The Speak Out Team are working with the creative writing group at Welland Park Academy and came up with a brief to write a modern-day fairy tale. Here is a modern twist on ‘Cinderella’.
The prom was in exactly one hour, and Cinderella was bursting with excitement. All sorts of emotions were going through her head at that moment. She was wondering how on earth the lord Sir Boris Johnson could allow such a big event to even be planned in these virus infected times. Then again, this was the man who had invited all the other lords and knights to a party at the time of Christmas. She also wondered if she would see Dereck Prince there. She hoped so. She had planned the whole evening out. How she would speak to him, how they would get to know each other and all the other things two lovers would get up to.
She then heard her dad’s voice calling, “Cindy, the carriage is on its way. Hurry up! Do you want to go to this ball or not?”
With a frustrated sigh, she responded: “Yes dad, I’m on my way. And it is a prom, not a ball, stop being so old fashioned.”
Minutes later Cinderella came down in a long yellow dress. Her father stood downstairs, beaming.
“Oh you look just perfect. Also, don’t forget to take your mask. I do not want you to catch the virus while you are there.”
She took the mask. She of course would only briefly wear the mask to keep her father happy, but take it off as soon as he was out of sight. She didn’t want Dereck to not recognise her.
A short while later, the carriage halted at the town hall. Cinderella hopped out, paid the driver and strolled into the hall. She heard the fiddles playing in a jolly manner and the guests talking and laughing. But she also noticed that everyone was at least two metres apart, and all of them were wearing masks. She saw Dereck Prince ahead and started to approach him. She got relatively close before he saw her and screamed: “Stay back! Do you want me to get the virus?”
“I was just…”
“You were – wait, are you Cinderella? Oh my Lord, I am so sorry,” he apologised.
“I don’t care. You leave me alone!” she cried as she stormed out of the prom. She heard Dereck curse loudly before shrieking at some poor maid to get out of his way. Now, Cinderella realised how you shouldn’t judge people by their looks, but by how they act. She saw Dereck yelling at another poor maid. What she did next… wasn’t that surprising. She took off her shoe and threw it as far as she could.
Unfortunately for Cinderella, the shoe hit the servant girl. Dereck stood aghast as she staggered back and nearly fell down over the banister. She was fine and simply walked off with a slightly bruised ego.
Dereck however, knew this shoe was for him.
The next morning, whilst Cinderella was reading Medieval Monthly, she noticed that there was a small notice at the bottom. It mentioned that Dereck Prince was on the hunt for a person with the same shoe as the one she threw at him yesterday. She quickly put down the newspaper, and with a baggy coat in hand, she took off into the distance, laughing.
