Enchanted

“You have to enchant him, my darling!” The fairy godmother bustled around her newest charge. “Stop thinking in circles and think about him. Only him. See him in your mind’s eye, know what he must be. Picture the look on his face as you captivate him.” She peered up into plain brown eyes and clucked her tongue. “Oh you poor little thing. I’ll have you looking drop-dead gorgeous in no time at all.”  

“I don’t think this is going to work.” Miranda stood on tip-toe when prompted. “And I like how I look, thank you very much.”  

“What? No.” The fairy godmother waved a hand at her. “With this? No, my dear. You need—more. You look a bit, not much.” The gentle smile was apologetic. “But don’t worry. I’ve worked with less before. I can do this. It will be wonderful. You will capture his heart in a heartbeat.”  

“I wouldn’t know what to do with his heart—I hardly know what to do with mine.” She jumped. “Ow. That pinches. It’s tight.” She scrunched up her face in disapproval. “And your fingers are really cold. Can’t you just have the dress magically resize or something? Besides, what I really meant was that I don’t know anything about the Prince. I wouldn’t know the first thing to say in a proper conversation.”  

“Then have an improper one. Speak to him as if you’re friends. Don’t worry about the formalities. Once he falls in love with you, there’s no restrictions on mannerisms and all of that courtly business. You’ll make such a lovely couple.”  

“But what if I say the wrong thing? I’m not very good at saying the right things to begin with.”

“Then don’t say anything at all, just stand there and be lovely. He won’t be able to take his eyes and look past you.”  

“Staring makes me uncomfortable.”  

“You can dance, can’t you? Say you can. If not, I’ll have to enchant your shoes too.”  

“Shoes hurt my feet.”  

“Enchanted they are then, alright, never mind.” The fairy godmother tapped her sparkle wand on the freckled cheeks, smiling when the appropriate shade of blush appeared on Miranda’s clean face. “There we go now, dearie. You look fit for a ball. Absolutely scrumptious. You’ll have the time of your life tonight.”  

“I was having the time of my life with my book. It was a very good book. I wanted to read the end.”  

“Now, now, it’ll still be there for you when you return home. There is a midnight clause after all.” The fairy godmother patted her arm, consolingly. “Don’t worry, it’ll be over before you know it. He’ll just eat you right up. You’re so adorable!”  

“…but I don’t want to be eaten!” Miranda wailed. “I just want to be me. I don’t want to be a princess.”

“Hush, hush. Every girl wants to be a princess. Now hold still.” Matching lipstick and eyeshadow was spelled on to Miranda’s round face and the fairy godmother poked at her thick eyebrows.  

Miranda sniffled, leaning away from the sparkling wand. “Even you?”  

“What?”

Miranda reached out and grabbed the wand from one pudgy hand. “I do believe in fairies.” She chanted, in a sing-song voice. She flashed a smile. “I also believe in happily ever after that ends with me reading my book.” She pointed the wand at the fairy godmother. “Make her a princess and please let me go back to my old life.”  

There was an explosion of golden sparkles before the fairy workshop roared with vigor. It transformed the plump, grey-haired fairy godmother into a svelte, perfectly coiffed young woman, exchanging her official fairy robes for a ball gown of shimmering splendor and matching shoes.