A Retelling of the Classics

Cinderellis-- Part Four of Five

There are tears in his mother's eyes as she smiles sadly. She's glowing like The Rat and The Crow do. Ellis sits up slowly and she watches him move painfully, "They really hurt you, didn't they?"

Ellis rubs his head, "Yeah..."

Another voice joins their conversation, "All for the power of becoming prince." Ellis turns to see a man shaking his head with a scythe in hand. He furrows his brow, "Wait, are you James Daihala?"

The man grins and tips his hat, "Glad you remembered my name."

Two women appear next to James and Ellis guesses they must be Louisa Granger and Mary Clarence Daihala. Mary Clarence and Louisa are both dressed in expensive clothing and James is dressed as a farmer boy. Ellis' mother is donning a white ballgown she would have never been able to afford in her life.

"Where did you get that?" Ellis asks his mother.

She nods toward Mary Clarence and Louisa, "They've been giving me many gifts–"

"For raising such an honorable boy," Louisa winks at him. Ellis smiles and sighs at the sight of the dresses. They remind him of Belle.

He stands up shakily and leans gently against his mother's gravestone, burying his face in his hands. He feels his mother's ghost hug him. James tilts his head, "What's the matter?"

"He's sad," Mary Clarence says solemnly, "He's just lost the chance to see the last kind person in his life."

"There will be more," James says quietly.

Ellis' mother shakes her head, "Not with a spirit like hers. She reminds him that there is a light in this world."

"And he will never see her again," Mary Clarence says sadly, "She will choose her husband at the ball. And he won't be there."

"So let's send him there," Lousia says, "There is nothing more important than love. Especially for Ellis."

Ellis lifts his head, "You can do that?"

"We're dead," Louisa grins, "We can do practically anything. Plus, it helps when your godmother is a fairy."

"You're my godmother?!"

"And a fairy!" Lousia produces a stick from thin air, the stick Ellis had returned to her gravestone, "I would have taken you in if I hadn't died before your mother did."

"Oh."

Ellis' mother backs away and Louisa circles him, clicking her tongue, "Hm. First these injuries."

With a wave of her wand, Ellis feels magic run over him and the pain is lifted from his body. He feels much stronger and his blood and bruises have healed magically.

Ellis shakes his limbs, "Wow! Thanks!"

Louisa grins before turning to the other three ghosts, "Ellis needs a costume for Hallow's Eve."

"And he must stay hidden from his stepfamily," Mary Clarence adds.

"Yes, indeed."

"Ought to be the Grim Reaper," The Rat says from a spot next to Ellis' mother's gravestone that he and The Crow had claimed.

Louisa tilts her head, "Why's that?"

"She compared him to the Grim Reaper," The Crow offers, "Or something of the sort."

Louisa grins almost evilly, "That's perfect."

Ellis yelps as Lousia waves her wand and a ghostly mist surrounds him. It runs all over his body and leaves him in new clothes.