SHORT HORROR STORIES

THE GLASS SLIPPERS

I opened my eyes as the early morning sunlight filled my room and I felt the heat of the rays on my face. I frowned and pulled the blanket above my head just then I hear my mom's voice coming from the direction of the doorway. "Wake up Sylvia, it's already morning', she said in a smooth voice as she walked near me and patted my head. "Come on get out of bed, today is a very special day", she said and went out of my room. I lowered the blanket and got out of bed, of course it was a special day it was my birthday and my parents had been planning a surprise party for me all week they were really not good at keeping it a secret as it has been the same way they celebrated my birthday ever since I was ten years old.

Every single year on my birthday I would wake up get ready and run to the living room to find a birthday cake and the room completely decorated. I swear I heard them fussing with the decorations a few hours ago. After that I would be given the most unique type of gifts which only includes dolls for doll house, princess dresses, Toy tea set and other girly stuff. My friends would receive cool gifts on their birthdays. They still think I am a child, well today is my fifteenth birthday let's see what happens.

I had my bath and hurriedly got dressed, when I walked into the living room they wished me, there were decorations; there was a cake and a party later on. They brought a box in front of me. "Here is your present, Iam sure you are going to love it?" said my mom as she handed it to me. "Thank you so much", I said. I lifted the lid and found shoes, glass slippers to be exact just like the one Cinderella wore. I examined them closely; they were very beautiful the person who made these had such fine skills. I lifted one of them, they were quite heavy. I placed them back safely in the box. "Now we are going to have a grand party tonight we are going to call all your friends and make sure to wear those shoes with any one of your lovely dresses", my dad suggested. "Oh that navy blue party dress I bought you last week will look great", my mom chimed. I gave them a small smile and we proceeded to have breakfast, after breakfast I left for school. "Happy Birthday, Sylvia", Annie screamed in my ear as I was removing my books from the locker. "Ow. Thanks but you really don't have to announce it to the whole school", I told her. "Yeah I should since you are the only rich kid in the school whose parents will throw such a grand party and invite everyone", she smiled.

She was right my parents are the wealthiest folks in town and they always invite everyone in my class to my birthdays. The problem is every party is celebrated in a way as if I am turning eight all through the years, if they do this again this time I will be a laughing stock for everyone. I imagined myself wearing an enormous pink frock, heavy makeup and a huge bow in my hair and everyone pointing at me and ... was laughing. "Sylvia, are you okay?" Annie asked me while slightly touching my shoulder. "I am fine", I told her while snapping out of my trance. "Great, look what I brought you?" she said while handing me the box. "Annie you really didn't have to ", I told her. "No I had too and it's really good so you will have to get me something better on my birthday", she said with a smile. I rolled my eyes at her and opened the box and found a pair of purple high heel shoes. Why is everyone giving me shoes? "Do you like it?" Maybe you can wear it for the birthday", she said. "I love them but I can't as my parents have beat you to it", I told her as I closed the box and placed it in the locker. "What do you mean?" "They brought me glass slippers", "You mean like the ones Cinderella wore", "Yes exactly like those ones", "That's so cool", "No it's not cool they are extremely heavy", "What, Why would your parents buy you shoes which are heavy?" "I don't know maybe they just assumed it will fit me nicely, the slippers seemed to be extremely expensive, I'll just wear them once just for tonight ", "Okay whatever you say, I will see you at the party bye".

"Bye",

A few hours later I was getting ready after I wore my dress I took out the slippers and slid them on. "God these are painful", I muttered. They were extremely tight and the edges dug into my skin.

The pain was excruciating and it seemed to increase with every passing second, I smiled and laughed throughout the party and pretended that I was having a great time but I wasn't I was in torments and I couldn't wait to get these awful shoes off me feet.

After everyone left and I retired to my room I began to remove my shoes. They seemed to be stuck. I tried hard but they did come off, I started to panic. I tried to remove them in every way possible but it just wouldn't budge. I went to my parent's room and knocked on their door, "Mom...Dad, are you awake?" I said and they opened the door. "What's the matter?" my mom asked I looked inside the room and found my dad was fast asleep on the bed. "I can't get the shoes off, they are stuck", I whispered. She looked down at my feet and came out of the room while closing the door behind her. "How is that possible? We bought your exact size", she said while drying to pull it off. "Mom I have tried pulling it off its not working", I told her. She had worry in her eyes "there's nothing to freak out about", she said in a panicked voice. "I am not freaking out mom I just want to take them off so I can go to bed", I told her. She walked over to my drawers and brought out a bottle of oil. "Sit down, this has to work", she said. I sat on a sofa and she applied the oil on my feet and we tried to remove them and still it was stuck in place.

She applied more oil and we pulled and pulled my feet were becoming sore and red. "Mom this is really not working", I said in frustration. "Okay, let's just keep the oil on tonight, this will make the edges on the shoes smooth and then we can easily slide the shoes off", she said. "Okay", I said and she left. I decided to sleep on the sofa and despite the discomfort I fell asleep. The next day I opened my eyes my eyelids were heavy and I felt weak and tired. I looked down at my feet and screamed at the sight.

My parents heard it and a few seconds later they came in bursting through the door. They stared at me in disbelief; I was in tears as the pain was now unbearable. My upper feet and ankles had become swollen in a rather abnormal way and blood and yellow puss had dried and caked over the cuts. My mother rushed by my side and my father called the ambulance.

At the hospital I was immediately wheeled into the surgery theatre. The surgeons injected me with the anesthesia and I drifted off in to sleep. When I woke up I was lying on the hospital bed, I was tired, I was weak ...but my feet they were no longer in pain. My mother walked into the room with teary eyes she looked disheveled and she seemed disturbed. She ran and hugged me closely she began to cry uncontrollably. "Oh my Sylvia I am so sorry baby ...This is my entire fault I am so sorry ", she screeched. "Mom its okay I am no longer in pain the doctors finally took those shoes off", I said. She became quite and she held my hand tightly she spoke softly and clearly and choked on the words as if she was forcing herself to talk. "Honey the doctors were not able to remove the shoes, your feet was infected and the poison was spreading quickly", she sobbed. My eyes widened. "I am so sorry your father and I had to agree to it we did it to save your life", she cried. I pulled the blanket off my legs and saw that the glass slippers were gone and so were my feet all that there were left were bandaged bloody stumps.