Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tales. I only own the characters that I create from my head.

How Anne Lost Her Shoe

Ch. !

Part 1

Every fairy story starts with , "Once Upon a time." Well, this one may start differently, but it is just as good. My story begins with a lady on the edge of truly growing up. And this is her story.

Carolina had one passion.

"Mom! I'm gonna be late for the audition!" she said.

The theater.

"Ok ok! I'm almost ready!"

"Mother I want to be on time for this one. The play is some sort of fairy tale rewrite or something. I'm not quite sure, but I need to start my career somewhere, even if they don't pay me."

"All right dear!" Her mother walked over to her dressing table and lovingly picked up her husband's photograph. "Oh Charles! What am I going to do with her? I need your help, and I miss you so much!"

"MOTHER!" Carolina started to impatiently tap her foot on the linoleum floor.

"COMING DEAR! Well Charles, I suppose I'm off to take our daughter to her first audition in the local community theater."

"You were taking so long mom that I thought that the polar ice-caps had started to melt!"

"Don't be such a smart aleck! Besides why can't you go yourself?" She said with a smug smirk.

"You know very well mother that I am not allowed to drive because I didn't pass the vision test. Must I remind you every ten seconds" She rolled her eyes as she said this.

"Well, lets go! You don't want to be late do you? Come along Carolina!"

"Yes Mother DEAREST!"

…………………………………………………………

" All right everyone, my name is Grant Drake the director of this fine production, and you are here today to try out for the play "How Anne Lost Her Shoe."

By Edwina Panel. Each person gets a copy of the script. Everyone please quickly fill out a form with your name, age, height, hair color, eye color, and previous experience etc as quickly as you can so we can get started. 0

A few minutes later when Mr. Drake left the stage to collect the forms from the stage manager, Carolina timidly walked into the auditorium, and trying not to fall on her face on the first day of tryouts.

"Hey! Hey here is a form for you to fill out. Bye the way the name is Georgia! What's yours?" This came from a petite brunette with warm brown eyes and a saucy disposition.

Finally, a friendly face! "Carolina. Nice to meet you."

"So what role in the play do you want?"

"Not sure exactly. I'm up for anything."

"Well, I'm kinda hoping for the evil step-mother or the evil step-sisters. Being a mean character is so much fun!" She said this with an impish grin on her face.

At that exact moment Mr. Drake appeared on the stage; he was holding a messy sheaf of papers. He had black hair, emerald eyes, and was very tall, Carolina quickly noted. She thought grimly how she was always so awkward around young and handsome men.

Then the man finally spoke as he tried to desperately shuffle the forms and sadly a few loose papers floated onto the stage. Before start, I would like to give you all some background information on the material so that you can have a better idea of what your motivation will be. This play is about a young woman, Anne, who's mother has lost her husband and remarried a man who seems kind at first, but turns out to be the evil step-father. While this is going on, Anne meets the handsome Joshua, the Prince of Fancia, a made up country in Europe. She doesn't know he is the Prince, and treats him as the opposite of a Prince shall we say. The play basically takes off from there. You have probably all heard of it, a bit of a Cinderella rewrite."

"All right, lets start with "Miss….ummmm…Miss Carolina Fenton, would you please come up and read for Anne and Mr. John Doe would you read for the part of Joshua. All right both of you on stage.

Great, she thought, the most handsome guy here and he's the director, better stay focused.

"Hey!" Georgie was tapping on Carolina's shoulder.

"What?"

"Did you check out the director? Very nice looking! Oh by the way, that John Doe, I've worked with him before, a bit of a jerk that one, but a great actor."

"Thanks for the warning."

"Miss Fenton? Are you coming? " said the director with a glint of humor in his eye.

I wish he was prince charming."Hm? Oh yes sorry, coming."

"ok, I want you two to improvise a scene when Anne and Joshua first meet each other, Anne doesn't know Joshua is the Prince just another pompous noble, and Joshua accidentally almost runs into her while on his horse. Go ahead and begin."

The tryout session

"What are you doing? I was just trying to walk here do you mind." She said accusingly.

"What do you mean what was I doing? You were obviously not paying attention!."

"Typical."

"What is THAT supposed to mean?"

"It means that you are a Nobleman who doesn't care if he treads on the simple poor serving maid. You think "All the world is a stage," and you are directly in the center!"

Joshua looked on with a befuddled expression as Anne storms offstage.

……………

"That was very good. Caroline! May I speak to you after today's tryouts?" The director said

"Ok..I'll see you later."

…………………….

Later in Mr. Drake's office……

"Miss Fenton, let me be straightforward with you. I want you to be Anne. You had the fire, passion, and honesty that I need for her character."

Wow, never in my wildest dreams! "Thank you so much!"

"You are quite welcome." He said with a kind smile.

…………………………………………………….

Part 2 : Opening Night

"Oh my goodness I am so nervous. I can't believe it is opening night, and I am the title character possibly about to screw up one of her many lines.." Carolina was acting agitated tonight. Her simple but nice yet worn late nineteenth century dress neatly in place and her hair was mussed to add to the effect that she was poor.

Suddenly, without warning, there was a loud THUD! On the other side of the stage. Carolina ran as fast as she could to see what was wrong.

"AH MY ANKLE, I think I broke it! Don't just stand there with that stupid look on your face, call an ambulance!" This anguished yet rude statement came from a writhing John Doe from the bottom of the stairs leading off of Stage right.

"What's wrong? One of the crew came and got me and said something was wrong with John, but, Oh my goodness!…..John, are you ok….?."

"OF COURSE I:M NOT YOU MORON!" John quickly cut in.

"That's a no." Said a rueful Grant. "Well, I guess he can't go on, but who else could play the role of Joshua?"

"Wait a second!" said an, until now, unnoticed Georgie, a.k.a. "Kind Queen mother." She never got her role as an evil sibling, but as Georgie would say "You can't have everything!"

"Grant, you could be Joshua, you know all the lines, and are probably much better than John down there!" Georgie said excitedly.

They all looked at the pitiful John bing wheeled out on a gurney into the emergency vehicle, shouting obscenities.

"Well," Grant said, I suppose the show must go on."

"That's the spirit!" Georgie said triumphantly..

"Places everyone, and get Grant into makeup!" said the now stressed stage manager.

And so the play begins…….