AN: I love fairy tales so full of love and adventure. I really like Cinderella. I changed the plot alot, and there will be alot of twists and turns. I hope you all like it!
Her bright auburn hair gently blew across her cheek as she stood at the edge of the cliff. She wasn't cold, even though the scraps that she wore were hardly clothes. Her bare feet were covered by the long blades of grass that covered all of the mountains. She sat there silently listening to the last sounds of the night, waiting for morning.
The sun rose slowly, covered almost completely by clouds. "Ella!!" She heard her name called over the field, her alone time over. If only she could have a few more minutes to herself! But your stepmother needs you. You can't risk upsetting her, she thought. She ran as fast as she could back to her house.
A Dutch style house with flowers on the window, and a chimney on the roof, should have been a cozy place. But it was not. The screams of her stepmothers and stepsisters, whenever she did something wrong, could be heard from miles away, the townspeople had gotten used to it. Most of felt sorry for the little girl, some were too busy with their work to care. "A misfortune for the poor child. Better than living in the mines."
They were right. The mines were worse. Orphans and children that the mine owners bought worked all day with almost no food and water. They had no fun, just work. Ella was grateful that her stepmother hadn't gotten that greedy and sold her. She had to be especially good this week. This week the slave miners were looking for more children in her area. And it would be wrong to think that her stepmother wouldn't sell her in an instant.
As she reached the house she could see the serving maid, Della outside sweeping the porch. "Hurry child." Della said, "I'd be careful. 'Tis the week when childrn 're bought. Wouldn't want to upset the misses." Ella quickly ran in to the kitchen, where her stepmother stood, holding a pan, her eyes wide with anger.
"Ella!" She screeched. "How many times do I have to tell you! You are to be here on time, to make breakfast! Adronelia and Francsia must maintain their perfect figures!" She pointed at her two daughters who were in the corner table, smiling. It took everything Ella had learned not to laugh. Adronelia and Francsia had anything but perfect figures. Adronelia was fat, but Francsia was fattest. They both had chubby cheeks that looked as if they hid their leftover food in them. Their dresses ripped regularly, Ella often spent many late nights up sewing the dresses. She covered her mouth to try and stifle her laugh but her stepmother heard it first. "Don't laugh at me, child. Just for that you will have no breakfast, lunch, or dinner." Her smile grew wide, "And don't think I haven't considered selling you to those slave miners. You can be replaced. I've only kept you all these years because I loved your father. But now that I think about it, I think that I have given enough generosity to you Ella. I shall have the slave traders come over this afternoon." She sneered. "Now get to work!" She shouted and threw the pot on to the counter with a clang and left the room, her daughters in tow.
Ella sat down on a stool and began to cry. Only to hear a knock on the back door right next to her. She looked through the peephole. It was Peter. Her best friend in the world, the only person that she could ever open up to. She opened the door to let Peter in. Quietly, she didn't want her stepmother to get any madder. "Ella, what's wrong?" Peter exclaimed. Ella put a finger to her lips to shush him. Quietly, they left the house and went to the barn to talk.
As soon as they got in to the barn, Peter wrapped Ella in to a hug. "What's wrong." He spoke with such concern, Ella would miss him so much! She began to cry again. "Step..mothers..going....to...sell..me!" She choked out. "To the mines?" Peter whispered, shocked. Ella nodded her head. Peter spoke, his eyes glazed over, "Father always threatened that he'd sell me to the miners, but mum would have nothing to do with it. He said it would turn me in to a man, but mum will never let him. I think he's joking when he says it anyways... but you? What will I do with out you? You're the only person that I can actually talk to!" He pulled her in to a tight hug, and Ella felt the sleeve of her shirt get wet. They sat like that until Ella heard her stepmother scream her name. "Well, I guess this is goodbye." She sat to Peter, her voice quavering. He reached in to his pocket and pulled out a silver chain with a small glowing stone in it. "This was my grandma's. She gave it to me before she died. The rock in the middle is supposed to bring good luck... You need this more than I do." He pressed the necklace in to her hand. "Oh Peter!" Ella was about to give the necklace back and say more when she heard her name screamed again. " I have to go, Peter." She ran out of the barn and across the field to the house the necklace in her hand.
