LJ Idol Season 7: Week 15; Nimbus
“It’s not easy being a Princess these days...”
“And why would you say that? It sure beats being Tinkerbell....Or better yet, Alice!”
The girls broke into hysterics at their own cruel jokes as the little blonde girl hunkered down in the corner. She wasn’t a Princess, she was merely there and she obviously knew her place amongst the rest of us.
“Oh look who stumbled in at last!”
Sleeping Beauty came through the door with bloodshot eyes and dark circles that showed she obviously hadn’t slept at all. Her hair was a mess, her makeup from last night was smudged across her face and she was still wearing the clothes she left in last night.
“So who was it this time? Please say you didn’t stoop to new levels and do Goofy!”
Sleeping Beauty just gave them an evil stare, also not so fitting for a gracious Princess. She may have been called Sleeping Beauty, and sure she spent a lot of time in bed....But rarely did she sleep while there. While I would like to pass judgment over her behavior, it just wasn’t my place to do so. Besides, I had more class...More dignity...More maturity.
I flinched at that last word. Maturity? That sounded almost like I was calling myself....
Nah, best not go there. The laugh lines were starting to show, but more and more makeup could be applied to hide any physical signs of my “maturity”. The few gray hairs that came in were thoroughly covered with some Nice and Easy.
“Mary, what did you do last night?”
I flinched once more at hearing that God awful name.
“Please, I am in costume...”
“Oh that’s right, Cinderella...” Followed by snickers from Belle and Snow White.
“Belle, did you put on a little weight? My oh my, that dress just isn’t fitting the same as it did last week...”
The girl suddenly stopped snickering. It was cruel, and I shouldn’t have said it. There were just times I couldn’t help myself. You would understand if you had to deal with these lesser “Princesses” day in and day out.
Besides, answering such trivial questions would be beneath me. I had better things to do with my time than sleep around like Sleeping Beauty, or binge and purge like Belle. I didn’t have kids to neglect like Snow White (who oddly enough hated any kind of small person). And I wasn’t like Jasmine, who plotted terrorist acts in her free time (even if she swore she was born and raised in Irvine. Ha!).
Oh no, I had better things to do. Better things like what, you ask? Ummm well like dancing of course! Any good Princess knows how to dance. Sure, it was in my living room and I was still waiting for my Prince Charming to show up....But I danced the night away every single night.
Most nights, I followed it up with a bottle of champagne and then passed out while still wearing my tiara and mumbling about how someday my Prince would come...
I shook my head and tried to banish those thoughts. Today was a new day, the day I could very well run into my Prince. I would graciously walk through my kingdom, stopping to soak up the adoration of my most faithful followers as they begged and pleaded to have their photos taken with their Princess.
I am, in essence, the closest thing to a real, live Goddess here on Earth. I’m a Princess. Some would argue that it’s even better than being a deity. I most certainly would.
The only downside about being a Princess and not a Goddess though is that I wasn’t immune the cruelty of growing older.
********************
“Mary, would you come back to the office?”
The evil queen had beckoned me and that was never a good thing. Her cruelty knew no bounds, her hateful words and punishments often more severe than anything you could ever imagine. She was secretly jealous that she would never be a Princess and reserved her special cruelties for those of us fit to wear the tiara.
“Yes?”
“Mary, I really hate to be the one to break this to you after your many years of faithful service.”
My heart started to sink.
“It has come to our attention that you are no longer fitting the criteria needed to play Cinderella. It was a difficult decision but we've had to hire a replacement.”
“A younger replacement, I imagine?” Anger permeated my every word. I knew exactly what the evil queen was saying to me. I was too old to be a Princess any more.
“Yes, she is younger....But that’s not the only reason. We've noticed that you are not getting along very well with your co-workers.”
“Blasphemy! I am always gracious and kind, as a Princess should be! Those others? They are the ones with issues! They are the ones unfit to wear the tiara!!”
