The Old Boot: A Retelling of Cinderella

by Shelley Chappell

Beauty loves Miguel and Miguel loves Beauty. But Beauty is the cobbler's daughter, the figurative princess of their tiny rural village, and Miguel is nobody. He slaves to cook and clean and keep the house for his stepfather and his stepbrothers. When the Prince comes by on a great tour of his kingdom and claims Beauty as his bride, Miguel is too humble to protest.

Beauty is swept away to the city, but the royal wedding is delayed so that she can be shaped into a proper princess, who is to be presented to the kingdom at three royal balls. The clock is ticking. Beauty will marry the Prince who is not so charming unless Miguel declares his love. He must get to the ball before it is too late.

A romantic novelette of 9,800 words.

39 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2014

About the author

Shelley Chappell is a writer of fantasy fiction and fairy tale retellings for children and young adults. She is the author of Beyond the Briar: A Collection of Romantic Fairy Tales (nominated for a Sir Julius Vogel Award) and a variety of short stories.

Shelley wrote a doctoral thesis on fantastic metamorphosis in children’s and young adult fantasy literature, titled Werewolves, wings, and other weird transformations. Her academic work includes articles on fantasy motifs as metaphors and werewolves as a metaphor for racial difference.

To find out more about Shelley and her writing, read one of her stories or visit her website www.shelleychappell.com.