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Published by sitizalehaabdullah, 2021-09-15 00:45:18

A Cinderella Story

A Cinderella Story

tonight either. I push all the resurfacing feelings of loss and sadness out of
my head and take a deep breath. Sadness has no business where Santa is.

Within a few minutes, Angie and her crew arrive along with an adorable
Santa. I would bet anything, in real life, this guy could probably be
mistaken for the real deal. The guy probably makes millions in the month of
December and doesn't have to work a lick for the rest of the eleven months.
The thought makes me giggle.

I welcome them to The Best Draft and direct him to the chair he'll be
sitting on. "Do you need anything, Santa? I'll have water coming to you
throughout the night. It'll be a crazy house in an hour or so."

"I don't need anything, dear.” He gives me a smile and motions to the
seat next to him. “Why don't you come sit next to me and tell me what you
wish for?"

Hmmm, a little creepy Santa, I think to myself. "Oh, I'm too old for
wishes, Santa," I say out loud with a smile.

"No one’s ever too old for wishes and dreams. All you need for dreams
to come true is a bit of willpower and dedication. All you need for wishes to
come true is hard work."

I'm shocked. This Santa is insightful. "Wow, I've never thought of it that
way. You know what, you’re right, but my wish is a fairy tale and a happily
ever after I know won’t happen…"

"Well, it's a magical night, my dear. Maybe Cinderella will find Prince
Charming after all." He laughs at his own joke as I stare at him with my
mouth hanging open.

"Magical it is," I concur and walk toward my bar in wonder.

It's a crisp evening, promising to get even colder as the night grows. Ev
and I are bundled up to go to the light up. The town closed the main street
to traffic earlier in the day for vendors to set up for the festival. I've been
bringing Everly out for this festival since she was tiny. It's full of the magic
and joy I want her to fall in love with it.

Today is no different. Even before the sky is fully dark, we can see the
fully decorated storefronts. The street lights are decorated with hollies and
different light fixtures. The trees that have said goodbye to fall and have
shed all their leaves are covered in little fairy lights. The atmosphere is pure
magic.

We start walking down the main street hand in hand and greet the
sponsoring vendors while passing by. Some of them are preparing the fire
barrels for warming up, some of them are setting up tents for hot chocolate
and hot dogs, and some of them are setting up the face painting and
children's area.

Finally, we arrive in front of the majestic pine tree that will light up the
town this evening. It’s decorated from top to bottom, but the lights aren’t
turned on yet. At the top is an angel watching over the entire town.

Although everything is magical, there's still a part of me that feels sad
and lost. I look away from the tree and realize we’re almost to Skylar's
storefront. It shines like the North Star, guiding me to my own happy
ending. I smile at Everly as my mom and Bridget approach us on the other
end of the street.

"It’s time for you to meet Santa, pretty princes."

"Yay! Santa!" She jumps up and down.
"Hi, Mom, Bridge. Let's do this, shall we?" They both smile at me. I've
been working for this moment all day and now it's time to put the plan into
action. We watch as Mr. Aveyard, Everly's daycare principal, goes into
Skylar's store dressed as Santa. I swear, this guy can be the real deal and no
one would know the difference, and it's all a go from there.
About half an hour after going into the store, Mr. Aveyard messages me
and lights a spark of hope within me. Skylar’s wish for this magical night: a
fairy tale and a happily ever after.

The bell on the door hasn't stopped ringing since the festival started.
There's a line outside the door to sit on Santa's lap. While the children
patiently stand in the line, the parents come into The Best Draft and look
around. Some order beers to waste time; some admire the floor-to-ceiling
bookshelves.

At one point, one of the parents points to a little black velvet box on the
counter of the bar. It has a little red bow on it and an envelope under it. "I
guess you have a secret admirer."

I smile at his comment and lift my eyebrows in wonder. "It appears so."
I grab the box and open it to find a pair of diamond stud earrings. They
sparkle as brightly as the lights on the Christmas tree. Surprised, I open the
envelope.
"One of twelve gifts for a true princess on a magical night. Follow the
clues on the back of the card."
I flip the card over to find a map of my store. Number one is clearly
marked with a red X and number two is circled with a blue pen. I follow the
map to the library section of the store.
"Who's behind this?" I think out loud. I look around the library and see a
single rose sticking out from the second shelf, up on the twelfth row, in
between the pages of one of my favorite fairy tales, Beauty and the Beast.
All right, I think to myself and start climbing the sliding ladder. I pull
myself with the rod and feel as if I'm actually Belle from Beauty and the
Beast, especially when I have to reach over, on my tippy toes, to the book

with the rose in it, one hand holding on for dear life while the other reaches
over my head to grab the book.

