A Fairy Tale Existence (Angry Hourglass)

Photo via Ashwin Rao (courtesy of Angry Hourglass "Flash Frenzy" Round 26)


A Fairy Tale Existence

“It’s gotten beyond a joke!” Gerda exclaimed.

“More importantly, how do we stop it?” Kai asked.

They were gathered in Tale’s town hall to debate the question which had preyed on their minds as things reached crisis point.  That is, those who were still left to save their livelihood. 

“It’s not as though no one knows the score!” Beauty added.

“All right for you,” Goldie said.  “You’re not signed up for indentured servitude.  All you do is sleep.  Raw deal, that!”

“It’s not like I picked, is it?” Beauty responded.  “Besides, aren’t we missing the real point?  The Prince is already trekking in search of Psyche, which flies in the face of pretty much everything, including genre.  Cinders doesn’t care – says she’s sick of re-enacting their first date, anyway; that it got stale on repeat.  Plus, there are only so many times you can fake excitement about an old shoe – even a Choo.  Her words – not mine.”

“Snow’s happy,” Lina said.

“Happy with Happy,” Red observed.  “Hadn’t heard that?  Recent thing, unsurprisingly.”

“Fair play,” Kai said, eyebrow raised.  “Though maybe not in the current climate,” he added, in response to glares from several directions.

“You know there are gaps in the stories already?” Beauty said.  “They’re going to notice, even if they do know them by heart and don’t have to get the books out each time.  Stands to reason.  We’re going to be found out.”

“Don’t make this a group thing!  I didn’t agree to a character strike!” Wolf interjected, teeth flashing.  “Some of us know our place!”

“Which is fine when our place is eat not be eaten,” Red responded. “Grandma’s obviously not here pre regeneration to have her say.”

“We’re heading for revolution,” Lina said, glumly. “Had to happen sometime, given current role distribution.”

“If Tale Town and fairy tales full stop are going to carry on existing we have to sort this,” Beauty said.  “Think, people!”  The characters tried to, before they faded from black on the page, to grey, then white on white, confronted by their overwhelming rigidity.  Perhaps they should have been more like the Prince, after all, if they were to save themselves. 

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Another "Hourglass" entry based on the photo prompt.  Again, I tried to do something slightly different with this one, given a couple of more serious entries.