Storytelling: Week 11- Another Cinderella Story (The True Bride)

**Background, this story is the diary of a girl much like Cinderella. Her mother died when she was just a baby, and recently her father has died in a terrible hunting accident.

Cottage in the Woods: Photo Source ArchitectureImage

Tuesday, January 5: Dear diary, today has be hard. It has been three days since my father died and I can barley handle the grief. Stepmother has not let up on me any, even in my time of grief. I wonder if she even mourns the death of my father. As cold and heartless as she is, I doubt it. As for my stepsister, she seems upset, but Step-mother scorns her when she looks sad, so I can tell she is holding it in. I wish we could talk and comfort one another. Too bad I am an outcast in my own home. Have to go, step-mother is calling.

Saturday, January 9: Dear diary, it has been nearly four days since I last wrote. Stepmother has made me in charge of all the household chores, so I have been busy. I still miss daddy. He would have never let her treat me this way. Tonight step-mother told me that I am lazy and useless, even though I am the one who cares for this house and cooks for her and my sister. Thursday, it began snowing, and has not stopped since. That is all I have for today.

Sunday, January 10: Dear diary, it appears this is the beginning of the end. Today, stepmother asked me to travel out to find berries, in the middle of this blizzard. I must go, as she already deems me as lazy. I will begin my journey tomorrow and I told step-mother that I would wonder until I died, so this may very well be the last you hear from me.

Tuesday, January 12: Dear diary, I SURVIVED. I am back home and better than ever. When I was out looking for berried, I stumbled across the most beautiful little cottage where four brothers lived. They were so kind to me. When I told them what I was doing, they helped me to find berries, but not just any berries, the largest, sweetest strawberries I have ever seen. I bet you will never guess where they had the strawberries, on their roof! That is right, growing away, right underneath the snow. I was in complete awe. After the brothers blessed me with these berries, they then asked me if I needed anything else. I hated to ask, I really did, but it was just so cold outside, and I could not bear to make the journey home in the old rags that I wore, so I told them I was poor and how I needed new clothes for my journey home. The youngest brother then told me to spit on my hand, I was a little taken back by this request, but I did as he said. When I opened my hand, a gold nugget appeared. I could not help but be overwhelmed with my new found ability to spit gold. Just when I thought I could not be blessed anymore by these kind souls, each brother made me the most beautiful clothing I had ever seen. I thanked them, and they sent me on my way. I am so blessed. When I came home though, even in the light of my new fortunes, stepmother was jealous and fueled with rage at my success. That is her calling, so I must get back to work.

Wednesday, January 13: Dear diary, I can not stop laughing. Today, step-mother sent my sister to get the same fortunes as me, however, when sister came back, all she got was the ability to spit foul smelling toenails. I cannot help but laugh. I am worried though, that step-mother will abuse my powers. I wonder if there will be any consequences to this new found gift.

Author’s Notes: With this story, I kept the storyline the same. All the same details happened, just like in the original story, however I put it in the “cinderella” of the story’s perspective. The first thing I did was add background to where the father was. This story is actually a four-part story and is very similar to the story of Cinderella but with a Native American twist and in all of the stories, the father is never mentioned again after the first sentence. When I was reading the original stories, I always wondered where he disappeared to, so I thought the readers of my retelling would too, so I added an explanation for his absence. The next thing I changed, was that I put it in the daughter’s perspective. Throughout the original story, there are no thoughts or opinions shared by any of the characters, so I thought that putting it into the daughter’s perspective, especially the one who is treated poorly, would add a personal effect and allow readers to connect more with at least one character. I thought making a diary would be the best way to express all of the daughter’s feelings toward what happened to her.

Bibliography: Thompson, Sith. Tales of the North American Indian's. Native American Marriage Tales Unit. The True Bride. 1929