THE FARMING CENDERELLA

I was always fascinated with the old Fairy-Tales, and never thought I'd be right smack in the middle of one. . .
My mother had died giving birth to me and both of my grandmothers died when I was really young, and both by a hart attack(not the same one, though). So between my father and two grandfathers, I become a Tom-boy, but with really long hair. But none-the-less I longed to have a mother.
"Michelle!?" Called my father.
"Up here dad."
"Knew I'd find you up a tree."
"Don't forget reading."
"I didn't. I'm leaving, came you let the characters hang so you can say good-bye to your old man?"
"Hold on." Dad had been seeing this women for a few of months, but I haven't seen her yet.
"I swear I raced a monkey- cat."
"That's what you are, so it makes sense." We called each other that cause we were good at claiming trees, and our height helped. "Have a good time."
"Not as much as I do with you." He squeezed me tight. "Don't hurt yourself up there."
"Do I ever?" I said as I hopped into the tree.
"See you tomorrow."
"Bye." Us Minnesotans are known or our long good-byes, so I won't get into it.
The next day he was asleep in his clothes. "Dad?" I whispered from his doorway and he didn't move, only grumbled in his sleep. "Looks like you had to much fun." I looked at his feet. "At least you had sense enough to take your shoes off."
"Morning girly." Grandpa John called from the bathroom when I came down the stairs, he always called me 'girly.'
"Hey Grandpa John. Where's Grandpa Steve?"
"I'm in the kitchen. Hope you like scrambled eggs."
"Got angry at trying to flip them again?" I asked as I walked into the kitchen.
"Yeah." He admitted sheepishly.
"Well, they're the best scrambled eggs on this farm." I took the spatula from him. "Here I'll finish the cooking."
"You're too good to us." He patted my head as he went to set down at the table. "I heard your father comen' home late last night."
"Yeah, his still in his clothes. Coffee?"
"Yes please. He had only enough sense about him to take off his shoes?"
"That's a tired boy." Grandpa John came in and took a set. "Called out his name at the door and he only rolled over. Thanks girly." I handed him a cup of coffee. "What's for breakfast?"
"Scrambled eggs and bacon." I said when Grandpa Steve didn't say anything.
"Oh, I was hungry for that." He said as he glanced at Grandpa Steve, and I could tell he was fibbing, because he didn't like to argue with people. "You sleep well?"
"Fine. I was woken up by your boy comen' home late last night." Grandpa Steve on the other hand wasn't a morning person and looked for any exues to argue in the morning with one of us. This morning. . . he picked Grandpa John.
"Was he that loud?"
"Not really, but I was trying to go back to sleep."
"Oh, sorry. How about you girly, how'd you sleep?" He changed the subject smoothly.
"Nothing eventful." I put my eggs and bacon between two pieces of bread. "Enjoy." I placed their plates in front of them and headed out the door grabbing the egg basket, vegetable basket, and my breakfast on the way.
"Not eating with us?"
"Gotta start on my chores."
It was almost past lunch time then my father finally woke, but I was out in the field with Cody, our head border collie cow dog, moving the cows to a new pasture. "Cody left!" I yelled as I jumped on the back of Star. She mooed at my weight. "You gotta move to." With another annoyed moo Star moved on.
"Get off her." Grandpa Steve ordered.
"It's the only way to get her to listen to me." I slipped off her back.
"You need to learn to kick 'em."
"All, but her listen to me without a swift kick."
"What if you fall off?"
"I always land on my feet, and it was you who said I've got the best balance."
"Maybe so, but please be careful."
"I always am."
"Good."
"Hey isn't it about time we separate May and Fence?"
"Yeah, he did his job. Lets go get the horses and separate those two."
That's when we found out that Dad was up. "Morning." He called from the chicken coup a basket on his arm. "You heading to Fence's pasture?"
"Yep. So how'd things go last night?"
"Great. I asked if she'd marry me."
"And what did she say?" I held back my excitement. My father was a very handsome man, but the women always for some reason they rejected him.
