They say that the words ‘Once upon a time’ are a cliché and should be avoided. I think that fairytales can be far from childish and open up a whole new avenue of writing. It’s fun to play with traditional stories and change them slightly. This piece asks, What if they never got their happily ever afters?
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Tell me a story about a glass slipper, a grandfather clock, a pumpkin,
The slipper has shattered,
The clock is no longer ticking,
The pumpkin is mottled brown,
Tell me a story about a spindle, a bed, enormous vines,
The spindle is sharp,
The bed is empty,
The vines have withered,
Tell me a story about a sea, a trident, a ship,
The sea is still,
The trident is rusty,
The ship has sunk,
Tell me a story about a rose, a mirror, a book,
The rose has fallen,
The mirror is cracked,
The book has shut.
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