As soon as she walked in to the house a hand grabbed her and sat her in a chair. The man who grabbed her, was a very old man judging by the wrinkles on his face. He smiled, showing the few teeth he had in is mouth. They were a dark shade of brown, showing that he had never brushed them before. He lifted up her arms and poked and prodded her muscles. "How old is she?" The old man asked Ella's stepmother after he had finished "examining" Ella's body. "Thirteen. She'll be fourteen in about two months. "Very good. Very good." The old man whispered to him self. "I'll give you a hundred pounds for her" "Surely she can be worth more than a hundred pounds? After all-" "No." The old man cut the stepmother "Unless you want me to go lower?" Ella's stepmother shook her head no. "Very good." The old man pulled out a bag that was definitely filled with coins and handed to the stepmother. Ella watched the bag carefully, knowing that her life was just sold away. "Come, slave." The old man pulled her off the chair. He was extremely strong for his age. The words stung in her ears. She was a slave. She was to shocked to cry, scream, or even fight. She had been sold like property. She could not believe that anyone, even her stepmother, could do something like this. She felt to shocked to breathe, her vision was suddenly blurred by the sudden flow of tears. She felt, more than saw, herself being thrown in to a wooden carriage. More like a jail cell, with the metal bars on the back. I am going to jail, she thought.
*~*~*~*~*
The rattle of the metal bars on the wood was driving Ella mad. Her growling stomach only made things worse. She'd been traveling for days, and every time she'd ask for food, the drive would laugh a screeching laugh, and Ella decided that she didn't want to hear that laugh any more, she'd just starve. The sun came in from three cracks at the bottom of two of the wooden planks that she sat on, and from how much light there was she could tell what time it was. There was almost no light. "Soon it will be pitch black in here" She sighed from talking to herself. Ella felt the ground for a soft place to sleep. She moved her hand slowly across the wooden planks, still unbelieving what was happening. Her sleeve caught in one of the boards, and when she pulled her arm out a chunk of the wood came out. She could barely see the pavement because the sun had just set. She stuck her hand through the hole, she couldn't fit her whole body through it, yet. She smiled, and covered back up the hole. She pulled the sleeves up her dress up and ripped them. She folded them up and laid her head down to rest. She half closed her eyes and thought of ways to make the hole bigger. She thought of Peter and felt the necklace in the folds of her skirt. She took it out and fastened it around her neck. She stared up at the boards that were above her.
She slept, dreaming of the next day.
Please Review!
Her bright auburn hair gently blew across her cheek as she stood at the edge of the cliff. She wasn't cold, even though the scraps that she wore were hardly clothes. Her bare feet were covered by the long blades of grass that covered all of the mountains. She sat there silently listening to the last sounds of the night, waiting for morning.
The sun rose slowly, covered almost completely by clouds. "Ella!!" She heard her name called over the field, her alone time over. If only she could have a few more minutes to herself! But your stepmother needs you. You can't risk upsetting her, she thought. She ran as fast as she could back to her house.
A Dutch style house with flowers on the window, and a chimney on the roof, should have been a cozy place. But it was not. The screams of her stepmothers and stepsisters, whenever she did something wrong, could be heard from miles away, the townspeople had gotten used to it. Most of felt sorry for the little girl, some were too busy with their work to care. "A misfortune for the poor child. Better than living in the mines."
They were right. The mines were worse. Orphans and children that the mine owners bought worked all day with almost no food and water. They had no fun, just work. Ella was grateful that her stepmother hadn't gotten that greedy and sold her. She had to be especially good this week. This week the slave miners were looking for more children in her area. And it would be wrong to think that her stepmother wouldn't sell her in an instant.
As she reached the house she could see the serving maid, Della outside sweeping the porch. "Hurry child." Della said, "I'd be careful. 'Tis the week when childrn 're bought. Wouldn't want to upset the misses." Ella quickly ran in to the kitchen, where her stepmother stood, holding a pan, her eyes wide with anger.
"Ella!" She screeched. "How many times do I have to tell you! You are to be here on time, to make breakfast! Adronelia and Francsia must maintain their perfect figures!" She pointed at her two daughters who were in the corner table, smiling. It took everything Ella had learned not to laugh. Adronelia and Francsia had anything but perfect figures. Adronelia was fat, but Francsia was fattest. They both had chubby cheeks that looked as if they hid their leftover food in them. Their dresses ripped regularly, Ella often spent many late nights up sewing the dresses. She covered her mouth to try and stifle her laugh but her stepmother heard it first. "Don't laugh at me, child. Just for that you will have no breakfast, lunch, or dinner." Her smile grew wide, "And don't think I haven't considered selling you to those slave miners. You can be replaced. I've only kept you all these years because I loved your father. But now that I think about it, I think that I have given enough generosity to you Ella. I shall have the slave traders come over this afternoon." She sneered. "Now get to work!" She shouted and threw the pot on to the counter with a clang and left the room, her daughters in tow.