"She needed to think about it and talk it over with her two daughters." He Looked at me. "She sounded positive." He smiled, trying to make me happy.
"Don't heap false hopes. That's normally not a good sign." Grandpa Steve always put a damper on things like that. He must of still believe some where in his mind that my parents were still married.
"But we can't always look on the bad side either, Grandpa." I wouldn't let that little flame of hope be extinguished by him.
The next day there was no answer and the next 4 days after that, but the day after them came answer. . .
"Yes. she said yes!" Dad came bursting out the back door, leaping into the air. I soon joined him.
And within two months the wedding happened. It was just like other weddings, but for some reason the bride 'Clara' and her two daughters gave off this unkind, greedy feeling.
And after the wedding my father and Clara went on a long honey moon, and Clara's daughters, Samantha and Jennifer moved in with us.
Samantha refused to do any work and staid in the house. But Jennifer wasn't so house bound as her older sister. She'd pick vegetables and collate the eggs with me. Sometimes she would even fallow me out to the field when I was moving the cows. But she stayed away from Fence. His a big bull, but his as gentle as any cafe, But you couldn't connives her of that.
When my father and Clara finally came home Jennifer stopped coming with me anywhere. Cody and the other border collies were my companions once again. And I found that I spent more time away from the house and Dad was spending more time at the house. The only time we saw each other was at the meals and just before we went to bed.
One day a car crash ended my father and grandfather's lives, and the happily ever after I thought was going to be crashed with them, and the true fairy tale began.
As soon as their funerals were over all my nice things were stripped from me and there was a constant threat of my hair binging cut off. And I was to live in the barn with the horses and cows. I was made to do the work that took 5 people. Having 4 people handle it work nicely, now I had to do all on my own. In the winter I was left to freeze, but the dogs and a quilt that a pared one day in the loft, and sometimes Night would keep me warm.
Night was my horse and he was the only beautiful left in my care. All the horses protected me, but Night wouldn't let anyone but me ride him or even go near him. 'His black, and black is evil. He should be distorted.' Clara would say when she thought I wasn't working hard enough, and besides something in me told me I had to make my new mother happy. But eventually it was to keep her away from me as much as possible.
At school, Samantha seemed to have turned the whole school against me, except a small group of outcasts. They would listen to me, tended to my feelings.
"So are you going to the block party down town?" Kara asked one day.
"I don't think I'll be able to sneak away."
"That step-mother of yours is getting out of hand." Lilith complained.
"Well as soon as I can I'm going to kick her and her daughters off my farm."
"Why don't you call child service on her?"
"Then I wouldn't get my farm. And she has to be beating me. And I am working willingly."
"Yeah, work that takes 5 people to do it." Lilith Protested loudly.
"And she's threatened to take Night-chan away and to cut your beautiful hair." Raven stroked my hair.
"But the work I'm doing is keeping Night with me and she can't cut my hair."
Suddenly a clomp of my hair was yanked back and down. "Wanna' bet." I was looking up in to the face of Samantha. Here eyes went to my choker. "What are you doing with my necklace!?"
Before I could stop her, she cut it with a pare of short scissors of her goons had ready. She Left me there as I crumbled to my knees holding the spot were the scissors gauged me.
"That. . . !" Raven started to go after her.
"No. This is personal. I'll get her back."
"But we still should bring you to the nurse." Lilith knelt next to me.
"No, it's not that deep and besides they'll ask questions. Just give a Band-Aid from my bag."
By the time I was washed and Band -Aided up, every bead was collated.
"Ryo-san you are to brave, you shouldn't let her get away with that." Raven knelt next to me. Ryo was the nick name given to me by Raven, it's Japans for Dragon. I liked dragons a lot and Raven likes Japans things and she just started calling me Ryo one day and it stuck, even the teachers forget my real name.
"She's more afraid of bugs then she is of school authority or any authority at that. So I think I'll let a bug find it's way into her bed tonight."
That night after cleaning the house and taking care of the animals, I finally got to eat my dinner and do what was left of my home work, and waiting for Samantha's blood curdling scream. And when it did came I let myself laugh, got control of myself, then claimed down my ladder and went to the house. "What's wrong? Did someone get hurt?"
