Dark side of Cinderella

Cori Raike, The Delphi Writer

As a kid, we all heard of or loved the movie Cinderella.

So let’s recap on the story: A girl, Cinderella, lost both of her parents and was forced to live with her evil stepmother and stepsisters. She wants to go to the ball but isn’t granted permission. Her fairy godmother says that she can go but she needs to return at midnight. Cinderella goes to the ball and has an amazing time. She even meets her Prince Charming (I wish it was that easy to find love!). She loses track of time and leaves the ball at midnight, but as she’s leaving, she loses her glass slipper. The prince looks for her everywhere, and at the end of the film, they live happily ever after when Cinderella tries on the slipper.

But do you know what the original story was like?

If you thought the story started the same as Disney made it, then you are right! Cinderella’s mother dies and then her father marries her evil stepmother, adding her and Cinderella’s evil stepsisters to the family. Lucky for Cinderella, her father doesn’t die. Instead, he helps embarrass Cinderella along with her stepmother and stepsisters.

The king of the land hosts a festival to find his son a future queen/princess. The family hears all about it and, like the Disney version, doesn’t allow Cinderella to attend the festival. Cinderella decides to attend the festival anyway, but her fairy godmother isn’t a part of the original story!

Instead, she goes to her mother’s grave and says a prayer. That’s when all the magic begins! Cinderella got a beautiful gown and slippers. Nobody in her family recognized her when she attended the festival, and Cinderella and the prince fall in love; however, like in the Disney movie, she loses her slipper on the way out. The prince looks everywhere for the owner, and when he finally reaches Cinderella’s house, her stepsisters try on the slipper. It fit neither one of them, so one of the sisters cut off their toes to make it fit, and the other one cuts off part of her heel. They would have gotten away with it but the prince found blood in the slipper each time.

Finally, Cinderella tried on the slipper and it fit. And like every other Disney story, they lived happily ever after.

Just kidding! It was only a happy ending for Cinderella! After Cinderella and the Prince got their happy ending, the evil sisters asked to gain their favor. That didn’t go so well, since the sisters’ eyes got pecked out by the birds.

I guess you could say…”Karma’s a BIRD.”