Ella sat down on a stool and began to cry. Only to hear a knock on the back door right next to her. She looked through the peephole. It was Peter. Her best friend in the world, the only person that she could ever open up to. She opened the door to let Peter in. Quietly, she didn't want her stepmother to get any madder. "Ella, what's wrong?" Peter exclaimed. Ella put a finger to her lips to shush him. Quietly, they left the house and went to the barn to talk.
As soon as they got in to the barn, Peter wrapped Ella in to a hug. "What's wrong." He spoke with such concern, Ella would miss him so much! She began to cry again. "Step..mothers..going....to...sell..me!" She choked out. "To the mines?" Peter whispered, shocked. Ella nodded her head. Peter spoke, his eyes glazed over, "Father always threatened that he'd sell me to the miners, but mum would have nothing to do with it. He said it would turn me in to a man, but mum will never let him. I think he's joking when he says it anyways... but you? What will I do with out you? You're the only person that I can actually talk to!" He pulled her in to a tight hug, and Ella felt the sleeve of her shirt get wet. They sat like that until Ella heard her stepmother scream her name. "Well, I guess this is goodbye." She sat to Peter, her voice quavering. He reached in to his pocket and pulled out a silver chain with a small glowing stone in it. "This was my grandma's. She gave it to me before she died. The rock in the middle is supposed to bring good luck... You need this more than I do." He pressed the necklace in to her hand. "Oh Peter!" Ella was about to give the necklace back and say more when she heard her name screamed again. " I have to go, Peter." She ran out of the barn and across the field to the house the necklace in her hand.
As soon as she walked in to the house a hand grabbed her and sat her in a chair. The man who grabbed her, was a very old man judging by the wrinkles on his face. He smiled, showing the few teeth he had in is mouth. They were a dark shade of brown, showing that he had never brushed them before. He lifted up her arms and poked and prodded her muscles. "How old is she?" The old man asked Ella's stepmother after he had finished "examining" Ella's body. "Thirteen. She'll be fourteen in about two months. "Very good. Very good." The old man whispered to him self. "I'll give you a hundred pounds for her" "Surely she can be worth more than a hundred pounds? After all-" "No." The old man cut the stepmother "Unless you want me to go lower?" Ella's stepmother shook her head no. "Very good." The old man pulled out a bag that was definitely filled with coins and handed to the stepmother. Ella watched the bag carefully, knowing that her life was just sold away. "Come, slave." The old man pulled her off the chair. He was extremely strong for his age. The words stung in her ears. She was a slave. She was to shocked to cry, scream, or even fight. She had been sold like property. She could not believe that anyone, even her stepmother, could do something like this. She felt to shocked to breathe, her vision was suddenly blurred by the sudden flow of tears. She felt, more than saw, herself being thrown in to a wooden carriage. More like a jail cell, with the metal bars on the back. I am going to jail, she thought.
*~*~*~*~*
The rattle of the metal bars on the wood was driving Ella mad. Her growling stomach only made things worse. She'd been traveling for days, and every time she'd ask for food, the drive would laugh a screeching laugh, and Ella decided that she didn't want to hear that laugh any more, she'd just starve. The sun came in from three cracks at the bottom of two of the wooden planks that she sat on, and from how much light there was she could tell what time it was. There was almost no light. "Soon it will be pitch black in here" She sighed from talking to herself. Ella felt the ground for a soft place to sleep. She moved her hand slowly across the wooden planks, still unbelieving what was happening. Her sleeve caught in one of the boards, and when she pulled her arm out a chunk of the wood came out. She could barely see the pavement because the sun had just set. She stuck her hand through the hole, she couldn't fit her whole body through it, yet. She smiled, and covered back up the hole. She pulled the sleeves up her dress up and ripped them. She folded them up and laid her head down to rest. She half closed her eyes and thought of ways to make the hole bigger. She thought of Peter and felt the necklace in the folds of her skirt. She took it out and fastened it around her neck. She stared up at the boards that were above her.
She slept, dreaming of the next day.
Please Review!