The Bloody Slipper | Teen Ink

The Bloody Slipper

February 10, 2016
By Amandybadd BRONZE, Cerritos, California
Amandybadd BRONZE, Cerritos, California
2 articles 0 photos 0 comments

I had only wanted a better life for my twin girls. They had already gone through enough because of my mistakes, mistakes from my past boyfriend. Long story short, I was raped by the person I most trusted, was kicked out of my home by my mother, and became a homeless mother of two. For up to 5 years, we survived by begging for food and lived off from street corner to corner.  It was the hardest point in my life; I had to feed two babies in the blistering cold with nothing, but the loose change I pleaded for on the streets.

Though it all changed when this one man, now my husband, had approached us one cold night, and out of pity, offered to take us in to his home. I knew it was dangerous to just go and trust a complete stranger, but I was so desperate to just get out of the streets and practically anything was better than what we had right then and there.
“Are you sure it’s alright for my daughters and I to come stay with you?” I asked.
“Yes, please let me help you and your poor children. Until you are able to get back on your feet, my home is more than open for you three to stay in.”
I quickly agreed and since then have lived with him and his daughter Cinderella.  Within the few months we settled in with them, he and I quickly fell in love with one another and got married. He said he would always be out for business trips so thankfully, it made me the head of the household.
However, the moment I laid eyes on Cinderella, I immediately detested her with a burning passion. I guess you can say it was pure jealousy for what sparked the hatred inside me. I only thought of how lucky she was to have been born into such a rich and stable lifestyle. She didn’t have to go through anything of what my poor daughters had to, a hard life, suffering since the day they were born. From then on, I vowed to give my daughters everything they wished for and give that Cinderella a dose of reality.
Since then, I made her do all of the chores in the household. From morning until evening, she did the cooking, cleaning, and washing. It wasn’t much, that spoiled girl probably didn’t have to do a single thing in her entire life. She needed to learn discipline and the hard life of today, not the easy way out from being pampered with her father’s riches.  Not to mention, that girl was a lunatic! Everyday I see her talk to the birds about her chores as if they can actually understand her. At times she would even order them to do her chores! She was going insane, poor girl.
Then, one day, the royal messenger sent us an invitation to the 3-day royal ball, where all the young girls in the land must attend for the prince to select a bride for his own. All of a sudden Cinderella became ecstatic, as if I would actually let her go.
“Please stepmother, let me attend the ball. It says every eligible maiden is to attend.” She begged me a dozen times,
“Cinderella you are covered in dust and dirt, you don’t even have a dress to wear, and you still have to finish your chores.” I groaned.
“No stepmother, I will finish it all in time, I promise.” She declared,
Yeah right is she getting another chance to go back to her old lifestyle. My daughters deserve their chance at the good life, not her. No way is she going, but I can’t seem that evil right now. So I gave her the option that throughout the course of the 3-day ball, I will give her a set of chores, each of them increasing in difficulty. Too bad I made sure that they were all merely impossible to finish.
The ball finally came and I was right once again. Cinderella didn’t get any of her chores done or find a dress to wear in time. To my happiness, my daughters and I all gladly left to go the ball each day.
The palace was exquisite, inside and out. It had grand crystal chandeliers and staircases, filled with maidens from all over the kingdom in their best looks and dresses. Of course my daughters outshined all of them, except for this one particular girl that the prince apparently thought was more beautiful than my twins.  She attended all three balls, wearing a dress that was more splendid and marvelous than the day before. She looked oddly familiar, but it can’t be who I think it is. How in the world would Cinderella have gotten all those chores done in time? The “birds” couldn’t have possibly helped her finish the hundreds of chores I set out for her to do. Plus the mystery woman is just too beautiful and rich looking for it to be Cinderella.  No, it was impossible. Each day I watched as the prince only danced with her, not even giving the other women a second glance. My poor daughters, it should have been one of them in his arms.  I’ll just have to find another chance for them and that chance did indeed come.
The next morning, after the third ball ended, the prince had arrived at our doorstep saying, “My lady had left nothing but a trace of one golden slipper at the ball. Whomever fits it shall be her and my wife.”
I was so happy! It was the very last opportunity to get my twins their chance with the prince. They needed to get their feet to fit in that slipper and I didn’t stop at anything until it fit. I then called one of them in and had her put on the slipper. Curse my daughter for having such huge feet; the big toe wouldn’t fit inside.
I grabbed a knife. “Honey you must cut off your toe or else you won’t be able to marry the prince and be queen of the kingdom.”
“No mother, I must be the next ruler of the king!” Desperate like I was to have a chance with the royal family, she immediately sliced it off, forced her foot into the slipper, and swallowed the pain as she went out to the prince. However, the prince was smarter than I thought, for he saw right through us and all the blood in the slipper. He was horrified at the sight and demanded to see someone else. Whatnot, I’ll just try with the other.
I grabbed the other twin and to my dismay, the shoe didn’t fit also. This time it was her damn heel that wouldn’t get in. It must be done once again. I gave her the knife and told her to cut a piece off her heel.
“Wait mother, are you sure this is the right thing to do? She feared.
“Of course sweetie. It’ll all be worth it once you are queen of the kingdom.
She then did the gruesome deed. Sadly, the prince saw right through us once again as he saw the blood gushing through the slipper.
That now leaves Cinderella, but I knew she wouldn’t fit the shoe too. I told the prince that we had no more family members in the family but a plain old servant and that she wasn’t important. Nevertheless, he insisted on it and demanded to see her. I should have never mentioned that she was a part of this house, but it won’t matter. The mystery woman is not going to be her anyways.
We called Cinderella in and she sat on the stool, pulled off her wooden shoe, and slipped on the slipper. I don’t know how this possibly happened, but it was a perfect fit! She was the one! I couldn’t do anything to change the prince’s mind that he got it all wrong for he without a doubt married her and she left our lives like we never existed. Sadly my days of torturing her were over, but at least I wouldn’t have to see her horrid face ever again. Good riddance to Cinderella.



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