THE DREAM....

By.....Sherry


It had been a long day. There was one crisis after another at work and Sherry could tell she was developing a migraine. She got home from work, grabbed a glass of milk so that she could take her migraine medication, and then ate a few bites of supper, so the pills wouldn't make her sick. After she and her sister watched that day's episode of "General Hospital," her sister left to attend a meeting.

Sherry turned off all the lights in the house, except for the television and laid down on the couch. Maybe if she just closed her eyes for a while, the headache would ease up. She actually fell asleep for about 20 minutes when the phone rang, awakening her. The answering machine was on, so she just waited to see who it was. Of course, it was a hang up. Probably one of those stupid solicitation calls. That was one good thing about an answering machine -- you could screen your calls. If you didn't want to talk to someone, then the machine would handle it.

The headache had eased a bit, but not much. Sherry flipped around the tv stations for a while looking for something to watch. There was absolutely nothing on tv that interested her, so she got up and looked through her video collection. She noticed a tape of the musical "Cinderella" which she hadn't watched in ages. It was the version where Stuart Damon from "General Hospital" played the prince. She pulled out the tape and put it in the VCR. Then she stretched out on the couch again and started to watch.

However, she had only started watching a few minutes of the tape when all of a sudden everything changed. She was Cinderella. She was cleaning the house for her stepmother, Madeline. She really did not like that woman. She never appreciated anything. All Madeline wanted was a slave. Sherry couldn't wait for the day when she could get out of this house.

Then came in the stepsisters, Karen and Viscano. What a pair! And they kept going on to their mother about some grand ball they were invited to and they would have to have new dresses to wear. And they would meet the Prince. Apparently it was rumored that the Prince was looking for a wife and they just knew he would pick one of them.

Sherry was tired of listening to them and she was developing a headache, so she went to her room. She grabbed a book and started reading. However, her mind started to wander. Wouldn't it be wonderful to meet someone like a prince who would take her away from all this? But, since she never really got to go anywhere, she knew that wasn't much of a possibility. Besides, what prince would ever look at her twice. She wasn't exactly a beauty queen!

As her mind was wandering, suddenly a beautiful woman with blonde hair appeared in her room. She was dressed in a gown and she was carrying a wand in her hand. Her hair was swept up on top of her head and there were a few curly tendrils hanging down along the sides of her face. She was quite a lovely woman. And she was smiling a very friendly smile. Finally she spoke. "Hello, Sherry. My name is Nikita. I'm your fairy godmother."

Sherry burst out laughing. Fairy godmother? What in the world was she talking about. "Sorry. But what did you just say?" she finally asked.

Nikita smiled. She was used to this type of reaction. People didn't believe in fairy godmothers. Not until after they had experienced it. "I'm your fairy godmother. You were wishing for a prince to come and take you away from all of this. I'm here to see that it happens."

Again, Sherry couldn't contain her laughter. "Well, good luck with that one Nikita."

Nikita walked over to Sherry's desk. She noticed an advertisement that Sherry had received in the mail. "Oh I think this will do," she said and then waved her wand over it. She then picked up the paper and handed it to Sherry. It had turned into a very expensive-looking invitation. Sherry read it. "You are cordially invited to the Ball given in honor of the Prince ...." Sherry couldn't believe what she was reading. She looked up at Nikita and said "Okay, fairy godmother, just where did you get this? And why are you giving it to me?"

Nikita smiled. "It's magic. I waved my wand over your mail and ‘voila' an invitation. And I gave it to you because you are going to the Ball."

Sherry laughed again. This woman must have escaped from the nuthouse or something. "Yeah right. Like anyone would ever invite me to the Ball. As if Madeline would let me go. And not to throw too much of wet blanket over your plans, but I definitely have nothing to wear. And since I don't get paid for slaving away for Madeline and her daughters, I can't afford to buy anything."

Nikita smiled. "Not to worry. That's why I'm here. Just you make sure you are ready to go on the night of the ball. I will return then with everything you need." Then she disappeared as quickly as she had appeared.

Sherry sat there shaking her head. ‘I must be more tired than I thought. Imagining a fairy godmother who was going to get me to the Ball. I better hit the hay right now.' With that thought, Sherry went to bed.

Over the next few days, Sherry couldn't seem to forget the fairy godmother and her promise. She kept telling herself it was just a dream or an hallucination. There were no real fairy godmothers. If there were, she would have been out of here a long time ago.