Once I seize the book, I open it to find my next clue. My clue was
placed on the exact same page as the illustration of Belle in Beast's library
and this makes me smile. I grab my rose and my envelope, put the book
back, and climb down from the ladder.

"Two of twelve. There's no beauty like your beauty and the way you
shine tonight."

All right, we've got a romantic on our hands. At this point, my little
scavenger hunt has grabbed the attention of a few people as they watch my
every move. Some people have cameras out, videotaping my very own
Belle moment. Some are watching with dreamy looks on their faces.

"Open the clue!" someone in the crowd yells.
I try to find the face that belongs to the voice, but there are too many
faces and too many phones covering each face. I’m used to being in the
spotlight with my clumsiness usually, but this time is different. It's not
because I slipped and fell flat on my face, or forgot to doublecheck that my
skirt wasn't stuck in my leggings, or because I clubbed my boyfriend with a
plastic baseball bat…
No, this time I'm the center of attention because that same boyfriend I
clubbed in the head has arranged this perfect scavenger hunt, and I'm
overcome by emotion.
The hopeless romantic in me yearns to see him with a clue, but he's
nowhere to be seen. So, I listen to the crowd and flip the card over to reach
the map that leads me to clue number three. I follow the map to the entrance
of the store, and there, stuck on the handle of the door, I find another
envelope. I open the envelope and find the sweetest poem.

"Three of twelve:

On a night where there are no stars in the sky

When I need a shining star, you are my North Star

Guiding me through life

When I am lost and scared, you are there to hold my hand

When I need a forever friend, you are there with your smiling heart."

I'm so absorbed and overwhelmed, at first I don’t realize someone stuck
a phone in my face, capturing all my emotions to immortalize them.

"Excuse me, can you please get that out of my face?"
"Oh, I'm so sorry," the intruder says, "but there's a skylarsfairytale
hashtag going viral right now. Everyone’s watching you go through this
scavenger hunt."
"Wow, that is crazy and intense." I feel overwhelmed, but I have to see
this for myself. Reaching over the counter, I pull out my phone, open my
twitter account, and type in the hashtag. No word of a lie, this scavenger
hunt has already gotten over a million people following it and tweeting and
retweeting it. I try to keep my cool and go on to clue number four.
The next few clues lead me to different people who know both me and
Carter. They each tell me how sorry Carter is about what happened last
night. Finally, Jake walks up to me with his own envelope and hands it to
me with a shrug. “You know what to do.”
I grab the envelope with my tenth clue. This envelope takes me back to
the entrance of the store, where I see Bridget and Everly.
"Hi, ladies, how are you today?" I beam at them.
"I missed you, Skylar.” Everly jumps and hugs my legs.
“Oh, I've missed you too, pretty girl." Even though it's been less than
twenty-four hours since I've seen her last, it wasn't necessarily the best
goodbye we've shared. As I give her a big hug, the realization hits that she’s
wearing the necklace I gave her yesterday, and once again, I'm fighting with
my emotions and tears that so want to spill out of my eyes.
I feel a hand on my shoulder. "Now, now," Bridget says, handing me my
eleventh envelope, "before all that teary, snotty business, you need to open
your next clue."
"Eleven of twelve:
I've never meant to hurt you, Skylar, and I really hope you can find it in
your heart to forgive me tonight. I understood the meaning behind your gift
late, but I want you to know that no matter what your decision about me is,
I will never forbid Everly from wearing it."
Tears, lots and lots of tears streaming down my face. This night has
been a roller coaster of emotions. Suddenly, I remember the conversation I
had with Santa at the beginning of the night, about a fairy tale and my own

happily ever after, and how he'd insisted it's a magical night and things
might just happen under the magic of the stars.

I look at Bridget. She's videotaped my entire reaction and is busy
posting it online. When she realizes I've caught her, she shrugs. "Go and
find your final clue."

