22-Jun-2018

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22-Jun-2018

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A real-life Cinderella story…but not.

The prince stuck his head outside the carriage. “Faster!”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as the driver flicked the electric reigns. The carriage shot forward as the mechanical horses sped up.

Good thing the glass slipper-left foot-that sat atop the pillow on my lap was magnetically locked in place, or it would have tumbled off onto the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces. But as it was, it sat upon the red, velvet pillow in perfect position, catching the light that emanated from the fabric, making it look like a rare jewel.

The prince pulled himself back into the carriage and looked at me. His blue eyes sparkled as only enhanced tech could, and the nanites in his blond hair writhed like snakes as it righted itself from the windblown look he had just acquired. “This is very exciting!”

“Yes, my lord,” I said with as big of a smile as I could muster. It took everything I had not to itch under the ridiculous hat I was wearing, not to mention the tight-bottomed, knee-high knickers in a horrible shade of yellow. And even though men wearing white hose was a fashion thing right now, I wished someone had warned me to shave my legs first.

“I can’t believe she ran away like that,” the prince said. “And after we had danced so many times.”

I hadn’t been at the ball the night before. I’d had a test in microbes that I had thankfully passed. My boss had been very understanding, and had found this role for me to play.

Being a professional role player for Real Life Fantasies had been the best job I could have gotten while I was at university. The hours were flexible, the job was never the same twice, and it didn’t hurt that I was naturally handsome. At least that’s what the profiler had said when I’d gone looking for a job.

The carriage went up on two wheels as the driver took a corner at break-neck speed.

“Huzzah!” the prince cried.

I’d looked him up before I got on board. The typical rich kid who needed something more distracting than having more money than sense and not knowing what to do with his long, lonely days. Still, he seemed to be having a good time, and the more he liked the adventure, the bigger the tip he would leave.

We were finally close enough for the tracking device to kick in. The slipper turned on the cushion, the toe pointing the direction we were supposed to go.

“My lord,” I said, pointing.

He let out a gasp and stuck his head out the window again. “Left! Go left!”

I couldn’t help the smile that broke out on my face. This guy was killing me.

“Where too now?” the prince asked me.

“Straight.”

“Forward!” he said with glee, not bothering to bring his head back in through the window, and paying no attention to the drones that zipped by us.

The slipper waivered, and then twisted.

“Go right!” I said.

The prince relayed the order, and the carriage careened down a new street.

The neighborhood didn’t hold the class of where the price came from, but it certainly wasn’t bad. Much better than where I came from. Medium to large sized houses that all sported floating gardens, extravagant fountains all behind decorative, but security, fences.

The slipper angled.

“Slow down,” I said.

The prince pulled himself back in to let his hair go back to normal.  He watched the slipper as we slowed, and then stopped in front of the house where it started to sparkle.

“This is it,” he said. The nervous energy in his voice was genuine. He smoothed his jacket and checked his cuff links. “How do I look?”

“Perfect,” I said.

The driver came around and opened the door. I stepped out first, carrying the slipper. The prince came behind me and led the way to the golden fence.

“Hello!” the prince shouted in an excited voice.

The waist high gate swung open. The prince looked over his shoulder at me, smiled, then went through.

I could easily describe his steps up the floating path to the front door as skipping. I followed, watching to make sure the gravity wells would keep him on the stones if he lost his balance.

The slipper began to shine so brightly that I had to avert my eyes.

We got to the gilded  double doors and the prince straightened his clothes again. He looked at me, cleared his throat, and then knocked.

We waited.

The prince rocked back and forth, going up on his toes and coming back down. He looked at me. He looked at the door. He looked at the slipper and then back at me.

When the door finally opened, the prince almost jumped off the porch.

A servant answered. A woman.

The prince let out a gasp.

I narrowed my eyes and spoke in a clear voice. “By high command, we are to fit this slipper to each woman in every household in the realm.”

The servant smiled. “Of course. Please, come in.”

She moved out of the way and I beckoned the prince in before me.

Two twittering women, both had obviously been augmented to be less than attractive, glided down the nearby winding stairs.

The prince walked into the entry hall. As I passed the servant I muttered, “What are you doing here?”

“Same as you,” she said with a wink. “Just making some money.”

I sighed. At least it was the prince who had to woo my ex-fiancé. Good thing this wasn’t for real. He wouldn’t stand a chance.

***

Oh great, this one feels like it’s part of a much bigger story. Figures.

Genre – Sci Fi

Character – Side Character

Setting – In a City

Random Object – Slipper-Left Foot

Theme – Overcoming the odds


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