IF THE BODY FITS by JULIA STILCHEN
T
slumber. She plucked straws from her hair and dress. “Ugh. Don’t you just hate when that happens?” She patted her head. “My hat!” Like a mad dog searching for its bone, she frantically dug into the pile of hay, tossing handfuls to the side. A black object—scrunched into a flat circle—twitched on the ground. Cinderella pointed, keeping her distance in case she should retreat. “W-what’s that?” “Hmm?” The woman spun on her heal. “My hat!” She scooped it up and blew into the opening, restoring its shape. Its tip expanded into a curved point. When she opened her palms, it floated up and positioned itself over her head. Cinderella stood, mouth hung agape, eyes wide and unblinking. “Come.” The woman gestured with her hand. Cinderella hesitated yet something about the woman drew her forward. “Closer, closer. I promise I’m not a vampire, you see?” The woman pulled back her lips, revealing porcelain-white canines. Cinderella took another step forward. “Yes. Closer still. Let me have a good look at you.” Cinderella leaned her head back as the woman leaned hers forward. They stood face to face, staring deep into each other’s eyes.
he crackling of an incoming portal jolted Cinderella to her feet. The sky opened and spat out a creature. She gazed in horror and ducked her head, dropping low against the ground. Hands spread against dirt, she crawled toward a covering. A streak of black whirled past her, sending her back in the opposite direction. It moved in blurs before taking down half a tree. Golden, amber and mahogany colored leaves burst into Autumn confetti. The creature tumbled into a pile of hay, slicing the air with an ear-piercing shrill. Bewildered by the sound of its cry, Cinderella contemplated whether or not it had been a harpy or a mad imp passing through. On this side of the kingdom, such sightings were rare but weren’t unheard of. It groaned as it struggled to free itself. Legs and arms protruded out. Crooked and broken. Snapping back into place. The creature crawled out and stood upright. Its long, dark tresses lifted away from its face. It was then Cinderella realized it hadn’t been a creature after all. A young woman. Dressed in fabric dotted with glinting black jewels. It shimmered against moonlight as though it had been spun directly from a glimmering night sky. “Are you okay?” Cinderella asked in disbelief. The woman lurched forward. She stretched her bones as if she had woken from a century-length
33
