The Dress that shone

Long ago, in the age of angels, magic, fairies, witches, goblins and ghouls, there lived four royal children.

In the year that they turned thirteen, a royal ball was held in their honor. This year, the youngest, who shone like a brightly lit lantern...was the center of attention with her coming of age celebration.

"Princess Saina, the beautiful, even in the womb she glowed. Auricle predicted her beauty beyond compare. Angels sang of her blessed birth into the palace of kings and queens".

"Aw Mother, stop please, you make me sound much more prized than my other siblings". Saina said pouting.

"The angels didn't sing when we were born, doves cooed and pooped on our windows". Yasmina, the oldest, chimed from her perch by the window.

"Au pair said she had to clean shite for a whole week when I was born". Adelio, the mischievous second oldest by three minutes twin brother of Yasmina grinned, as he rolled on the floor.

All eyes turned to Cynfael, the quiet child born two years before Saina. He shrugged his shoulder, peeking up at the stars that had fallen in bursts of rainbow showers out the window when he had entered the realm of earth.

Secretly, Saina was beyond pleased, their parents had spoiled and favored her far more than the others. SHE was their lantern light.

There was bound to be sibling rivalry...

The dress.

The lovely, elegant, brilliantly lit ball gown had appeared as if by magic, hanging invitingly in Saina's room on the eve of her thirteenth birthday. It glowed like a heavenly body. No one knew from whence it came, but its beauty matched that of the young princess perfectly. It shone.

Mother was skeptical...though awed by the radiant essence of the dress. Maybe the angels (witches?) had perfected it from moonbeams.

The three siblings whispered, speaking secrets that only they knew of.

Everyone waited impatiently for the night of the ball.

As young Saina donned the gown, voices started whispering, willing her to listen.

Out the door she glided, up to the highest tower of the palace. The view from up there was gorgeous by moonlight.

"Look princess, how the angels beckon from below, they wait for you".

"Yes, I see them, they are beautiful".

"THEN JUMP". The whispers coaxed.

The princess hesitated. "Jump". Said a familiar voice.

Then a footstep...A gentle shove...

From the shadows, the evil three siblings smiled as seven witches whom they had hired to conjure the dress, twirled, mimicking heavenly winged beings.

Down, down, fell the poor princess, hurtling to a most certain dreadful, bloody death.

.........

Suddenly came a poignant silence...as if the world stopped moving.

Saina became radiantly shining, the cursed dress became like stars transporting her up. While Angels...(um, witches sang).

Those bloody, clever witches...working both sides.

Luckily, Mother paid the witches way more for Saina's protection...she knew her children well. The siblings had to clean the witches' slop buckets and toilets for an entire year.

They got Saturdays off.