Smiling, I roll my eyes at her and flip card number eleven. The map is
gone but there's a handwritten note instead. “Your frog awaits where there
was a peck shared."

I know exactly where he's at. I run to the fireplace and find Carter
waiting in a tux with the final envelope in his one hand and a red rose on
the other. With tears of joy and the airiness of a bird, I leap to his arms.

He catches me easily and smiles. "I'm sorry, Skylar, for everything. For
not realizing your intentions sooner, for not realizing you’re everything I
need, for not realizing how deeply I've fallen for you and for not realizing
that I've been in love with you all this time."

He holds me tight, giving me a gentle kiss on the top of my head. With
shaky hands, he gives me the final envelope. He reaches over and wipes a
stray tear away from my face and watches me as I open the envelope to find
the same tarot card Aubrey picked with the glass shoe on the silver platter.

"B.. b.. but… how?" I stammer in shock and I catch a glimpse of my
mother in the corner, wearing a joyous smile. “Is there anyone who wasn’t
in on this plan?”

He lifts a finger, put it on my lips to silence my stammering, and points
to the card. I read the final note:

"Twelve of twelve:
We are under a mistletoe, beautiful.
Look up and remember,
It's bad luck not to kiss under a mistletoe."
I finally look up and see the very same sparkly purple rain boot I found
in the parking lot of the mall three months ago. I don't have to doubt myself
anymore. I've been waiting for this moment since I realized the notes,
poems, and gifts were from Carter.
"You don't have to tell me twice." I jump into his strong arms and put
every emotion I'm feeling into the kiss.
I kiss him with passion, with desperation, with so much love pouring
out of me that it’s hard to look away. It’s a kiss that’s going to shake the
earth with its power, its explosiveness, its forgiveness, all at the same time.

It's a show of sparks, lightning, and fireworks. When we finally pull apart,
we’re deafened by the cheers around us.

Carter looks at his watch. "Hey, everyone, in about five minutes, the
light up will happen. I want to thank you all for making this night magical
for us and helping a poor soul like me out by delivering gifts and clues and
making us go viral."

I arch an eyebrow at him with a smirk on my face. He gets closer, wraps
an arm around my waist, and places a chaste kiss to my temple. Hand in
hand, we move toward to door, but a gloved hand stops me in my tracks.

"Mr. Aveyard," Carter says with surprise, "how was your night?"
"Oh, Carter, you know, I can hardly feel my legs, and my throat is
coarse from saying ‘ho ho ho’ but it was a truly magical night, and it's not
over yet." He winks
"Now what are you two plotting behind my back?" I sass with an arched
eyebrow.
Mr. Aveyard laughs. "Nothing, dear. All the scheming is done."
I'm on cloud nine. Nothing can bring me down from the high I'm
feeling. Before Carter and I leave the store, Mr. Aveyard says, "Wishes and
dreams on magical nights always get granted, dear," with laughter in his
eyes and voice.
I give him one last glance and an understanding smile before Carter and
I leave the store, once again hand in hand.

The countdown is on, and everyone in the crowd joins in.
"10...9...8...7…"
Everly and Bridget come to join us, both vibrating with excitement and
happiness.
“Hi, Daddy.” Everly jumps up and down
“Hi, sweetheart.” I go down to eye level with her and kiss her temple
just as the countdown comes to an end.
"3...2...1!" the mayor yells into the microphone, and at one, he plugs in
the lights and we’re officially ready for Christmas in Cochrane. The lights
on the grand tree come to life all at once, making for an awe-inspiring sight.
Skylar turns to me with stars dancing in her eyes. "This is the most
magical of nights. I'm so happy to be sharing this night with you and
Everly."
"Me too. I don't think I've been this happy and at peace with myself in a
while. And you're to thank for that, Skylar." As if on cue, light snow flurries
start to fall from the sky.
She lifts her head up and looks at me with so much emotion pouring out
of her every cell, I feel like I'm drowning in her happiness. I reach over to
her, and she comes willingly. We embrace in the softest of kisses. It's that
kiss, in front of the pine tree that's lit up, with the snow falling on us, that I
know our futures are connected.
Once we break apart, she gazes deeply into my eyes and sighs. "Prince
Charming at last."

