Cinderterri

 By Martine

(Based on Cinderella)

Once upon a time in a kingdom not so far away, there lived a gorgeous young maiden.  She had large, kind, thoughtful, blue eyes and long brown hair that gleamed auburn in the sunlight.  Her smile could light up the dullest room and her laugh was infectious.  The only problem was, she was seldom given the opportunity to smile or laugh.

Cinderterri, as the young maiden was known, lived with her ugly stepmother, Nelson and her three stepsisters, Bron, Rebecca and Paula.  Cinderterri’s mother had died shortly after her birth, despite Cinderterri’s father, the kingdom’s best doctor’s best efforts to save her.  Cinderterri’s father took his newborn child with him on all medical business and by the time she was 8, Cinderterri had become her father’s nurse.  Thinking it best that the child have a mother Cinderterri’s father had married Nelson (a patient of his, who he was helping combat alcoholism) when Terri (as she was called by her father) was 12 years old.  Three years later her father was dead.  Some in the kingdom said the nagging of Nelson killed him, but it was in fact a sword that tore through his heart that ended his life.

From that day on, Terri seldom smiled.  Nelson returned to the bottle and made Terri the family slave since they could no longer afford hired help.  Terri spent her days, washing and cooking, cleaning, stoking the fires and running errands for her stepmother and her three stepsisters and administering medicine and helping the sick who preferred her kind touch to the arrogance of the new town doctor, Dr Pusshead. 

Dr Pusshead, along with many men in the kingdom was captivated by Terri’s beauty and like most of the men in the kingdom, he was secretly in love with her.  Dr Pusshead had even gone so far as to offer her his hand in marriage but Terri had declined much to the relief of the whole town. Despite the pity they felt for her living with Nelson, Pusshead just wasn’t good enough for their Cinderterri.   Everyone in the kingdom who knew Terri had great respect for her intelligence and strength of character and the other lusting men breathed a sigh of relief when they heard that Pusshead had been rejected.  Pusshead, furious at being made to look a fool, left the town.

And so the night of the kingdom ball arrived.  Cinderterri had spent all day, doing her stepmother and stepsisters’ dresses, baths, makeup and hair, seen them all off into their carriage and now she was collapsed in a heap at the kitchen table.  She was exhausted and miserable.  She recalled the stories her father had told her of the kingdom’s balls and how he had promised he would take her when she was old enough.  Silent tears rolled down her face.  She lay her head in her arms and wept.

Suddenly, the sound of tinkling stars and fairy dust filled the air.  Terri looked up to see a strange vision.  It was a woman, straight blond hair circled a face that had seen and done it all.  A cigarette protruded from the corner of her mouth and a wand was in her hand.  A deep and husky voice said, ‘I’m Von, your fairy godmother.  Come on now, dry those tears, I’m here to get you spruced up for the ball.’

‘But’, said Terri, ‘how can I go to the ball? I have nothing to wear…no shoes…my hair…I’m filthy…’  ‘Don’t you worry about a thing, Von’s here to fix everything.’  And with that, Von zapped her wand and a large spa bath appeared, filled to the brim with steaming hot water and over flowing with soapy bubbles.  ‘Now’, said Von, ‘lets add some oil of ylang ylang , an exotic aroma which enhances romance and sensuality, oil of sandalwood and rose to promote a sense of confidence, and patchouli, a relaxing oil known to have aphrodisiac properties.’  Terri stared at the bath, mouth agape.  ‘Come along, my dear, time is not to be wasted.  Out of those cinder covered rags and into the bath with you.’

Terri emerged from the bath scrubbed clean, smelling divine, rosy cheeked and rejuvenated. Within the blink of an eye, Terri found herself dressed in a ball gown like nothing she’d seen before.  Another woosh of the wand and Terri found herself raised an inch or two as her feet slipped into satin shoes and another woosh of the wand found Von with a hairdryer in hand and within minutes Terri’s hair was dry and sleek.  Terri looked….drop dead gorgeous.

A rat scurried through the kitchen, but was not quick enough to escape Von’s wand.  She had it turned into a black stallion before he knew what had hit him.  ‘Up you get then my vision of perfection and find yourself a ball or two,’ Von said and gave a wink.  Just remember, be back home before sunrise or all will disappear and you’ll find yourself stark naked, God knows where.’  With those parting words of advice, and a woosh of the wand, fairy godmother, Von, disappeared into the ether.