Clara came out of the house and smacked me. "How dare you leave bugs in my baby's bed!" She accused.
"What do you mean, I only went in there to vacuum and take out her dirty clothes." I pointed to the clothes out on the line. "I didn't have time to catch any bug. But I'll go remove it for her though."
"You better."
In the house I was met by a very existed Jennifer. "How could you find the time?" She squealed.
"For what? If I stopped working I'd pass out." All the joy she had faded, which was pretty sad to see.
When I got to Samantha's room, she was behind the door. "You'll pay for this!"
"For what, they say I did something wrong."
"Y-you put a b-bug in my bed!" She wailed.
"Bugs, when would I have time for that?" I easily found the dead fly I put in her bug. "This one's dead." I picked it up and through it in the garbage. "Where's the other one?"
" By my pillow."
"Oh, it's a June bug. It's harmless." I picked up the beetle and brought it outside. "Good night don't. . . Ah, just sleep tight." I called to the open window of Samantha's room, which she glared down at me from. I was hoping to made her angry with that and from the look on her face, I do it right.
The next day Clara had me stay home from school to hem and fix Samantha and Jennifer's dresses, and throw out the ones that Clara didn't like or were to small.
"So are you planning to go to the black party tonight?"
"No. It's a wast of me time, besides I don't have any nice cloths." 'Thanks to you all my nice things are gone.'
"How'd you get that cut on your neck?"
"Working hard." I looked up at her and she held my chain so I could look away.
Sadness was in her face and a longing. "You look a lot like your father."
"Thank you."
"Good your not planning on going, now I don't have to lock the barn." She shoved me away, and got up.
"You loved him, didn't you?"
"That's none of your business!" She said as she left in a huff.
That evening Samantha thanked her mother and Clara too all the credit for my work. So I went to my loft in the barn. Why I expiated her to thank me, I couldn't tell ya.
"You fixed all our dresses didn't you?" I found Jennifer in my loft.
"No." I thought she was sent to get me in trouble, but I was wise to her. "I got behind on my choruses so you mother had me stay home."
"You may not think so, but I'm not on there side. Samantha went over bored cutting you neck." She leaned forward and touched my Band-Aid, then dug in a bag she brought. "Sorry I took this from you without asking, but I wanted to surprise you." She heal up my black beaded, dragon charmed necklace. "It has wire in it inced of string. Anyway, I went to the nurse to help you, but you never came."
"Thanks." I took my necklace back and put it on. "Well it wasn't to bad, so I took care of it myself."
"But she hurt you. And besides I only put the live bug in her bed. Yes it was me who put the June bug in her bed. And talking about beds, look in yours. I left something in there for you."
Under my covers was a dark emerald green crushed velvet dress. "Oh, Jennifer. It's beautiful."
"Hoped you'd think so. It's to long for what Clara likes on us and it's to small on me anyway, but I thought it would be perfect fit for you." She got up with a grunt and in her bag again. "And I kept this when Clara was throwing out your mother's things." She pulled out my mom's dark green leather shoes. "The enbroidering was coming off and most of the stones had fallen out, but I found a plase that could repare them. 'On of a kind,' the guy told me. 'keep them nice, they could come on handy one day.' He said when he handed them to me. His really creepy if you ask me."
"This is really to much." But I took the shoes anyaway.
"Well are you going to try them on or not?"
"Sure." I went behind the certain and changed. "I'm done."
"Then come out." I went out. "Wow, you look beautiful in crushed velvet, and the green brings out your eyes."
"Jennifer!" Her mother's voice reached us.
"Oh, leave it to her to rowan a good mood." She headed for the ladder.
"No, this way, if she knew you were here, she'd ground you." I showed her the dog ramp out the back.
"What should I tell her? I can't think of anything."
"Tell her that you were looking at the horses, they're out that way."
"Thanks."
"Good luck, you're gonna need it." I said as she slid down the ramp.
