Chapter 67 The Story
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“But… the snacks at the amusement park aren’t that much more expensive, right?” Aiden asked uncertainly. It had been a while since he’d last visited a theme park. Back then, he hadn’t paid any attention to prices. But he vaguely remembered his uncle saying once that no matter how expensive things got, there was always a ceiling–snacks were just snacks, how expensive could they really be?
Freya shot him a dry heh–heh kind of look, then pulled out a pack of cookies from his backpack. “This pack cost me $ten at the supermarket. You can check how much it goes for inside the park later.”
“Fine, I’ll check.” Aiden grumbled, but obediently turned around so Freya could stuff the rest of the snacks into his little backpack. With that, the three of them officially set off.
Louis drove. With nothing better to do in the car, Freya started telling Aiden a story. Of course, she couldn’t share anything she actually wrote–he was just a third grader. After thinking it over, she decided to go with something classic: Cinderella.
The story wasn’t very long. In less than ten minutes, she’d finished. Aiden listened with an expression of serious concentration. When she wrapped up, he gave a very proper critique:
“Clear narrative, good emotional pacing. Not as good as the host I listen to on my iPad, but still good.”
What the hell? Was this little punk seriously reviewing her like a professional critic?
“Were you even listening? I know Cinderella is super famous. You listened to the story again. Did you catch anything new this time?”
Aiden nodded solemnly. “You’re right. But I’ve already thought about that story a lot of times. There’s nothing left to think about. The girls in my class love it–they all get emotional over the romance between Cinderella and the prince. But my uncle made me realize something. Even though she looked poor, bullied, and weak, she was actually from a pretty wealthy family. She and the prince were a match. So basically, it’s a story about a socially equal couple who go through a rough patch but eventually get their happy ending.”
Freya gave a short laugh. “All right then. So tell me if you were Cinderella, stuck in that household, what would you do? Be kind and just endure your stepmother’s abuse? Tell your father? Or fight back alone?”
Aiden’s response was well thought out. “Telling the dad wouldn’t work. If he cared, she wouldn’t have been abused for so long. And fighting back alone isn’t a good move either. If she goes too far and gets a reputation for being disrespectful to elders, no one will want to marry her. Running away would be the same–in that era, reputation ruined, no chance at marriage. So really, her only choice is to endure.”
“You’ve got a pretty sharp mind for a kid,” Freya said. “So what you’re saying is, Cinderella’s fate was basically sealed?”
Aiden shook his head and looked up at her with his big, round eyes. “Not at all. It might seem like all she could do was endure, but actually, there’s a lot more she could’ve done. Like with reputation–sure, it’s bad to be seen disrespecting your elders, but her stepmother being cruel to her is just as bad. The stepmother had two daughters of her own. She had to think about what kind of impact her own reputation might haye on their chances of getting married.”
Up in the driver’s seat, Louis caught a glimpse of the two of them in the rearview mirror. As he listened to Aiden’s analysis, his expression didn’t change–but he gave the slightest approving nod.
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