November 13th, 2008

~What2callmyself: Hey! It's been a while since I posted…well anything. I got to thinking and wanted to write something sort of happy and inspiring, but I all came up with was this. It didn't come out right and it got very weird. Sorry. :)

This piece was not BETA-read.

This is my first Ouran fic. I felt Karou needed some love after I read the manga/saw the anime. Enjoy!

~~~***~~~

Minutes After Midnight

Cinderella lived her life in her own private world until the day her fairy godmother temporarily granted her heart's wish. Cinderella got the chance to be someone special and she rode to her dreams in a carriage that couldn't maintain its unnatural state forever. Cinderella danced at the ball and lived her dream for a few short hours until the chimes of midnight sang and the temporary spell faded quickly to dust and nothing. Cinderella went back home and thought she had to return as it was because the spell and the dream was over now so all she had was the memory and the pain that it couldn't, didn't last.

What our Cinderella didn't realize is that the spell had to break and the magic carriage had to go back to that abhorred pumpkin. The fantasy ended because once the fantasy ended the reality could begin. Real life could start. And what our Cinderella didn't realize is that the reality didn't have to be different from the dream, and it didn't have to hurt either. The spell was cast so that Cinderella could realize what it was she wanted in her life. The poor pumpkin was her vehicle to a bright future. Her dance at the ball was a little bit of living, a little bit of growing. The breaking of that spell was Cinderella's wake-up call. Oh Cinderella, don't hate the pumpkin because it's no longer a carriage. That pumpkin did its job and if you realized it you would find you don't need it anymore.

A fairy tale seems easy to live, but it's not. A fairy tale has every bit of realism as reality can have. Poor distraught Cinderella needs to figure out that the end of the spell is not the end of the tale so there's no need for her to keep crying.

The minutes have ticked past midnight Cinderella. It's time for you to dry your eyes and pick yourself off the floor. It's time for you to leave the pumpkin behind Cinderella, and walk to the future. The spell broke so you can live for real, not in a fantasy, so you can make your very own, very real happily even after.

And don't forget Cinderella, that though the clock struck twelve and everything went back, it didn't all go back. Yes Cinderella, don't you remember how it goes? The prince and the others are still continuing on. Past midnight and past the minutes after he does not give up. He does not give up because he's living now for the first time too and he knows what he wants. He wants to show you, Cinderella, that forever is just waiting to start.

And what will you do now Cinderella? The spell is broken and now you can really live and grow and shine. You better stand up now and start walking Cinderella. It's minutes after midnight and the world you thought came crashing at your feet with bits of yucky pumpkin is actually just waiting for you to realize its ready to start living instead dreaming.

A reality better than a dream awaits you, so go make it happen, Cinderella.

~~~***~~~

Thanks for reading! All comments and criticism are very appreciated. Please review!