Another Cinderella Story

By Barbara Leary

“Ignorant girl,” they spat. That hurt worse than their slaps and pinches.

So she snuck into their unused library and began devouring their books, tasting the sweetness of Shakespeare, the bitterness of Plath. Parts of the Bible were hard to digest, but she chewed every word save for the front matter, which she fed to her mice.

Nourished by knowledge, swollen with ideas, she opted for adventure and refused the prince, arousing his ire. When he sent his soldiers to burn the books, they found she’d consumed them all and tried to burn her instead. But she was already on fire.