Two months later
I wake up to a beautiful January morning. The sun is shining bright, and
there isn’t a single cloud in the sky. Giddy with excitement, I jump out of
bed and hop into the shower.
After two months of planning and organizing, the day is finally here.
Carter and I have been working so hard for this day, and it needs to be
perfect for his sake. Quickly getting ready in my usual ensemble of black
skinny jeans and a fun sweater, I pull my winter jacket on and head out to
The Best Draft.
Jen and I spent the entire evening after closing the store setting up for
today. There are beanbag chairs crowding the library room, and I have a
table set up with the copies of The Willow Tree and Its Fairies plastered all
over it. Lastly, I set up one of the leather chairs in the middle of the beanbag
chairs for Carter to sit in.
It’ll give him the perfect view when he opens the book up to read to all
the tiny humans who’ll be there to support Willow in her last wishes. A
while back, when Carter first mentioned Willow had always wanted to
publish her work but had never gotten the chance, I had offered to help him
publish it on her behalf.
Together, we contacted illustrators, cover designers, and social media
experts. Combined with my event planning knowledge, we managed to get
it all done. The Best Draft will exclusively sell the children’s book.
I stand in the middle of the room and smile at our hard work. Reaching
over to the table, I grab a copy of the book and flip it open. Just as I start to

read it, the bell at the front door dings, alerting me of an arrival. I place the
book back down and head to the main area to see a very nervous looking
Carter staring at me.

“Hi, sweetheart.” I smile, walking toward him.
“Hi,” he breaths. As he glances around, the corners of his lips start to
pull up in a nervous smile.
“Hey, are you all right?” I push, trying to get a read on him.
“I just never thought this day would arrive.” He pauses for a second,
shaking his head. “And I never thought I would be this nervous about it.”
Reaching over, I pull him into a tight hug. “It’s going to be perfect.”
He wraps his arms around me, and we stand there for several long
moments, taking comfort in one another. One we break apart, I pull him
inside the store with me.
“Come and see this room. I am so excited!”
When we get to the library room, he looks at me with amazement in his
eyes. “This is so much more than what I expected. There are no words to
explain how I’m feeling right now.”
He pulls me closer and gently kisses me, communicating all his feelings
through the kiss. I’m a greedy girl, and I want more. I want to swallow his
worries and anxiety, and leave him with love and excitement.
I grab ahold of his hair and gently pull, opening to him. He wraps an
arm around the small of my back and dips me while supporting my head
with his other hand. His lips are punishing in their urgency to get more;
mine are forgiving in their movements. We stay in that position, making
out, until we hear the dinging sound of the bell again.
Sighing, we break apart. “Saved by the bell once again, my beautiful
Skylar,” Carter murmurs in my ear.
Smiling, I leave him to get organized and head to the main entrance one
more time. We have thirty minutes until the event officially starts and the
guests of honor have already started piling in with parents attached to them.
Greeting them all, I lead everyone to the library room where the reading
and signing of the book will take place.
Each child gets a juice and a healthy snack prepared by Trevor, and after
the reading, the parents can purchase a copy of the book. Carter and I
decided to donate all proceeds from this reading event to the Heart and
Stroke Foundation, and any future sales from The Willow Tree and Its
Fairies will go into an account for Everly.

Once everybody is here and settled, I walk in the middle of the room.
“Hi, everyone, thank you very much for being here and sharing this
amazing event with us. As you know, Willow was a lovely woman and was
taken too early from those who loved her.” I glace at Carter. His eyes are
shining with pride for his late wife. Pointing in his direction, I continue.
“Carter and I decided to fulfill her last wish and publish this book.”

A few people who knew Willow are wiping their eyes at the sentiment. I
smile brightly at them. “Without further ado, I give you Carter
Montgomery. He’ll be reading this lovely book for you all and then will be
at the signing table for those of you who’d like to purchase a copy and have
it signed.”

The excited claps grow loud as Carter steps to the middle and smiles
awkwardly to everyone. He picks up a copy of the book and flips the page
open. In the total silence of the library, he starts to read.

The Willow Tree and its Fairies

 

Once upon a time, in a faraway forest where all creatures lived happily
and harmoniously with each other, there were three good fairies. These
fairies each had a little cove in an ancient Willow Tree. This tree was so old
that its long green branches almost touched the ground.