“Mary, I’m sorry...We do recognize and appreciate your hard work and dedication. And we're happy to tell you that we have a position that opened up elsewhere in the park that we would like to offer you.” She flashed an evil grin, one that said I should be happy with exactly what I am being given since it was my only choice. “The maintenance department is always in need of hardworking, dedicated individuals like you.”
Her evilness truly knew no bounds! Janitorial work? For a Princess? She must have thought she was clever, reducing poor Cinderella to the status of a servant once more!
I had no words. While I wanted to tell her to take her offer and shove it, I had to weigh my options. What other skills do I have? I have bills to pay and living in Southern California is not cheap and neither is the price of good champagne...
After all, my Prince might still fly in and save me from this horrible punishment bestowed upon me by her evil highness.
So I did the only thing I could at that point. I took her poisonous apple and devoured it the best way I knew how: with dignity and grace.
“What time should I clock in tomorrow?”
********************
“Mary! Dammit! You didn’t get those toilets clean enough, go back in and do it right!”
“Mary, sweep a little bit faster, we ain’t got all night!”
“Mary....Mary....Mary...”
The toilets were nasty, the grounds were covered in wrappers and food. I never could catch a break. The sun was beating down on me, making me sweat which caused my long hair to look wild and crazy which is not very proper or Princess-like at all.
I glance up from the remnants of a chili dog I was scooping and I see her . My replacement. The fraudulent Cinderella. She was dazzling in her flowing blue gown and perfectly coifed hair and was surrounded by children. MY once faithful followers. Oh how they love Cinderella in all her beauty and elegance...
“I love you Cinderella! I want to be just like you...”
“You’re so beautiful, Cinderella...”
“I love your tiara...”
That was my tiara she was wearing. That was my dress. Those were my children.
I'd had enough. My broom clattered against the pavement as I threw it down and ran straight for the counterfeit Cinderella. I would wear that tiara once more.
Most of the children didn't notice as I pushed my way through the throng of them, others squeaked and squealed as I stepped on their feet. Finally, I found myself face to face with "Cinderella", her blue eyes full of confusion as she looked at me.
With one swipe of my hand, the tiara was once again perched atop my head where it should be. Her mouth fell open in surprise, but I took off running toward the castle before she had a chance to fully realize what was going on.
I stopped before I got to the castle and smiled my most gracious Princess-like smile at a group of children who were enjoying those giant lollipops that are sold everywhere at parks like this. They were my children once again.
“Would you like your photo taken with Cinderalla, little girl?”
“You’re not Cinderella....You’re too old and ugly to be her!” The rest of the children laughed hysterically as their parents remained oblivious to what was going on.
I bent down, wanting to smack the smile right off their grubby little faces, but something stopped me. Apparently, there was some aura of dignity left in me. But I couldn’t let them get away with it....
So I grabbed the little girl's sucker and before I knew what I was doing, I hit her over the head with it.
My anger was suddenly replaced by sorrow. Sorrow for myself as I realized that my Prince would never come for me after all. Despite all of my years as a gracious, beautiful Princess. I was still alone in the world. I ran through the streets of my once beloved kingdom, tears streaming down my face and my tiara bouncing wildly on top of my head.
I headed straight for the castle. It never should have been Sleeping Beauty’s castle anyway. It was my castle. This whole kingdom was mine. They would soon see my greatness and worship me as the true Princess I am.
As if on auto-pilot,I used my janitorial clearance to make my way to the top of the castle, climbed up as high as I could and looked across the expanse of my kingdom. From my perch atop the castle, I could see my subjects noticing me, pointing at me. Good. I wanted them to see me.
Security guards were making their way up toward me, trying to once again take me down from my position of power. Oh no....I wasn’t going to let them bring me down. If I had to go down, I would go down the way any real Princess would... On my own terms.
I gave one last look at the kingdom below me and knew that I was ready to let go. I was ready to fly high above the kingdom and into the clouds.
In my most crystal clear and Princess-like voice, I belted out my song one last time... "My heart has wings...And I can fly...I'll touch every star in the sky... So this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of..."
