Tales Under A Cloud

01| Not a cinderella story

Once upon a time, there was a sweet girl with one of the purest hearts in the kingdom and a singular beauty, but nobody paid attention to her because she was badly dressed and she always smelled of cleaning products. Besides that the length of her hair was disliked by most of the kingdom.

She lived with her two stepsisters who were in charge of making her life miserable whenever they could.

If a shoe of hers got damaged. Yuxin had to repair it. If the nail polish wasn't enough for them. Yuxin had to buy it. She never complained, not even once.

At home, Yuxin kept cleaning all the time, occasionally indulging the whims of her stepmother and her daughters. Other times, when they weren't at home, Yuxin would go out to explore the land and from time to time she would talk to the fruit and vegetable seller. They are friends of the same age and have been talking for a while. She gave her potatoes and Yuxin gave her corn in return.

At night, when everyone seems to be sleeping, Yuxin will go out the window and cross the street to a bar. The owner of the place let her sing and dance. She didn't have to worry about being discovered by some neighbors and her stepmother finding it out, because the place requires that you wear a mask that covers the upper part of your face to make the night more interesting.

Yuxin always wore the same mask and wig. Being there was a way to get rid of the stress that caused her at home and also she could do what she liked: dance.

The place was dripping with alcohol and the lights were barely visible. With that she had an advantage to hide that cleaning product smell that everyone was talking about.

She got to the center of the floor and started dancing with some of the girls who were there. Suddenly her back ended up slamming onto someone else's body. When she turned to look, a yellow mask greeted her and a smile formed from his lips.

"Do you want to dance with me?"

Yuxin didn't care who that man was. She just wanted to dance and forget everything for a moment.

"Alright" They took their hands and entwined it, Yuxin put her free hand on his shoulder while he held her waist. For a moment they seem to complement each other, like two puzzle pieces that have just been found in that place.

It was a bar and the music had slowed down. Like one of those dances in a castle. And everyone around also had a partner and danced in tune. They shifted from one foot to the other until the music changed. Yuxin detached herself from him and began to dance freely. The man did the same to such an extent that they no longer knew what they were dancing to. But one thing was for sure, they were having fun.

"You have a very different way of dancing than other girls."the man leaned forward and said close to her ear. His warm breath shook Yuxin's body.

"It's something that bothers you?"

"Not really. I like it. You look pretty when you dance."

Nobody had said something like that to her, even her stepsisters said that she danced as if she weren't a girl. Someone calling her pretty, made her blush.

"Thank you, you don't dance bad either."

The man smiled sincerely at her and looked at his wristwatch. Then, he thanked her for the good time they had and left until he was lost in the crowd.