Barbella (Cinderella)

Barbella

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far far away lived a young woman named Barbella. Barbella lived in a huge mansion with her wicked stepmother and two wicked stepsisters. Despite being family, they made Barbella work like a servant for them.

She cleaned all over the house every day, upstairs, downstairs. She weeded the garden and cleaned the gutters. She washed the windows and mended their clothes. She even cooked all the food for them, not that she was allowed to eat much of it. She survived mostly on the little scraps they left her and bread and water. While she worked all day every day, her family lazed about doing nothing. Some days her Stepmother didn't move at all and she forced Barbella to feed her in bed.

Barbella and her Stepfamily couldn't be more different. She was tall and lanky and they were short and squat. They were fat like overstuffed pigeons ready to explode and she was thin as a rake, nothing but bones. They were loud, boisterous and demanding, and a lifetime of living with and serving them had left poor Barbella timid and downtrodden. Their personalities and different lifestyles also showed on their faces, with Barbella having plain, gaunt features, and her stepsister's puffed cheeks (like a squirrel with fresh acorns) being pockmarked by spots from all the oily food they ate. Zits so large and gross no amount of make-up could hide it.

One day news arrived in the form of a letter. The King and Queen were hosting a ball. It was time for the Crown Prince to get married and the ball was to serve as a way to introduce him to potential brides. So letters were sent out to all the houses of the well-to-do families inviting them and their eligible daughters to the ball. "A fair maiden must be chosen for the prince", it said.

The news sent Barbella's stepmother into a complete fluther. One of her Daughters had to be chosen. That way she would be the mother of a princess! Practically a queen in all but name. Her daughters would need new outfits, dresses and shoes and jewels to set them apart from the rest of the herd. Dresses of beautiful shades were quickly purchased from a boutique and delivered to the mansion for her daughters to try on. They could not even begin to squeeze into them. No amount of huffing or puffing could do it. It wasn't even the vastly different sizes, the months of lazing about in their home had robbed them of all their energy. They couldn't move their body enough to get close to wearing the dresses.

"Barbieeee!!!!" her stepmother shrilly cried, calling out for Barbella using her hated "pet name" for her.

"Barbieeeeee!!!!!!!" she cried out again, unhappy at the speed with which she was being attended.

"Yes, mother." Barbella answered, finally arriving at where her stepmother stood, hands on hips as she beheld the latest ragged attempt at a fitting for her daughters.

"Be a dear and fix this!" her Stepmother demanded waving her hand at the silken remnants of destroyed dresses. "Your sisters must be perfect for the ball, and you seem to be the only one that can dress them right."

"Of course Mother" Barbella said bowing low to her stepmother as she waddled imperiously out of the room.

Barbella worked tirelessly day and night to get the dresses for her stepsisters ready. Working on the dresses made doing all the rest of her jobs much harder. She toiled away without complaint, and often without sleep until the dresses were ready. Soon, the day of the ball arrived. Exhausted, Barbella exited the fitting room to her waiting stepmother. It had been a struggle and she was tired, but her stepsisters had been dressed. An accomplishment indeed, considering their sizes changed twice while she was making the dresses.

"Come on out dears and let Momma take a look at her precious dumplings" Barbella's stepmother called, tapping her foot with impatience for her children to display themselves.