Fat Cinderella

• Brianna O'Young, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2015

The sweet aroma of nectar honey and toasted bread filled the atmosphere in the morning hours of dawn. The young orphan, Ella, was preparing breakfast in the kitchen for her stepmother and stepsisters, Anastasia and Drizzella. There was a peaceful silence in the kitchen which had reminded Ella of the times when her mother prepared meals for her. She skipped around gracefully stirring pots and chopping ingredients as well as singing along.
However, the silent was broken by a cacophony of loud screams and shrieks from her stepmother and stepsister.
“Ella! Where is my breakfast?” yelled Anastasia and Drizzella in unison
“Breakfast was meant to be delivered ten minutes ago!” Ella’s stepmother complained.
Ella broke into action and plated breakfast on three trays which was soon delivered. As she gobbled down two slices of buttered toast, she swiftly raced down the staircase and gave stepmother the food. She gave Ella a revolting bitter snarl and demanded her to follow up with her daily chores.
Anastasia and Drizzella, who were twins, lack success in everything and treated Ella as if she was a slave. Ella was commanded to prepare meals, sweep the dirty floor, collect fresh eggs from her farm, clean the windows, wash the dishes and please her stepsister’s orders. Ella was forced to move out of her own bedroom by her stepmother, and was directed to sleep in the attic. Instead, she slept near the fireplace which provided warmth unlike the cold, damp attic. However, she was teased by her stepsisters who called her ‘Cinderella’. She worked tirelessly every day, under the watchful, evil eye, of her stepmother, followed by her nasty insults and criticism.
But then, Ella has a big problem and a bad habit of overeating. She gobbled down almost anything she could that she could get her hands on, and her belly protruded from her body. Due to her shape of her body, it was difficult to find the right fit and length of her size, so she was left to the problem of making herself. Facing numerous of insults about her size and physique from her stepsisters’, Ella was still very determine to work off those kilos but she hadn’t had enough time to exercise – apart from walking up and down from her daily chores.
That afternoon when Ella was cleaning the house, a messenger rang the doorbell with an invitation to the royal ball at the palace. The king wanted his son to find a bride and every young woman in the kingdom was invited along. Ella raced back into the house to tell stepmother and her stepsisters about the great news.
What was she going wear? What would her dress look like? Questions just flew throughout her minds. She was extremely excited. But then, she realized that most dresses would not fit her figure, so, the only way to go to the ball, was to stitch her own dress. Ella’s heart fell as he came to realization – the prince would never look at her twice. She was obese. Overweight. As the picture scene of the royal ball, slipped from her hands, she struck by embarrassment and grief that made her feel pathetic. She was self- conscious of her weight, but she had not been able to do anything about it. As Ella felt her dreams crush by reality, a tear trickled from her eyes. If only there was a way to go to the royal ball………