There is nothing immediately
noticeable about her that distinguishes her from most young ladies her age. She is not exactly lovely, but her milky-white
skin is free of blemishes; her sparkly, slightly mischievous blue eyes are framed
by eyelashes that could use a little accentuating; and her long dark hair rebelliously
escapes from the styles that try to contain it.
She spends carefree summer afternoons alternating between giggling with
her best friend about the stylish new dress in the window at the village shop,
and exploring the small woods near her home, imagining that she is on a quest
to find a hidden treasure. A perfect
combination of feminine daydreams and tomboy amusement.
She has heard the legendary tale, of
course, of a girl named Cinderella, an ordinary girl like herself whose mundane,
predictable life was turned upside down when the prince chose her above every
other maiden in the kingdom. How she
longed to be beautiful like that! To
have the prince search tirelessly until he found her, and then whisk her off to
the palace on his white horse for a perfect, story-book ending.
Oh, how she dreams of the
future! She can only imagine what an
exciting life awaits her “out there,” away from this provincial village that
hasn’t changed in centuries. She longs
for a life of adventure, to travel to far-off countries with exotic sights and
strange-smelling food. To do something
important! She wants to experience the
world, to become someone whom other people would describe as interesting and confident
and brave.
One chilly autumn day, the young
woman strolls down the path on her way to town, daydreaming and anticipating the
annual Fall Festival that is being planned.
Hard-working farmers and jovial shop-keepers and skilled tradesmen from
the surrounding countryside will all be coming together in a few short days to
celebrate this year’s bountiful harvest.
She knows she will be meeting a lot of different people, and she wonders
what she should wear and tries to imagine how her hair would look in a cute new
style that she had heard was becoming popular in the bigger towns.
