders more about her mother.