The day of the Ball came and it was all Sherry could do to keep her temper in check. Karen and Viscano were so flighty and excited about the ball. They threw insult after insult at Sherry all day. And Madeline was just as bad. All she wanted Sherry to do was to make sure the house was spotless and then help her daughters get ready. Sherry was as pleasant as she could be to her stepsisters while helping them get ready. Finally, Madeline and her daughters left.

Sherry sat down in a chair and sighed. What a day. All she wanted to do now was sit by herself and relax. Then suddenly Nikita was back. Sherry rubbed her eyes, she was hallucinating again. Then looked up again. Nope Nikita was still there.

"Hello Sherry. Are you ready for the Ball?" Nikita asked. Sherry just stared at her. "Well, actually, does it look like I'm ready for anything other than a good night's sleep?"

Nikita laughed at her indulgently. "Not to worry, when I'm done, you'll be the Belle of the Ball."

Sherry laughed yet again. "Well, I'll say one thing for you, Nikita. You certainly know how to make a person laugh! The ‘Belle of the Ball' right! What have you been drinking?"

Nikita decided she would just have to start with the magic and show her what she meant. "You don't believe me? Fine. Please stand up."

Sherry looked at her for a few seconds and then stood up. Nikita waved her magic wand in front of Sherry and all of a sudden ... Sherry looked down and gasped. She had on an incredibly beautiful ball gown. She couldn't believe it. She wandered over the mirror to see herself in the gown and she noticed that her hair and make-up had changed as well. She actually looked ... well ... pretty. She would never be a beauty queen or anything close to it, but she didn't look half bad.

She looked at Nikita and asked "How did you do that?"

Nikita smiled at her. "I told you. It's magic. Now we have to do something about those shoes. I don't think sneakers really go with that gown." Then she waved her magic wand again and a pair of glass slippers appeared on Sherry's feet.

Nikita took Sherry outside then and waved her wand again. Magically there appeared a fancy limousine to take her to the ball. And an older gentleman with long gray hair got out of the limo and took Sherry's hand to help her inside. Nikita introduced him as Walter, her driver. Just before Walter closed the door, Nikita had one more thing to say.

"Sherry you need to remember one thing. Please make sure you are home by midnight. At midnight everything goes back to the way it was. Remember ... midnight." Sherry promised that she would be back in plenty of time.

Sherry pinched herself to see if this was real. Ouch ... yep, it was real. Now she'd have a black and blue mark. They arrived at the mansion in no time. There were many limos parked out front and lots of people dressed in evening wear. Sherry wasn't sure what to do. She was a bit intimidated about going inside. Walter came around and opened the door for her. He took her hand and helped her out of the limo. He waited for her to move, but she seemed frozen to the spot.

"Hey Sugar, don't worry. You go on in there and have the time of your life. Do you have your invitation?"

Sherry smiled at Walter and shook her head yes. Then she headed for the door. Once inside, Sherry couldn't believe it. She had never seen anything so beautiful in her life. The place was magnificent. And it wasn't cold and ostentatious. It seemed a lovely, warm home. She gave her invitation to the doorman who announced her arrival. She wasn't even listening to what he said. She had no idea what name he had called out. She entered the room and all eyes turned toward her.

The crowd was stilled. No one knew this woman. She was a mystery. Where had she come from? Everyone was asking, but no one had any idea. Just then, the host for the evening, Paul, came forward and introduced himself to her. "Hello, my name is Paul. Welcome to my home. I hope you enjoy your evening." Sherry nodded her head and said "Thank you." After the introduction was over, everyone went back to partying. Then she moved off to the side of the room to watch the dancing that was taking place.

Sherry saw a gorgeous man dancing in the middle of the room. She had never before seen anyone as handsome as he. He was dressed in a black tux with a sash running across his chest, from shoulder to hip. He was quite the center of attention. Then it dawned on her. He must be the Prince.

Sherry moved around the outside of the room watching all the dancers. She noticed her stepsisters dancing and each vying for a chance to dance with the Prince. She wished she could dance, but she had never learned how. Not that she ever had a chance to dance, but it would have been nice to know how.

Little did she know as she made her way around the room, that a pair of eyes was keeping track of her movements. His eyes. He had noticed her when she came into the room, and had asked his father, Paul, who she was. His father said she was introduced as Ms. Cinderella, but nobody seemed to know where she came from.

He couldn't take it any longer. He was afraid she would leave before he even had a chance to say hello to her. He was tired of all these females hanging all over him. He would have to have a discussion with his father about this "wife" business after the ball. His father never should have made the announcement that it was time his son took a bride. Now every female within 200 miles was trying to get to him. Well, all except for one. And that's the one he wanted to meet.

