"Vato-rella"

"Vatorella"

[This is a "South of the Border" version of the popular classic, "Cinderella."]

Chapter 1

Once upon a time (and many years ago)... there was a middle-aged esposa of a poor gentleman who lived in a far-off land. One day, this humble and hardworking señora became stricken with a very serious illness, and her family yearned for her condition to improve; but sadly, this was not meant to be. The poor woman soon became resigned to this untimely fate, but did hope to fulfill one final wish that she had... the matriarch called to her bedside an only child (her hijo), for what would likely be their very last visit.

As the young man entered the dimly lit room, he wasn't quite sure what to expect, but the boy did bend down to hear the whispering thoughts of his frail mother. As might be expected, she implored her son to remain good and kind; and in fact, told him that he was very much loved. Quite sadly, it was very soon afterward that the woman perished.

Eventually, a whole year came to pass; and the widowed father (who was getting up in years), moved on with his life. As might be expected, the poor man grew quite lonely; and he ended up befriending another woman (a neighbor and a recent widow herself). The romance quickly blossomed; and in due course, the father discovered that his prospective bride was quite wealthy. The fiancé had recently inherited a very large livery stable (which rented out very popular and stylish carriages), and she even had two sons of her own from the previous marriage. These twin brothers had lovely brown skin, and they were known to be quite popular with their peers... but it is also true that their hearts were extremely wicked and cruel.

Shortly thereafter, these nuevos hermanos began to play tricks on the youngest son; stealing his clothes and belongings, and the boy was soon forced to wear old coveralls that were filled with unsightly holes and stains. The two twins even began to conspire with the new madrastra (who in the meantime had seemingly cast a spell over the father, thus controlling all of his personal and business interests). Unfortunately, everything got much worse once the marriage ceremony was finalized; the stepmother banished the youngest child to the old storage room (where he was delegated the worst chores), and the more wicked of the twin boys even gave him the nickname, "Vatorella."

Despite all of these terrible challenges, the youngest son remained true to his mother's wishes. Every night he was forced to clean the stables and take out loads of smelly garbage (considered to be the worst jobs at the very large ranch)... but the boy never complained. After carrying out these unseemly tasks, Vatorella would usually sprint a few blocks away; determined that he should visit his mother's grave (where he would often share his feelings of hopelessness). The youngster would typically pray that he might soon begin his apprenticeship in the main shop, and even see his circumstances improve somewhat from the terrible place where he found himself.

The reader can likely guess how the immediate story develops from here... as the young man's life became very difficult for many months yet to come.

Chapter 2

On the first day of spring, the father set off to visit the annual tool fair in the village, and he decided to take the two older stepbrothers (the youngest boy was left behind and ordered to take care of all the pens and the livestock). While the three of them were walking through the many colorful booths in the marketplace, the father entreated the twin boys to make wishes at the large fountain near the town square. The older stepson asked for the fastest race horse in the area, while the younger one wished for a small herd of prized cattle. These were quite interesting responses (particularly in light of the fact they had both recently received many extravagant gifts during the holiday season).