Cinderella Is Dead

by Kalynn Bayron

I’d like to be the one in the armor, and I’d like to be the one doing the saving.

My father is a good man, Liv’s father is a good man, and even Luke’s father seems like a good man. But these good men aren’t making the rules. These decent men are turning a blind eye to indecent acts.

“The truth is tricky. People want to know it, but when they do, sometimes they wish they didn’t.”

“I think we need to burn the whole thing to the ground and start over. The entire system, the ideals that have been woven into this society. It all has to go.”

“If you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, it will jump out. But if you stoke the fire slowly, it will allow itself to be boiled to death. The changes in the very beginning were subtle. A curfew was imposed for the safety of the women. Women were required to wear long dresses to protect their modesty. Men were elevated to positions of power because they knew best.” Amina gives an exaggerated sigh. “Everything was framed as being in the best interest of the people.”

“Isn’t that what love does?” Amina asks. “It changes people. It makes them want to be better.”

I think for a moment. “Maybe I am. But the difference is that I want to be found. I’m not happy pretending everything is fine when I know it’s not.” “And just who is it that you suppose will find you?” Amina asks. “It’ll be me,” I say. “I will find myself.”

“I think we sometimes make the mistake of thinking monsters are abhorrent aberrations, lurking in the darkest recesses, when the truth is far more disturbing. The most monstrous of men are those who sit in plain sight, daring you to challenge them.

Do not be silent. Raise your voice. Be a light in the dark.