Terri, pulled herself together, gave the horse a kick and away she went to the ball.  The ball was in full swing when she got there.  Terri saw Paula and Rebecca dancing, Bron chatting up a knight and Nelson holding a drink in each hand and she saw Dr Pusshead trying to woe another young maiden.  Terri ignored them all but no one was ignoring Terri.  A young man with a wild hair do asked her to dance.  Terri’s slight hesitation made the young man’s face fall and not wishing to disappoint she quickly smiled and said, ‘Of course I will, what’s your name?  ‘Matt’, he replied, grinning, ‘I play in the band.’  As Terri and Matt glided gracefully across the floor, word spread that Cinderterri had arrived at the ball. 

Terri was never without a dancing partner all night until finally she escaped for a replenishing drink and some fresh air. 

‘She stood looking out across the land, thinking how perfect her night had been when she heard a voice behind her: ‘You’re inner and outer beauty are the talk of the ball,’  Terri turned to find a man standing there, unshaven, slighty unruly in appearance, looking at her with bemusement.  ‘I do nothing to start these rumours’, she replied looking at him quizzically, ‘and you Sir, are?’  ‘Mitch Stevens, a doctor and a knight of the kingdom’ said the knight.  Terri nodded.  I’ve heard of you Dr Stevens, your diagnostic skills are the talk of the kingdom and your fighting spirit has got you into all sorts of trouble.  ‘Do you always come so underdressed and ah… unshaven to balls?’  ‘If I can’, replied the knight with a smile.  ‘I’ve had enough of the formalities m’lady, may I suggest an invigorating ride along the beach by the light of this full moon, so I may absorb your presence without the intrusion of the madding crowd?’   

Terri felt a connection with this man so strong, she was incapable of resisting him.  The minute she took his hand a wave of complete abandonment surged through her body.  He helped her onto her horse and then Mitch leapt on to his.  They walked their horses side by side, their eyes never leaving each other, their legs intermittently brushing, their talk easy, intimate, Terri’s smile adoring, Mitch’s worshipping, their eyes dancing and Terri’s laughter rippling through the still night air.  The people of the kingdom held their breath.  They reached the beach and Mitch said, ‘Feel like a gallop?’  Terri nodded and they kicked their stallions and went racing along the shore, water spraying and glittering in the moonlight.

Finally they stopped, dismounted and, hand in hand, led their horses to the dunes.  They stopped and sat for a while, talking and feeling more and more connected.  They kissed passionately and at great length, Mitch whispered, ‘Stay with me forever, I love you.’  ‘I’m sorry, I have to go’, Terri replied, catching a glimpse of the dawn’s rays, waiting to erupt over the horizon.  

Without further ado, she was on her horse and galloping across the fields.  Mitch could only watch with dismay as his soul mate disappeared before him. 

After six weeks of pining, Terri finally decided she could no longer live without her knight, but did he really love her?  She hadn’t heard from him.  She decided to test him.  Terri put out a notice around the kingdom that she had decided to marry and she would marry the cleanest shaven man in the kingdom who arrived at her door next Tuesday by 8.30 pm. 

The men lined up.  Matt and Scott had tried a wax, but Terri was on to their little scheme straight away, ‘Good try guys’, she said, as she showed them the door.  Knight Ben was next.  ‘I do find you most attractive m’lady, but it’s really your step sister, Bron I’m most interested in.’  Terri showed him the door to Bron’s room.  Jared came next then Knightess Charlotte.  ‘You won’t get anyone more cleanshaven than a female’, said Charlotte.  ‘I appreciate your offer, Charlotte,’ said, Terri, but I’m just not that way inclined, no offence.’  ‘No offence taken,’ the knightess replied, then she lowered her voice and moved closer, ‘You have someone in mind don’t you?’  Terri, looked at her, Charlotte, was one of the smartest people in the kingdom, Terri nodded.  Charlotte smiled, ‘He’s been wanting to see you, but he got called to another kingdom, he said he’d be here though.’  Terri, released a slight smile and thanked Knightess Charlotte for her message.

The day wore on, and Cinderterri, felt the clean-shaven jawlines of one male after another.  By 8 o’clock she had turned all the men and women of the kingdom away.  She sat on the step and waited.  What if he didn’t come?  What would she do then?  It didn’t bear thinking about.

The clock struck 8.30.  Sir Doctor Mitch Stevens came thundering down the drive on his white horse... her knight in shining armour had arrived!  Terri ran to him.  Mitch jumped off his horse and caught her in his arms.  ‘You came’, said Terri, ‘You came.’  ‘I’ve come many a night thinking of you’, Mitch replied.  ‘And you shaved your stubble!’  Terri, stated, bemused.  ‘Only for you, m’lady.’   ‘Terri’s laughter rang out signaling to all the people of the kingdom that Cinderterri had finally claimed her knight and she was happy beyond belief. She thrust her lips on to his and sighed with contentment and that’s where this story leaves them: liplocked happily ever after.