The Shoe

The night had come and the prince couldn’t be any less enthused. Barely a man and already his parents expected him to pick a bride. No time to get to know her. No time to gauge whether or not he could love her. No. He had three nights to choose a bride. That bride will be queen.

The three day festival was to be held at the castle. Every eligible young woman was invited, and by the end of the festival, he would have his bride.

The anxiety was filling him head to toe as he prepared for the festival. He had to look perfect, no flaws would be tolerated by his father, the king.

His mother walked in and burst into tears upon seeing him. Her son was growing up too fast and she told him how proud she was and how excited she was for him to find his bride. She went on to talk about how she met the king on a night like this. Completely terrified of what may come. Terrified to marry a man she did not know, but that it was the best thing that happened to her. She was fully convinced that it would be just as wonderful an experience for him. The prince was not convinced.

As he entered the ballroom, he was overwhelmed by the amount of people that were there for him. Expecting something from him. All the women who were ready to be his wife and hoping to win him over. He hadn’t even started his night and he was already exhausted.

He danced with one girl, then another, then another. Although he was tired and his feet were sore, he had to dance. It wasn’t until he heard the whispers that he turned to see what the whispers were about. There she was. The most beautiful girl he had ever seen. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if he was feeling that way because of the way she was dressed. Her dress flowed around her like waves around a rock. Her hair was curled to accentuate her face, which was simple and elegant.

Without missing a beat, he kissed the hand of the girl he was dating, and then moved to the new girl. Approaching her was a dream. He was enchanted. Kissing her hand, he pulled her in and they began to dance.

They danced all night, even when others asked to cut in. Even though his feet were aching and throbbing, he danced through it. At the end of the night, she bid him farewell and walked out the door. He followed her as far as he could, but when she saw him behind her, she ran. She darted into the tree line and vanished.

The next night, he waited for her to arrive. She did. Again, they danced and she left and ditched him in the tree line.

On the third night when she attempted to leave, he grabbed her arm and begged her to stay. She protested, pulling away from him and as she did so, her left shoe fell off. Without wanting to upset her further, he let her go.

He picked the red heel up and ran inside. Ignoring all the other guests, he went straight up to his parents and announced that he found the woman he should marry. When he told them the story, they were delighted. They became less excited when he said that he doesn’t know her name or which house she belongs to. Only that she left a shoe behind and he intended to find her using that shoe. But they went along with it and they started the search.

Each house was visited one by one. The house they came up to next had two daughters, who were both present at the ball on all three days. He was hoping that this was it. There weren’t many houses left at this point, and he was getting tired.

The father brought out the first daughter and she was beautiful. Her smile was bright and her eyes were wide. As she sat to try the shoe on, she bashed her eyes at the prince. They placed the shoe on her foot, though it did not fit. Her toes were too wide.

The father brought out the second daughter, and she was gorgeous. Her eyes were playful and her smile was contagious. She sat down to try the shoe on and smiled at the prince. They placed the shoe on her foot, though it did not fit. Her heel was too big.

They both left the room in tears and the wife followed after them.

“Do you not have any more daughters?” asked the prince.

“No” said the father. “We have only the maid girl left behind by my late wife. But she is dirty and not worthy of your company.”

The prince demanded that he bring her out. So he did.

As the girl entered the room, and he was taken back. Her face was dirty and her clothes were rags. But her eyes were bright and piercing. Her smile was intoxicating. She sat down to try the shoe on, but they were interrupted.

“I demand you try the shoe on my daughters again!” exclaimed the wife walking into the room.

As the daughters came out from the other room, they whimpered and cried. Their feet bloody and stubby. The first sister had two of her toes cut off. The second sister had her heel cut off.

“What is this?” the prince exclaimed. “Take her away!”

He turned his attention back on the girl in the chair and placed the shoe on her foot. It was a perfect fit.

“You are the one. What is your name?” he asked trying to hold back his excitement.

She responded with a small voice.

“Cinderella.”