With a tear in my eye, a smile on my face and my tiara firmly atop my head, I jumped...
“And why would you say that? It sure beats being Tinkerbell....Or better yet, Alice!”
The girls broke into hysterics at their own cruel jokes as the little blonde girl hunkered down in the corner. She wasn’t a Princess, she was merely there and she obviously knew her place amongst the rest of us.
“Oh look who stumbled in at last!”
Sleeping Beauty came through the door with bloodshot eyes and dark circles that showed she obviously hadn’t slept at all. Her hair was a mess, her makeup from last night was smudged across her face and she was still wearing the clothes she left in last night.
“So who was it this time? Please say you didn’t stoop to new levels and do Goofy!”
Sleeping Beauty just gave them an evil stare, also not so fitting for a gracious Princess. She may have been called Sleeping Beauty, and sure she spent a lot of time in bed....But rarely did she sleep while there. While I would like to pass judgment over her behavior, it just wasn’t my place to do so. Besides, I had more class...More dignity...More maturity.
I flinched at that last word. Maturity? That sounded almost like I was calling myself....
Nah, best not go there. The laugh lines were starting to show, but more and more makeup could be applied to hide any physical signs of my “maturity”. The few gray hairs that came in were thoroughly covered with some Nice and Easy.
“Mary, what did you do last night?”
I flinched once more at hearing that God awful name.
“Please, I am in costume...”
“Oh that’s right, Cinderella...” Followed by snickers from Belle and Snow White.
“Belle, did you put on a little weight? My oh my, that dress just isn’t fitting the same as it did last week...”
The girl suddenly stopped snickering. It was cruel, and I shouldn’t have said it. There were just times I couldn’t help myself. You would understand if you had to deal with these lesser “Princesses” day in and day out.
Besides, answering such trivial questions would be beneath me. I had better things to do with my time than sleep around like Sleeping Beauty, or binge and purge like Belle. I didn’t have kids to neglect like Snow White (who oddly enough hated any kind of small person). And I wasn’t like Jasmine, who plotted terrorist acts in her free time (even if she swore she was born and raised in Irvine. Ha!).
Oh no, I had better things to do. Better things like what, you ask? Ummm well like dancing of course! Any good Princess knows how to dance. Sure, it was in my living room and I was still waiting for my Prince Charming to show up....But I danced the night away every single night.
Most nights, I followed it up with a bottle of champagne and then passed out while still wearing my tiara and mumbling about how someday my Prince would come...
I shook my head and tried to banish those thoughts. Today was a new day, the day I could very well run into my Prince. I would graciously walk through my kingdom, stopping to soak up the adoration of my most faithful followers as they begged and pleaded to have their photos taken with their Princess.
I am, in essence, the closest thing to a real, live Goddess here on Earth. I’m a Princess. Some would argue that it’s even better than being a deity. I most certainly would.
The only downside about being a Princess and not a Goddess though is that I wasn’t immune the cruelty of growing older.
“Mary, would you come back to the office?”
The evil queen had beckoned me and that was never a good thing. Her cruelty knew no bounds, her hateful words and punishments often more severe than anything you could ever imagine. She was secretly jealous that she would never be a Princess and reserved her special cruelties for those of us fit to wear the tiara.
“Yes?”
“Mary, I really hate to be the one to break this to you after your many years of faithful service.”
My heart started to sink.
“It has come to our attention that you are no longer fitting the criteria needed to play Cinderella. It was a difficult decision but we've had to hire a replacement.”
“A younger replacement, I imagine?” Anger permeated my every word. I knew exactly what the evil queen was saying to me. I was too old to be a Princess any more.
“Yes, she is younger....But that’s not the only reason. We've noticed that you are not getting along very well with your co-workers.”
“Blasphemy! I am always gracious and kind, as a Princess should be! Those others? They are the ones with issues! They are the ones unfit to wear the tiara!!”
“Mary, I’m sorry...We do recognize and appreciate your hard work and dedication. And we're happy to tell you that we have a position that opened up elsewhere in the park that we would like to offer you.” She flashed an evil grin, one that said I should be happy with exactly what I am being given since it was my only choice. “The maintenance department is always in need of hardworking, dedicated individuals like you.”
