Facing the Fear
By Sophia ConsidineOnceuponatime, therewasagirlcalledRobynandherfatherwhowere descendedfromprisonerssenttoAustralia Theirancestorwastransportedto AustraliafromBritainbecausehewasaprisonerofwar , originallyfromGermany Hewasheldinaprisonerofwarcamp, butafterthewarwasover , allthe prisonersofwarweregiventheopportunitytogobacktotheirhomecountry Robyn’sancestorwentbacktoGermanyonlytofindoutallofhisfamilyhadbeen killedbecausehewastakenprisoner . Withthatshockingnews, hetraveledbackto Australiaandbeganlifeanew , butthereweresomepeoplewhostillviewedhimas anoutsiderbecauseofhispreviousallegiance
Robyn’s mother died when she was born, but she and her father were happy living alone on the outskirts of civilization They enjoyed the solitude However, when she turned 18 years old, her father remarried to a woman, who was cut o from her wealthy family, because they paid him to watch over her. She had one daughter who was smart, but very selfish.
Barely three months after the marriage, Robyn’s father died of a supposed heart attack, and her stepmother and stepsister began abusing her, forcing her to do all the chores.
“Everyone knows you’re descended from dirty prisoners!” the stepsister would say as an explanation.
After a while, they got sick of working and forced her to get multiple jobs to keep them afloat.
“But don’t you dare keep a penny, ” the stepmother said. “I’ll cut o a finger each time I catch you hoarding until there’s nothing left.”
Robyn would be up working from dawn to dusk and barely get to sleep before waking up and doing it all over again. One day she would do all the morning chores and make breakfast before going to her job at a restaurant. Her stepsister would pull Robyn’s hair and choke her until she was ready to pass out.
The next day she would wake up early and walk three kilometers through the desert to her job at a farm before doing nightly chores. Her stepsister would poke her with a needle until she drew blood.
The third day she would go to a wealthy family’s house, needing to leave hours early to get there on time, and clean from floor to ceiling until every room was spotless Her stepsister would hit her until she was dizzy Then, she’d repeat the cycle over and over again
When she’d walk to her jobs, she’d come across Mr and Ms Spider, Koala, Kangaroo, and Emu They were the only friends Robyn had, but their relationship was strained because of her stepfamily Her stepmother even killed her friend Green Tree Frog after finding him in the toilet
Mr and Ms Spider often came inside the house to keep her company while she cleaned The stepmother would spot them, run with the fire poker to kill them, and she almost succeeded But Robyn protected the spiders and helped them out the window Mr and Ms Spider would o er to poison her stepmother, but Robyn always reacted with a horrified, “No!”
Koala kept Robyn company by sleeping on the window sill while she’d sew As soon as her stepsister came into the room, she yelled and screamed to get that
creature out of there, raising a knife toward him. So, Robyn would say a quick goodbye to Koala, thank him for his presence, and carefully help him into a tree. Koala would o er to slow her stepsister’s metabolism so much she’d die, but Robyn always reacted with a terrified, “No!”
Kangaroo and Emu were wonderful conversationalists during long walks to and from the mansion, even though they’d end every walk with, “We could get rid of your stepfamily for you. ” Robyn always reacted with a startled, “No!”
One day, Robyn arrived home from the farm to find her stepsister pacing in the kitchen with an envelope in her hand.
While Robyn began her nightly chores, her stepsister exclaimed, “An invitation! And to the three-day opera, no less.”
“Let’s hope you win the heart of the opera singer. Then we shall be rich and admired,” the stepmother said.
Robyn overheard this news, and the next morning she talked with her friends “I wish to go, but I fear they won’t let me I have far too much work, and nothing worthy to wear, ” she sighed
Koala said, “Worry not I will keep your family sleeping by slowing their metabolism at night ” Kangaroo said, “Worry not I will do your jobs for you ” Mr and Ms Spider said, “Worry not We will spin a beautiful dress for you ” Then Emu said, “And worry not I will bring you safely to the opera ”
With a plan in place, they enjoyed the first day of the opera Thanks to Koala, the stepfamily slept too long and missed the event Robyn wore an evening gown of pale blue, and she met with the opera singer, Zachary after the performance They talked and talked about animals and singing and the beautiful party When it came time, Robyn excused herself, promising to come again tomorrow, and quickly fled with Emu
The second day of the opera, the stepfamily slept in, but they made it to the afterparty. They saw a girl wearing an evening gown of emerald green, but they were too far away to see she was Robyn. Robyn met again with Zachary, where they talked and talked about his performance, her passion for kindness, and his passion for pumpkin soup. When she noticed her stepfamily nearing, Robyn excused herself, promised to come again tomorrow, and quickly fled with Emu.
