This is the second exercise in Day 3 of the os.me writing workshop. Check out the my work on the first exercise, Z-A writing here.
The point of this exercise is to take a secondary character, a side character, e.g. Circuit in the Munna Bhai MBBS series, and write a story with this person as the main character.
In today’s exercise, Medha gave us the task: Write a story where Cinderella’s step-mother is the main character.
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“Cinderella will die before she turns 16”, the prophet pronounced the terrible death sentence.
Lady Tremaine’s face turned ashen. She looked as though she saw 1000 ghosts. She loved John, Cinderella’s father. He was crestfallen when he became widowed. Lady Tremaine’s presence brought brightness to his life.
She met John at a single parent support group. She had lost her husband, and John had lost his wife. Their families hit it off when they went to lunch at Dennys. John’s daughter Cinderella immediately took a liking to Lady Tremaine’s daughters Drisella and Anastasia.
Everyone was happy when John and Lady Tremaine decided to merge their two families into one. Lady Tremaine, for one, could not wait to embrace Cinderella as her own daughter.
The Fateful Meeting with the Prophet
A day before her wedding with John, Lady Tremaine was walking home after overseeing wedding arrangements at the church.
A man in a white cloak stopped her. “You’re a prophet”, she gasped. “I didn’t realise I had a nametag”, the man smiled 🙂 “Greatness doesn’t have to announce itself prophet”, she said. The prophet, smiling all the while, proceeded to tell her a few events from her life that nobody knew about.
Lady Tremaine developed a sense of foreboding. The man knew that she recognised him as a prophet. Yet, he was providing proof that he was a prophet, as a warm-up activity. He must be about to say something important, and it couldn’t be good.
And he proceeded to pronounce Cinderella’s death sentence.
Lady Tremaine Pleads with the Prophet to Save Cinderella’s Life
“Cinderella’s death will kill John”, she said, her lips quivering. “He’s already lost his wife, and he’s just gaining his life back. Please, is there any way to save Cinderella? Please Oh Prophet, please.”, she begged.
The prophet went into a deep trance. When he came back from the trance, he stroked his long, wavy beard.
“There is one way”, he said softly. “You must be as mean as possible to Cinderella. You cannot show any kindness to her. If you perform even one act of kindness, the prophecy will kick in and Cinderella will die.”
Lady Tremaine didn’t know what to make out of this. Kindness had been her constant companion. She couldn’t hurt a fly, let alone be mean to another human being.
“I can’t do it prophet”, she sobbed. “I don’t have it in me to dish out unkindness”.
The prophet remained silent.
“I haven’t married John yet. What if I don’t marry him?”, she asked the prophet.
“Cinderella will die. Providence arranged for you to meet John so that Cinderella can live. There is only one way – you have to transform into Cinderella’s evil stepmother”.
Lady Tremaine sobbed quietly.
“I understand, this is asking a lot out of you. You have a choice”, the prophet said. “Nobody will hold it against you if you walk away”.
Lady Tremaine Saves Cinderella’s Life
“I’ll do it”, Lady Tremaine declared.
The prophet nodded sagely.
John Harwich and Lady Tremaine got married the following day.
After the marriage festivities had died down and the family went home, Lady Tremaine summoned all the meanness she could muster, and sent it all Cinderella’s way. To save the girl’s life.
Cinderella was shocked with the new, mean Lady Tremaine. What happened to the lovely lady at Denny’s? Was Lady Tremaine’s kindness a ruse to marry Cinderella’s father?
Over the next several years, Cinderella’s life was filled with unkindness from Lady Tremaine.
Lady Tremaine’s daughters Drisella and Anastasia took a leaf from their mother’s playbook and they too dished out unkindness in Cinderella’s direction.
“Is there anybody unluckier than me?”, Cinderella would wonder all the time.
Lady Tremaine Did What She Had to Do
Each time she was mean, a part of Lady Tremaine died inside. She gulped her feelings, and proceeded with the next mean act.
She had to do what she had to do.
She had to be Cinderella’s evil stepmother.
Lady Tremaine Goes Into History as an Evil Stepmother
Giving up your life is the ultimate sacrifice.
Is it?
Some say sacrificing your reputation is a bigger sacrifice. Lady Tremaine, the possessor of the kindest heart ever, sacrificed her reputation to save Cinderella’s life.
She goes down in history as the evil stepmother. Not a soul knows about her kindness. Except John, of course – she’s remained a dutiful wife to him.
None of this matters to Lady Tremaine. He had an opportunity to save Cinderella’s life. So that Cinderella can marry Prince Charming and become his princess.
So that Cinderella can live happily ever after.
#osdotme
Image Credit: Ksenia Yakokleva from Unsplash
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