"Bye." She mouthed and waved.
And I waved back, then quickly changed out of my dress and shoes and got into my old dirty working clothes and headed out to bring the cows in and feed them, bring the chickens in (so the foxs didn't have an easiy meal) and make sure they had food for the night, brought the horses in and gave them food for the night, gave the dog their food, then feed myself from what I had left over in my hiding stop, and that wasn't much. Well I'd have to buy myself some food when I got to the block party.
"Michelle were leaving now!" Clara called as she got into her Hummer.
"Have fun."
"Oh, we will." Samantha said as she got in.
Jennifer just looked up at me and smiled quickly and got in. And as soon as their Hummer was out of sight I got my nice clothes back out and called Raven.
"Ello?"
"Hey, Raven."
"Ryo-san!?"
"Is Leleth over there?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you still going to the block party?"
"Yeah, we were about to leave, why?"
"Could you come and get me?"
"You'er coming after all!?"
"Yeah, and Jennifer gave me a nice dress and shoes."
"We'll be right over."
"See yah then."
I shawered, dryed off, and dressed quickly. And unbarred my stash of money. It was made of small tips from old women at the grocry store when I'd bag thir groceries when the person that normally did it wasn't there, or from old men when I went to their farms to help them with something. And 5 bucks from this T.V sereve company that called when Clara, Samantha, and Jemnnifer were away, they sent me the 5 bucks in the mail a few weeks latter. In all I had 40 dollars and in mostly ones and some odd coins, but it was just then I realized I had nothing to but it in.
But the rumbling of Raven and Leleth's motorcycles dragged me from going in to the memories of Samatha and Clara ordering me to claen and fix things in addition to what I had to do.
"Ryo-san!?"
"Ryo!?
"Over here!" I walked over to them. "I was just digging up my money. What are you staring at?"
"Y-you look beautiful." Raven took my hands and held then out. "But something's missing."
"Make-up and hair." Leleth pulled off the pony-tail that held my braid. "Leave it down." She shook out the rest of it. "But sharing eye mack-up could lead to eye problems."
"Then lets take her to town, and get her some." Raven suggested.
"It wouldn't do any good." But they grabbed me and took me to town and bought me make-up and little bad to keep it in.
"Did you eat dinner yet?" Raven asked when my stomach grumbled.
"Yeah, but I had little left."
"Then come." They grabbed my hands and bought me a lot of food.
"Oh, I can't repay you for all of this."
"You don't have to pay us, just enjoy." Raven pushed back my money.
"It's our pleasure." Leleth also pushed back my money.
"Michelle Roberts?" Asked a voice from behind.
"Yes?" I tured around in my set and saw, "Jack Jefferson?"
"I was hopping it was you." He smiled warmly. "I've been looking for you for a waile now, so I could talk with you."
I didn't like him very much, but I couldn't find my voice. This was the oldest son of the richest farming family in Minnesota, and Samantha was always trying to get him to talk to her, but here he was talking the last person he would be talking to, me.
"Oh, really." Raven broke my trance.
"Raven. Why would you want to met me? Samantha seems to be more on your level." I stood to tower over him with my hight, but I wound up looking level into his eyes, so I picked up my corn-on-the-cod. "C'mon lets go." I looked down at Rave and Leleth and they followed me without a word.
"Will you let me get a word in before you leave." Jack grabbed my arm, a look on his face I've never seen before, and can't describe.
"Go ahead." I pulled my arm of his lose grip.
"My father wants me to like girls like your step-sister, if that's what you call her."
"On a good day I'll think of calling her that."
"There can't be meny of those days."
"They're few and far between, but you were saying."
"But my mom wants me to go with my hart."
"So, is there a point in there some where?" Raven broke in. She really didn't like his family, you could say she heated them at times.
"Raven, please. Let him say what he has to say." Leleth didn't like his family either, but she was the kind of person to let people have their say.
"Thank you. And I like a girl that will work out in the filled with me and not be afraid to getting dirty." He grabbed my free hand and looked it over. "Ouch," He poocked a rip blister. "your hands of a farmer." He looked up at my face, and quickly let go of my hand. "You hate me?"
