Sleep

Cinderella

I scan the surrounding area, but she's nowhere to be seen. Her particles seemed to have evaporated to air. All I had was a pouch of powder with a paper that read in emergencies make a wish she left on the stone, which I placed in my shoe. I stepped forward to search more but a voice called for me.

"Dear maiden! Heavens, you look pale. Say, where did the other maiden go?" The prince asked.

"I...I just don't know," I hugged my arms, feeling the cold bite at them.
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We danced outside, the cold seemed to fade away, it was only the two of us. 11:55 plain and clear on the giant tower clock. 11:55! Time is running out, I'll never make it in time. Just like she warned, the magic will only last until midnight.

"Goodbye, I have to go," I slip out of his arms and run away, toward the large stair case.

"Wait, I don't even know your name, please at least tell me it," the prince says, following in pursuit.

He's too fast, I can't run with the glass shoes, I could hardly dance in them. I take them off, and see the pouch of powder. In emergencies make a wish the tag reads. Now seems like a good time. I open the pouch. A dry feeling covers my hand as soon as I touch the silvery powder. Slowing down to get a good target the at prince, I throw the powder gracefully. Silvery powder gets all over him, and is absorbed into his skin. Choosing my wish carefully, I toss my slipper near his feet, and say the best thing I can think of.

"You will find me when I, and only I, put on this slipper."

There is a small silver puff over the prince, which quickly fades away into the evening sky. The prince makes a face similar to one you'd make trying to see something a long ways away. Turning, I then start to run down the path, looking down, hiding the tears soaking my face.

I can barely see out of my puffy eyes as I jump into my carriage, telling the horses to go. During the ride, my stomach plummets, and I refrain from gagging up my small dinner, that, of course I made.

The ride is fast and bumpy, the horses at full gallop. From a long distance I can hear the clock strike midnight, and the carriage creaks, loud and shrill. In the distance, there's a glow, and a puff of smoke from a chimney of a house I'm certain is mine. The carriage starts to swerve toward the bushes, as if greeting an old friend. Anxiously, I look up at the horses. They are shrinking vigorously, their long nose turning to a pointed, mouselike snout, growing whiskers, its hooves turning furry, growing padded bottoms, turning to little paws. The crazed cart stumbles over a root, emitting a huge jolt as it crashes to the ground, knocking away many stones and crushing plants to beyond the point of help. Not long passes until the first wheel cracks and rolls off, denting the dirt ground. Stones flare up with the carriages thuds, and get wedged between the cogs of the wheels. With the wheels no longer working, clogged with two many stones, I have to jump. Landing hard on my knees, luckily cushioned by my gown, I'm soon on my feet, that ache from standing for a while, even if I was just sitting moments ago.

My home is only a few meters away, easy enough for me to run to with my gown on. But I have to be careful, I can't be seen out this late. Sneaking to the back door, I recover the key from the flower blossom and slip it into the lock, silently turning it. After strolling through the house, I find no one is home. Eerie quiet pours from the house, as if the air is forbidding sound waves to come through.

I walk up to my room to take off my gown, and get into my night gown. When I look in the mirror, I find the gown has been transformed back into my old every day clothes. I begin to walk back to my bed when I realize I still have on one slipper. How is it still here when all the other things vanished? Silvery dust covers the bottom of my shoe, and the small pouch it was in. I look at the tag again: in emergencies make a wish. I read over the tag again and again blankly, not processing it, as if I were reading a wall. Flipping it over, I discover there's words on the back of the tag.

The victim's memory can be restored.

It only takes me a second to process this. This powder must be moon dust. And moon dust takes away memories.