Excusing himself from all the ladies surrounding him, he made his way to Ms. Cinderella. "Hello. Would you care to dance with me?" he asked her. Sherry couldn't believe it. This handsome man with the beautiful green eyes was asking her to dance. She was dumb-struck. How could she get out of this? She wasn't going to make a fool of herself in front of this man.

The man took her silence as reluctance. "I'm sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Michael. Paul is my father."

Sherry smiled at him. "You are the Prince." ‘Oh, good one, Sherry,' she said to herself. Like he doesn't already know that. Michael smiled at her. "Yes, I am."

Then she realized she was being rude in not introducing herself. "I'm ..."

Michael interrupted her. "Ms. Cinderella, I know. My father told me when I asked about you." Sherry blushed bright red at his words. He noticed her discomfort and decided to try and make it better. "So, what about that dance?"Sherry stuttered and stammered and finally managed to say "I can't. I mean, I don't know how."

Michael was surprised to learn that she had never learned to dance. "That is not a problem. Allow me to teach you." Sherry wanted nothing more than to be in his arms, but she wasn't going to make a fool of herself in front of all these people, Prince or not. "I don't think so" she said as she looked over the crowd.

Michael noticed the direction of her glance and replied. "Oh, not here. Come with me out on the terrace and I will teach you there. That way no one will see and we can get to know each other privately." Sherry finally relented. Oh well, why not. That's what she was here for, wasn't it?

After a few awkward attempts at teaching her, Sherry was getting frustrated. Michael noticed and said, "Don't worry about it. We don't have to dance. Why don't we just sit here and talk for a while." Sherry nodded. What a relief. He was probably sorry he had asked such a klutz to dance.

Michael noticed that she was very shy. It took him a while to draw her out, but finally she relaxed enough to tell him some things about herself. The more they talked, the more they realized they had in common. They were quickly becoming friends ... maybe even more. Michael had never met anyone like this in his entire life. She enchanted him. He knew he would want to be spending much more time with her.

They had talked for quite a while. Finally, Michael couldn't stand it any longer. He leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Sherry blushed and looked at him. "What was that for?" she asked. Michael smiled. "Because you are lovely and I couldn't wait any longer to do it." Sherry laughed at his answer.

Just then, a clock began to strike. Sherry had completely forgotten about the midnight curfew. She jumped up and looked at the time. It was midnight. She turned quickly and said "I have to go." With that she hurried through the house and out the front door. Walter was standing there holding the limo door open, waiting. "Sugar, you almost didn't make it. We've got just about enough time to get home." Walter raced through the streets until he had Sherry home. Just as she got out of the car, everything changed back again. The limo and Walter were gone. So were her lovely clothes. She was back in her jeans and sneakers.

Sherry went inside and headed straight for her room. ‘Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. If only ...' Then she stopped herself. She knew she would never see Michael again. Best to just forget about him right now.

~~<>~~<>~~<>~~<>~~<>~~

Michael was beside himself. Had he insulted her by kissing her? She had jumped up so quickly and left. What else could he think? He had asked security to keep an eye out for her-- see if they could find her. He didn't even know how he had managed to get through the rest of the ball. Who was she? Where did she live? He would have to find her. She had become very important to him in such a short time. But it was like they had known each other forever.

One of the security guards had brought a glass slipper to him. They had found it in the front yard. Michael knew it belonged to her. He had admired the shoes she was wearing. No one else had been wearing such unique shoes. Now he had an excuse. Not that he needed one, but it would help.

Paul noticed Michael's agitation. He had questioned him about it and realized that Michael was completely smitten with Ms. Cinderella. He smiled. It was about time Michael settled down. And Ms. Cinderella seemed like a nice person. He would do whatever he could to help his son track her down.Paul had a noticed printed in the newspaper announcing that there was a glass slipper left behind at the Ball. He and the Prince would be looking for the owner. If anyone had and idea of who it was, please contact them.

Of course they got all the crackpots coming out of the woodwork after that. It took them forever to try and decide if any of them were the real thing. Obviously, none of them were. Michael decided to try another approach.

"Father, I'm going to take the slipper and try it on all the women that attended the ball. Surely the one that it fits will be her."

Paul thought Michael was crazy. "Michael, that slipper could fit any number of women's feet. Don't be ridiculous. We'll come up with something else."

But Michael wasn't to be stopped. He had his assistant, Birkoff, set up appointments with everyone that had been at the ball. The slipper didn't fit any of them. There were down to the last few names on the list.