The third day of the opera, the stepsister slept in and was late, but she woke only a few minutes after Robyn and made it on time. She saw Robyn, who wore an evening gown of gold, and went to intercept her. Just before the stepsister was out of sight, the stepmother arrived and followed her. However, Robyn met again with Zachary, who led her to a secret balcony away from spectators. They talked and talked about their families, dreams, and plans for the future
“Please, don’t run away again,” Zachary begged The stepsister listened through the doorway “I think I really like ”
“You!” The stepmother came from behind the stepsister and burst through the door She yelled to Robyn, “You should be at home!” The stepmother turned to Zachary and said, “Please forgive me, but I need to take her away ”
She grabbed Robyn’s arm, and yanked her through the doorway and down the stairwell, where Robyn’s shoe strap snapped and it slipped o her foot
“Stepmother ”
“You shall not speak another word to me, girl, or I’ll cut out your tongue ”
Back at the house, the stepmother forced her into a broom closet When the stepsister arrived home, she took the scissors o the counter and opened the closet She began scratching at Robyn’s face, digging her nails into the skin to
draw blood, and cutting at Robyn’s dress with scissors. “Let’s see who’s beautiful now!”
With that, the stepsister left the closet and locked the door behind her. Two days later, another invitation came in the mail:
To All Ladies Wearing Dresses of Gold to the Final Opera:
Please stop at the Opera House tomorrow night at 6 o’ clock sharp if you have lost a shoe. We would like to identify its owner and see it returned.
Thank you again for coming to see the opera, Zachary Harris
The stepmother and stepsister dressed their best and left for the Opera House an hour early, but Robyn was still locked in the broom closet Once the front door slammed behind them, Robyn cried out, “Mr and Ms Spider! Koala! Kangaroo! Emu! Please help me out of this closet!”
Hearing her cries, they quickly came and Kangaroo kicked the door open Robyn scampered out and began her journey with Emu to the Opera House Upon arrival, Robyn rushed through the large doors, and everyone stopped and stared Here she was, still in her golden gown -cut from scissors -with scratches on her arms and dried blood lines on her face
Zachary immediately recognized her from three nights prior and dashed down the stairs and past all the women He reached Robyn just as her legs gave out
“Are you okay? What happened? What’s wrong?” Zachary asked hurriedly.
“I haven’t had food in two days, and I was bleeding for one. My body can’t keep up. ” Her voice was weak, but they were both smiling, delighted to be in each others’ presence.
“I’ll take care of you, ” he whispered. “Now, what isyour name?”
“Robyn.”
Scooping her up in his arms, Zachary leaned in close and asked, “Then, Robyn, will you make me the happiest person alive and agree to support our passions? To care for ours and our dear animals’ sicknesses? To make pumpkin soup together? Will you marry me?”
Robyn blushed and said, “Yes,” with a wide smile on her face.
Three months later, they had a small wedding planned. Robyn stood in front of a mirror in a silk, white wedding dress with a veil down to her waist and a bouquet of red roses in her hands. At the same time, the stepsister sat in a secluded room, wearing the same dress, holding the same flowers, and wearing a veil over her face.
“It is time.” The stepmother said and reached out to her daughter, gesturing for her to begin walking down the aisle. They needed to trick the opera singer. With a confident smile, the stepsister stood and began walking. The wedding march played, the guests rose from their seats, and on the floor above, Robyn heard the music.
She ran to the door, but it was locked. From the outside she heard her stepmother say, “It would do you good to stay put and stay quiet. He’ll be happier with my daughter, and you don’t deserve it. Prisoner.” When her footsteps faded away, Robyn remembered practicing with Kangaroo. Taking a deep breath, she backed up, and then she ran towards the door and kicked it so hard that a hole
opened in the center. Robyn squeezed through the hole, ran down the stairs, and pushed her stepmother aside as she raced into the ceremony.
“I object!”
The stepsister, currently at the front of the room, only 3 yards from Zachary, turned and gasped. Zachary looked in confusion at the stepsister and then at Robyn.
“What in the world is going on?” he asked, fearfully.
“Take o her veil,” Robyn requested.
Zachary reached out to the stepsister, who tried to lean back, and snatched the veil o her head. He and all the company in the audience gasped loud enough to fill the room. Immediately, he threw down the veil of the false bride and ran down the aisle towards Robyn.
They met in the middle, where Zachary took her in his arms and twirled them around before saying, “Do you promise to always love and cherish me always?”
“I do You promise to always love and cherish me always?”
“I do ” And with that, he kissed her
The stepmother and stepsister made their way home after the wedding, only to find a messy house and six animals They were exhausted, the stepmother was angry, and the stepsister was humiliated Before they could process their emotions and the messiness of the house, Emu took them by the skirt of their dresses He dragged them northwest to the middle of Australia through the beating sun and across the dry ground The rocks and rough grasses cut through their clothes There was no civilization for months of walking by the time they stopped The stepmother and stepsister laid on the ground, bruised and bloodied, with the sun beating down on their faces
Kangaroo kicked them in the stomach, stealing the breath from their lungs. Mr. and Ms. Spider stood above them, their long legs creeping up and onto their faces, leaving dots of blood all over their bodies. When they were too dizzy and scared to move, Mr. and Ms. Spider reached down and dug their fangs into the back of the stepfamily’s eyes, eliciting blood-curdling screams that would have been heard from miles away. Their eyes popped out from their sockets, and the animals said in unison, “For all they’ve done, leave them be.”