Tale as Old as Time | ✓

Cinderella

Ella swiped the sweat from her head with the help of her sleeves as she washed the clothes. Her stepsisters snickered from behind her, as they giggled at her sorry self. Ella paid them no attention as she focused on finishing off this work, so she could take on another.

Her body felt tired as she hadn't been able to sleep well, after hearing her father's demise. The attic was cold too and winter was starting, so it didn't help her cause. Ella finished washing the clothes and threw the dirty water in the drain as she stood up. She put the washed clothes into the drier basket and let the wet one dry in the sun. Her head ached but, she ignored it as she walked outside and started hanging the washed clothes one by one on the rope. She finished hanging them and was about to head to the kitchen when she heard her stepsister Drizella call her name, "Ella! My dear sister."

Ella sighed as she made her way to her sister's room slowly. She couldn't ignore them as her stepmother would be angry with her and she didn't want to upset her anymore as she was still mourning for her father's death.

Ella gasped as she entered her sister's bedroom to find the room messed and covered in clothes with her stepsister Anastasia sitting on the bed, painting her nails and Drizella throwing clothes out of the closet one after the another. Ella looked at Anastasia and asked her, "Why is she throwing all the clothes out?"

Anastasia ignored her question and continued painting her nails. Ella walked inside the room and closer to her sister's closet which once used to be hers. Ella stood next to the pile of clothes and called out her sister, "Drizella, what are you doing?"

She heard a shriek from inside the closet and heard her sister groan as she threw out another corset, "I can't seem to find my blue dress!" Ella blinked twice at her sister's angry voice and tried to calm her nerves. She was startled to say the least.

Ella looked around the heap of clothes to find anything that looked blue. She found one and held it up as she asked, "Is this the one you were looking for?" Drizella stuck out her head from the closet and shook her head, "No! Not this one. I'm looking for the diamond studded one." She backed out the instant she finished speaking but, Ella managed to take a glimpse at the dress she was wearing. Indeed, it was the one she was searching for.

Ella sighed as she knew how naïve Drizella was, but she never spoke it out loud as it would upset her, "Drizella! I found the dress you were looking for." Ella crossed her hands behind her back as she waited for her stepsister to walk out of the closet.

Her sister immediately came out of the closet and looked Ella all over as she tried to find her dress, "Where is it?" She asked, "Why can't I see it? You told me you found it, Ella! Where is it?" She shouted as she was getting impatient.

Ella shuddered at her shouting and tried not to let it show through her expressions, "Ummm... I found it."

Drizella narrowed her eyes at her, "Yes, then when on earth is it?"

"You are wearing it actually." Ella replied with an awkward expression as she didn't want to upset her stepsister.

Anastasia laughed out loud evilly at this and pointed the nail paint brush at her sister, "You dumb idiot." She chucked the pillow next to her at Drizella.

Ella tried to be as silent as she could muster as she didn't wish to be included in their banter. Drizella's face reddened as she looked at Ella and Ella ignored her gaze. Drizella picked up a hairbrush from the dressing table and threw it Anastasia, knocking her nail paint bottle down; causing the nail paint to spill all over her bedsheet.

"Oh no, you didn't." Anastasia said as she jumped over Drizella and they both landed on the pile of clothes. They grabbed each other's hair and started pulling. Ella stood awkwardly in the room as her stepsisters fought over the minimal matter. She sighed as she grabbed the bedsheet and started folding it, for to be washed later.