Her evilness truly knew no bounds! Janitorial work? For a Princess? She must have thought she was clever, reducing poor Cinderella to the status of a servant once more!
I had no words. While I wanted to tell her to take her offer and shove it, I had to weigh my options. What other skills do I have? I have bills to pay and living in Southern California is not cheap and neither is the price of good champagne...
After all, my Prince might still fly in and save me from this horrible punishment bestowed upon me by her evil highness.
So I did the only thing I could at that point. I took her poisonous apple and devoured it the best way I knew how: with dignity and grace.
“What time should I clock in tomorrow?”
“Mary! Dammit! You didn’t get those toilets clean enough, go back in and do it right!”
“Mary, sweep a little bit faster, we ain’t got all night!”
“Mary....Mary....Mary...”
The toilets were nasty, the grounds were covered in wrappers and food. I never could catch a break. The sun was beating down on me, making me sweat which caused my long hair to look wild and crazy which is not very proper or Princess-like at all.
I glance up from the remnants of a chili dog I was scooping and I see her . My replacement. The fraudulent Cinderella. She was dazzling in her flowing blue gown and perfectly coifed hair and was surrounded by children. MY once faithful followers. Oh how they love Cinderella in all her beauty and elegance...
“I love you Cinderella! I want to be just like you...”
“You’re so beautiful, Cinderella...”
“I love your tiara...”
That was my tiara she was wearing. That was my dress. Those were my children.
I'd had enough. My broom clattered against the pavement as I threw it down and ran straight for the counterfeit Cinderella. I would wear that tiara once more.
Most of the children didn't notice as I pushed my way through the throng of them, others squeaked and squealed as I stepped on their feet. Finally, I found myself face to face with "Cinderella", her blue eyes full of confusion as she looked at me.
With one swipe of my hand, the tiara was once again perched atop my head where it should be. Her mouth fell open in surprise, but I took off running toward the castle before she had a chance to fully realize what was going on.
I stopped before I got to the castle and smiled my most gracious Princess-like smile at a group of children who were enjoying those giant lollipops that are sold everywhere at parks like this. They were my children once again.
“Would you like your photo taken with Cinderalla, little girl?”
“You’re not Cinderella....You’re too old and ugly to be her!” The rest of the children laughed hysterically as their parents remained oblivious to what was going on.
I bent down, wanting to smack the smile right off their grubby little faces, but something stopped me. Apparently, there was some aura of dignity left in me. But I couldn’t let them get away with it....
So I grabbed the little girl's sucker and before I knew what I was doing, I hit her over the head with it.
My anger was suddenly replaced by sorrow. Sorrow for myself as I realized that my Prince would never come for me after all. Despite all of my years as a gracious, beautiful Princess. I was still alone in the world. I ran through the streets of my once beloved kingdom, tears streaming down my face and my tiara bouncing wildly on top of my head.
I headed straight for the castle. It never should have been Sleeping Beauty’s castle anyway. It was my castle. This whole kingdom was mine. They would soon see my greatness and worship me as the true Princess I am.
As if on auto-pilot,I used my janitorial clearance to make my way to the top of the castle, climbed up as high as I could and looked across the expanse of my kingdom. From my perch atop the castle, I could see my subjects noticing me, pointing at me. Good. I wanted them to see me.
Security guards were making their way up toward me, trying to once again take me down from my position of power. Oh no....I wasn’t going to let them bring me down. If I had to go down, I would go down the way any real Princess would... On my own terms.
I gave one last look at the kingdom below me and knew that I was ready to let go. I was ready to fly high above the kingdom and into the clouds.
In my most crystal clear and Princess-like voice, I belted out my song one last time... "My heart has wings...And I can fly...I'll touch every star in the sky... So this is the miracle that I've been dreaming of..."
With a tear in my eye, a smile on my face and my tiara firmly atop my head, I jumped...