Michael and Birkoff drove up to Madeline's home. Michael entered the house and sighed. He really, really hoped that the shoe didn't fit any of these ladies ... and he used that term loosely. First Karen tried. It was too small for her. Then Viscano tried. It was too big for her. That left Madeline. She was thrilled that the Prince would want to try the shoe on her as well. But, alas, the shoe didn't fit her either, no matter how hard she tried to squeeze her foot into it.

Michael thanked them for their time and left. Just as he and Birkoff were leaving, Birkoff noticed a young woman around the side of the house. She looked vaguely familiar, but he had no idea where he had seen her.

"Michael" he called. Michael looked over to him. "There is a young woman around the side of the house. Why don't you try the shoe on her. It can't hurt. You haven't had any luck with anyone else that was at the ball."

Michael looked at Birkoff as if he had lost his mind, but then headed around the house. He found her on her hands and knees working in the flower garden. She seemed vaguely familiar to him, but he had no idea where he might have seen her.

"Excuse me" he said. Sherry turned around and looked into those eyes. It couldn't be. The Prince ... here? She closed her eyes and opened them again. Yes, he was here. She stood up. What could he possibly want and how did he find her? And look at her. She had dirty hands and clothes from working in the garden. And her hair was most definitely a mess. What a lovely sight!!!

Michael continued. "I was wondering if you could help me. You see, a lady lost this slipper at my ball the other evening and I wanted to return it." The more Michael talked, the more confident he felt. He didn't know why, but he was sure this girl was the right one. Or at least she could tell him where to find Ms. Cinderella. He spoke again. "Would you please try this slipper on?"

Sherry was watching his face. He was quite earnest. She didn't know what to do. She wanted desperately to try on the slipper, but she didn't want him to see her like this. She didn't want him to be disappointed in what she really was. This was her life ... not the other evening. He would probably run as fast as he could the other direction once he found out it was her. She stood rooted to the spot.

Michael could see the emotions running across her face. She seemed eager and yet hesitant. She also seemed ... afraid. Of what? Certainly she wasn't afraid of him. He pleaded once again. "Please, would you try on the slipper?"

Sherry finally nodded her head and sat down. She took off her sneaker and Michael held out the slipper for her. She slipped her foot into it quite easily and it was a perfect fit. Michael was amazed. Here she was ... finally. The woman he had dreamed about since the ball. He took her hands in his. She pulled hers away quickly. "I'm sorry, but my hands are pretty dirty. I'm sure you don't want to get dirt all over you."

Michael laughed. "Ms. Cinderella, I don't care about a little dirt. I can't believe I finally found you! Why did you run out on me like that?"

Just then Nikita appeared. Michael was startled, but he noticed that the woman standing beside him didn't seem surprised at all. Then Nikita spoke. "Hello Michael. I'm your's and Sherry's fairy godmother. I brought you two together. However, when I sent Sherry to the ball, I told her she would have to return by midnight. She almost didn't make it. That would have been a shame ... it would have spoiled such a good plan. Anyway, I wanted her to disappear so that you would actually realize how much you needed her. And I see my plan worked!"

Sherry was uncomfortable. "Nikita, he didn't say anything like that. He just stopped by to give me back the slipper I lost. By the way, I guess that was part of the plan too?"

Nikita smiled. "But of course. What other excuse would he have for searching high and low for his lady love."

Sherry groaned. There she went again. Why did she keep saying things like that. She would have to set her straight. "Nikita. Would you please stop saying those things. Michael was very kind and returned the slipper. I'm sure he is eager to return home now. Besides, what in the world would someone like Michael see in someone like me? I'm just a plain ordinary person with no money, standing, looks, or anything. Just drop it, okay?"

Michael had been listening to the exchange closely. He decided it was time to speak up. "I will tell you what I see in you Sherry. By the way, I like the name. I finally can call you something other than Ms. Cinderella. I see a wonderful, warm, friendly, hard-working, loving person. I see someone who makes me laugh. Someone I have many things in common with. All those things you mentioned don't mean much too me. I don't need money or standing or Ms. America. I need you. You are my ... soulmate."

Nikita smiled. Her job here was finished. With that, she disappeared. Sherry was speechless. She couldn't believe her ears. Here was the man of her dreams saying those things to her. "Michael, do you really mean it?" she croaked.

Michael smiled. "Of course I mean it. I want you by my side every day for the rest of my life. Please say you'll be there."

Sherry blushed and smiled. "Yes, I would love to be there."

Just then the door to the house opened and Sherry was jolted awake. Her sister was coming home from her meeting. The television was playing nothing but snow. The movie had ended some time ago.

Sherry smiled to herself and thought ‘Wow. Now that was some dream!'

The End


Next we have.....A New Twist to an Old Tale

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