Ignorance is one thing and innocence another.

Ignorance is a crime. Closing your eyes to what is real. Refusing to fight what is wrong.

Innocence is knowing what is wrong but desisting from it.

Be innocent not ignorant for ignorance is what destroys you and innocence is what saves you.

Chapter 3 .

I look at the ingredients for summoning the witch and start hunting for the ingredients in the forest. It takes me about hour to do so. As soon as I collect them all I brew the potion according to the instructions. Oh my God! What would happen if the potion actually worked! So amazing it would be! Can’t wait! I tell myself both delightfully and expectantly.

When the potion is ready I pronounce the words almost breathlessly due to excitement and joy brimming to its capacity.

Almost immediately as I say the words my room is filled with purple clouds and a malodorous stench.

An eerie but squeaky is heard laughing in an evil way and says “Who dares to disturb me out of my sleep!?” voice echoing through the room. “Say is it you little girl?!” I hear the voice of a female say as the smoke clears and a hideous witch with a long nose and ragged purple clothes appears.

She has wrinkles on most of her face and body and haggard and lifeless white hair that fall flat on her neck. Her hands are dark complexioned, wrinkly and weak and have long thin fingers. Both of her nails and toenails are long and broken and damaged at the edges. Her eyes are deep with a purple hue that denote fear and creepiness in them all at the same time.

I am petrified but also bewildered by this witch. I muster up all the courage I have left and reply shakily “Uh… Yes… ”

“Well fear not child!” her voice turned to a jubilant one. “You awakened me after all those of years of sleep! Let me know. How can I be of help? Want revenge from someone don’t you?” All of a sudden the witch turned to speaking casually which relaxed me a little.

“Yes I do wish to take revenge from somebody! My Mother!”

“Ooh! Do I love family feuds! Do not worry child, the task will be done! But first tell me your name and your mother’s. My name is Raven. What’s yours?”

“Ella!” I replied. “And my mother’s name is Martha.”

“Okay! Child your task will be done! It’s simply as easy as Ibbity Bippity Boo! But all the more fun! Ahahaha!”

I joined in the malevolent laugh too being as happy as a queen!

Index:

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

“Ella! Where are you lost? I said get prepared for the dinner party!” Mom said. “Mom I really do not feel like going today. Can’t you and Dad attend the party? Plus you both look excellent together on such occasions and even look younger without me!”

“Oh Ella!” is the agitated response. “You and your blandishments. Oh well. Better not to come at all if you’re not feeling like it.”

Good chance for me to plan about what I am going to do about my aforementioned problems. Perhaps even contemplate upon myself and see whether it is really me who is in the wrong and whether I can do something about it or is it someone else that needs expunction.

I decide to cogitate about it in the forest at the back of my house.

As soon I find a cosy place to sit, I suddenly notice some black smoke nearby a tree. I approach it and suddenly I find myself looking at a book that said “D… Magic for those who need it” written on its title. Well all I can construe is that God decided to help me and that this book is meant to help me using magic. Real life fairytale! I tell myself.

I quickly go back inside and start reading it. It contains various spells to summon various witches for various purposes.

Immediately my eyes land upon the title on one of the pages ‘The Witch of Retribution and Vengeance.’

Almost immediately or as if by magic a truly vicious yet amusing plan is brewed inside my head and I smile malevolently just ruminating about what fun I would see ahead and how wonderful a life I would have once my plans were acted upon!

Chapter 1

16 years later…

“Ella! Come darling we have to go to Augustus’ dinner party tonight! Called out ‘Mom’ who was standing in front of the mirror trying on a new necklace. Ella (future Cinderella) replied approaching mom “Mom did you buy another necklace? Mom! Dad tries so hard to earn more so that we can have a better life and every single time you spend the money on some useless accessory!”

“Oh Ella! You see the real problem lies within you! If only I had had a son and not a girl like you we would not have had to see these terrible days of poverty and misery” she replied while posing in front of the mirror with the necklace.

Now the story from Ella’s view:

My Mother has never let me forget the fact that I am a girl. Never in my life has my mother ever even shown love for me and all because I was not her son. So unfair! She has always made me feel like I was the core of all problems of her life.

Sometimes I become so disconsolate that I wish to take my own life and spare my parents the trouble I have brought into their lives but for some reason I cannot. I believe it is my father’s undeterring belief and unconditional love that he has always kept me blanketed in that gives me the strength to wake up to a new dawn every day despite of all the pessimism I see in my mother every day. He is the reason I keep going on and keep fighting every single day.

Simultaneously this spirit in me, the fire that can never be extinguished just leads me to have an increasing revulsion for my mother’s repugnance and narcissism.

I mean why? Just why can she not accept me for who I am? Why can she not love me like all the other children’s mothers do? I know we are poor but how is it my fault? Why am I considered to be a curse on our family?

Even though I try so hard to help out in ways I could but it seems like my mother just cannot change her view about me. Life has become hell.

They are times like these that rekindle the spirit in me. The fire that is constantly dimmed inside me is relit.

Yes, I will not let anything bring me down. I will stand up to all of the problems and injustice because I am fighter. Fighter as my father has described me. Fighter who never quits! My resolve is true and I will not let anything dissuade me from my mission. I am going to put an end to this for once and for all!

Prologue

You think you know Cinderella? That she was a poor innocent girl who suffered for years under her cruel stepmother and eventually married the prince, and lived a happily ever after since then?

Well think again.

In ‘Cinderella Retold’ I bring you the hidden truth of Cinderella.

Far away in the kingdom of Avalon somewhere in a maternity home sat a couple waiting for the nurse to bring news. And I say ‘news’ because it could be both extraordinary and terrible news.

“It’s a girl!” was the news from a nurse who came rushing in.

“What?!” the new mother exclaimed. “This is terrible!”

“What’s wrong Martha?” came the reply from the husband. “Don’t you just love her? Isn’t she adorable?”

“No! Absolutely not! James you know how much I had wanted to have a handsome boy who would one day bring a beautiful princess to our house! But a girl? A girl? A girl is all a burden upon us. Just another stomach to fill. You do know girls don’t earn or support their parents. They get married and leave their parents to fend for themselves in their old age. A girl cannot possibly reduce our misery!”

“Come on Martha! Girls grow up to be lovely and help in chores around the house. I am pretty sure our daughter will also grow up to marry a handsome prince and we will live alongside her without any fear of poverty” James tried to convince her.

“Hmm… I am not so sure” Martha looked over to the corner as she thought in prospect about what may actually strike them.