Every springtime, little white flowers bloomed on the branches, and the
fairies came out to play on them. They would jump from one branch to
another, and giggle and giggle endlessly when the little white flowers
tickled their noses.

One day, a little girl with brown curly hair and doe eyes walked into the
deep forest. She was a sweet little girl, but the forest wasn’t always friendly
to those it didn’t know. She came across the ancient Willow Tree, and she
tripped on one of its roots and scraped her knee.

The fairies saw the little girl crying at the bottom of the tree. One by
one, they flew down to check on the girl. Each fairy told the girl to be
careful in the forest, for she didn’t know what dangers or beauties lie in it.

The girl nodded her understanding and smiled at the fairies. “Want to
play?” she asked.

The fairies look at each other in silent communication and nodded their
hands in unison. “Yes! Let’s play.”

Before long, they all realized the tree couldn’t handle the girl’s weight,
and she wished she was light as a fairy, so she could continue playing

without harming the beautiful tree.
The oldest of the fairies had magical powers and could grant three

wishes to the pure-hearted. So she smiled at the little girl and swished her
wand three times, and the girl grew pink and purple wings. She could now
fly with the fairies and not hurt the tree.

Jumping from branch to branch, she made another wish. She wished her
brother was there to witness the beauty of this forest and the fairies. The old
fairy swished her wand again and granted her wish. Her brother appeared
out of thin air and looked around with amazement.

The little girl waved at her brother. “Hey, come and play with us!” the
little girl cried in delight. And the brother jumped from branch to branch
alongside them.

Just as the little girl opened her mouth to make another wish, the fairies
stopped her. “Remember,” the elder one said, “this is your final wish. Use it
wisely.”

The girl thought for a while and then said, “It has been amazing playing
with you lovely fairies, but I think it’s time for me and my brother to go
home.” She stopped and looked at all three fairies with a sad smile on her
face “I hope to see you all again.”

Then she grabbed her brother’s hand and made her final wish. “I wish
to go home to my parents and see you all again one day.”

With smiles on their faces, they said their goodbyes. The older fairy
swished her wand again, and the little girl’s wish was granted.

 

Carter looks up from reading to the smiling faces of each child and
parent. I steal a glance at him and see the memories dancing in his eyes. As
if feeling my gaze on him, he turns toward me. Eyes shining with
happiness, he gives me a smile. It’s the smile of a man who’s let go of the
past and is deeply in love. Butterflies erupt in my tummy. This man is my
forever.

“I love you, Skylar,” he whispers across the library.
“I love you, Carter,” I whisper back.

Thank you!
Guys, this has been an amazing journey. I wouldn’t be able to do any of
this if it wasn’t for the very supportive people in my life. I will try and keep
this list short but shooed off the stage for taking too long. Who knows?
First, a huge thank you goes to my family for constantly supporting me
at every step of the way. I don’t need to list every one of you. You all know
who you are.
Second, major thanks goes to the book community. Without you by my
side, I wouldn’t be able to do any of this. Your constant you-can-do-this
attitude is the reason I am able to write these stories.
Third, none of this would have happened without you, the reader. I am
forever grateful for you all and this will never change.
There are a few people I can’t help myself but mention by name.
Sara Burgess, my amazing editor, without your encouraging words and
helpful touch, I wouldn’t be here writing thank-you notes today.
Callie Rae, my amazing designer, sounding board, and friend. You are
amazing, and I am so happy to have met you. You are an amazing designer
and an even better friend. Thank you so much for always being there to lend
a helping hand and a sane mind.
My lovely beta readers, Adrianna and Skye, I am so appreciative of
your suggestions and honesty. You made this book better.
Enough of my mumblings, I hope you love Skylar and Carter as much I
have, and I hope to see you in another book.

 

Xoxo, Ebru

Ebru Kartal is a book blogger turned into an author. She is currently
working on publishing her very first novel “A Cinderella Story”. 

When she isn’t writing, you can find her reading, blogging, or running
after her gang of hooligans at home. 

Ebru lives in Cochrane, Alberta with her two lovely children and
husband. She was born in a land called “Turkey” and became Canadian in
May 2015. She loves to travel and hopes to travel the world one day.

To contact Ebru, please email her at [email protected]

 

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