She had high hopes.

Prince Charming was unavoidably detained.
The glass slipper would eventually fit.
Her castle was somewhere, waiting, high on a hill.

Day after day, she read the story.

Day after day, she waited.

Disguised as an imperfect but glorious life, her happily ever after passed her by.

Susan Gale Wickes is a writer from Indiana. She enjoys writing short stories and greeting card verses and the joy of cartoon captioning.