Cinderella: In your stepmother's house
From Create Your Own Story
"Cinderella! Come here at once! You lazy thing, you've let the fire go out again!"
You race to your stepmother's bedchamber. You had meant to stoke the fire, but your stepsisters had needed you to do so many other chores that you didn't have time. You know that you would be punished now, no matter what, and that if you don't hurry, it would only be worse for you. The ritual is always the same. As soon as you enter the room you were to bend over the bed. Your stepmother bares your bottom. She takes a cane in hand starts spanking you with it.
You try to stay silent, because any sound makes your stepmother even angrier, but the caning seems to be planned to cause the very sounds and cries that would make the spanking even worse. Your entire bottom feels like its on fire, and you know that it is red very soon after the caning started. You try not to thrash around, but soon that is impossible, as is staying quiet. As you whimper and then cry aloud, thrashing to avoid the blows, your stepmother canes you even harder.
There are no words said, no lecturing or scolding. You know why you're being caned, and wouldn't have heard any scolding over your cries. When you think that the caning would never end, it finally would, and you would have to compose yourself immediately. There is no time to sit and cry out your misery. You have to rebuild and light the fire. Once the fire is lit, you return to your stepmother, for a whipping. Your stepmother tears the back of your dress.
Your back bared, you feel even more vulnerable. There is no time to prepare yourself for what is to come, and the first blow of the whip almost takes your breath away. This whipping was even harder, and was almost intolerable. You can't even pretend to be stoic. You cry and thrash about from the first lash of the whip.
This time the whipping is punctuated by your stepmother's words. "You will tend to the fire every hour if that is what it takes for you to remember not to let it go out. I shouldn't have to sit in a cold room just because you are so lazy."
You know that you are expected to respond, but can't find your voice. This, of course, just makes the whipping last longer. You gathered up everything you have left inside you, which was fading fast, and force yourself to say the words you know that your stepmother is waiting to hear.
"I'm sorry I was lazy, I'll remember from now on. It won't happen again."
With that, the whipping stops and you are allowed to leave the room. You aren't allowed to lower the back of your dress until your stepmother allows you to, and you feel the stares from your stepsisters as you pass them in the hallway. They giggle. They always see your bare bottom, and it never ceases to embarrass you. As much as you keep yourself from becoming despondent over your circumstances, the embarrassment is impossible to avoid.
As soon as you are safe in your room you reach back to feel the damage that had been done during the beatings. Your bottom is hot, and you can tell that it would be red for quite a while. You can't stay hidden in your room though, as much as you'd liked to, you have the rest of her chores.