"No, just don't like you holding my hand. You're pushing on my blisters."
"Sorry." He grabbed my hand again and looked closer at it. "Ouch, I see. Oh my, your hands are covered in them aren't they?"
'Derrr!' "Yeah." I snatched my hand back and walked way. "Good night." I said without looking back.
"Wait, please." O.K. we were trying to walk away. "Can I come with you?"
"Why?" Raven asked, sounding annoyed.
"I'm trying to stay away from Samantha."
"Really, why?" I really wasn't surprised.
"I swear she's stocking me," That sounded like something she'd do here. "and I figured that sense she gave you this," He touched my Band-Aid (What was with people and touching my Band-Aid anyway?!) and I noticed that his breth came up short. "that you'd be keeping on eye out for her." He stepped closer to me. "I'm sorry for what she for what she did to you."
"Don't be." I took a step back. "You didn't tell her to do that to me." We began to walk away again.
"But I might of set her off." Again we were stopped. His good at that.
"What do you mean?" Raven asked coldly. She even scared me.
He looked at her, shear fright in his eyes. Ever sense wa became friends, Raven was and still is very protective of me. So I know she ment to scare him, and so far it was working.
"Well?" She ordered.
He jumped slightly. "I was asking about you." He looked back at me. "How'd you look in a dress. Which I was right," He looked me up and down. "beautiful. She was on the outer age of the group and left in a huff. I saw what she did to you and I went to seaport your side of the story at the principal's office, but you never showed."
"Ah, Mihelle there you are." Jennifer appeared out of the crowed. "You look wonderful." She looked at Jack. "Oh no, Samantha's coming this way, get out of here both of you." She pushed into the thick crowed. "Hurry, get out of here, I'll find you latter."
As Raven and Jack pulled me along, I looked back and saw that we just got out of there in time. Samantha stepped in the same spot I was just in.
"Her mother's hanging around my parents, so we can't meet them yet." Jack said when we found an empty table. "So can I hang with you guys?"
"What about your friends?" I could tell Leleth's long winded patience was running short with him.
"They're not my friends. When I told them I was looking for Samantha to keep away from her, they kept making false alarms." Anger flashed acrossed his face. "Then I thought I saw you, I figred that you'd be doing the samething as me."
"Well," My stomach grumbled suddenly.
"Didn't you eat dinner yet?" He asked.
"Yes thats why I got all this food, and living in the barn, I can't cook cook." 'Oh ooups, I'm letting my gared down, I didnit maen to say that. I need a filter for my mouth.'
"You live in the barn!?"
"Yeah, Samantha kicked me out of my room, and besides she snores."
"How do you know that if you sleep in the barn?"
"In the summer she has her window open, and I can hear her. And I do have to use the bathroom some times dorring the night, and when I'm doing the laundry in the basement, I can hear her on the second floor."
Jack wound up following us around even though Raven protested the idea, but did agree that no one should be by themselves on a night like this.
"Jack!" We suddenly heard Samantha's voice, and it was close.
I ducked between two stals, and went around behind one. There I found that Jack had followed me and that I lost Raven and Leleth. "What are you doing here?" And as soon as I got that out he kissed me. "What was that about?" I asked when I broke free.
"I've wanted to kiss you sense 4th grade." He leaned close again. "I described you, so why do you look so surprised?"
"I'm not the kind of person that gets a kiss out of no where."
"Really, but you're so beautiful. I feared hafe the time one of those guys would get you."
"'Those guys', what do you maen?"
"The people you hang with, the outcasts." He rankilled up his nose.
"I'm one of them, yah know."
"Not if Samantha had came along, you wouldn't be."
"I was heading that direction anyway, and without her help. And you know what, I like being one of them and I'll stay with 'em."
"Why they'll only bring you down."
"People like you pushed me down, and they brought me up. And I think, no I know they brought me higher then you on all maturity levels, and being with them I've found strenth I thought I never had." And with that I walked away. 'Raven and Leleth were right, that whole family was messed up!'
In my anger I didn't realize that Samantha was still hanging about. "What are you doing here freak?" She grabbed my hair.
"Let, go!" I took a hold of my hair and pulled out of her grip. "I was haveing fun."
"How dare you talk back to me and steal my things!" She reached for me, but I stepped back and hit her hands aside. Suddenly Jennifer was between us.
"No, Samantha! That was my dress and you know it."
"Then where did she get the shose and the make-up?"
"We bought her the make-up." Raven and Leleth materializd out of the crowed, along with the rest of us outcasts.
"The shoes where her mother's that I kept when Clara through them out."
"'Clara', sense when don't you call her mom?"
"Sense she went over board with kicking Michelle out to the barn and throwing away every nice thing Michelle had, and I can't call you sister let alone say your name without getting ill every time sense I saw what your worse then that women."
"How dare you!" She went to slap Jennifer, but Kara stopped her. And Jennifer didn't flinch.
"You've theatened them long enough." Kara cocked her fist, ready to hit Samantha.
"Stop!" I ordered, and Kara lowered her fist. "I want her to be conchis to hear what I have to say." I said as I stepped around Jennifer. "Tonight I turn 18 and I come of age and can clame my inheritance." I said smothly, and I didn't have this plained. "So tell that greedy women you call mummy that I give you two tell Friday to get off my land." Suddenly my head was jurked back by my hair. 'Maybe I should get my hair cut, my scalp is getting hurt by all this yanking.'
"You can't do that you selfish brat!" Clara was ferrous.
I grabbed my hair, but Clara had it wrapped around her hand. 'Yep, time to cut my hair.' So I took out my Swiss army knife and cut my hair free. "Yes I can, both my grandfahers left the farm to me and my father,"
"I'm his wife I get hafe the farm."
"Let me finish before make youself look a fool you are. They made it so if anything happened to my dad, even if he got remarried, I would get the farm when I reached 18."
"You're lying!"
"No, she isn't. It's true." My family's layer walked forward. 'Man everone I need seems to come as if called tonight.' "I hand wrote that Will for them." His an old frail looking man, but his memory was better then most of us teenagers. "And if you try to take this pretty young lady to court, I'll fight you the whole way."
With in a few days Clara and Samantha were on their way on back to St. Paul. Jennifer stayed with me, and Raven, Leleth, and Kara quite their jobs at the Jefferson's Farm to live and work with us. But you maybe asking about my 'Prince Charming' right?
Well for a month I was able to avoid him, but when I did see him, he looked more and more misereble. And I found I was trying to see him on a normel bases.
Till one day after our end of the year concert Jack had whited for us to change out of concert garb. He was standing by Night when we found him, and Night wasn't making a fuse as he usually dose. . .
"Jack, what are you doing here?" I stopped, and so did my companions.
He looked up at me, his eyes looked puffy and red, but he said nothing.
"Well are you just going to stand there, looking at her or what?" Raven burst.
"Raven. Let im say what he has to say." Leleth said as usual.
"The last thime we did that he,"
"Raven, that was then this is now." I said.
Suddenly he crumbled to his knees and put his hands over is face, and I could just hear crying coming from him. "You hate everything about me," He finally spoke. "and still you'll listen to what I have to say." He looked up at me, tears streaming down is face. "You can guess what I have to say, but I can't, You're to good for a low life that judged people by their appearance, and only thinks of myself." He once again barred his face and wept.
I walked over to him and put a hand on his back. "That's what I wanted to hear." He looked up at me in surprise. "C'mon, lets get you home." I grabbed his arm.
"No!" He pushed me away. "My home is where my hart is, and it's with you." He got to his feet, pulling me with and putting his hands on my neck. "I love you Michelle Roberts." And with that he kissed me again.
After a few years and few turn downs we got marrid. And when his father died we took over the company, but staid at owr farm.
So there you have it my Cinderella story. It may not of ended 'happly ever after', but with to girls and a boy there is an two word ending I can leave you with and that is:
The End