The Cinderella of the Sands

Love Short Story – The Cinderella of the Sands
Photo credit: lucasmalta from morguefile.com

Jessica’s eyes popped in admiration as she saw the flimsy little thing lying near a boat, so near that it was almost totally hidden. It was a bikini. One piece and the colour of the golden beach sand, which was another reason that it could not have been spotted by anyone easily. She took it in her hand and looked around. The one who had left it there must be around somewhere nearby. The beach was not crowded and she was far away from the stray people swimming or enjoying the last moments of warmth before the sunset. The bikini looked new and glittered in the golden gleam of the setting sun.

She closely examined it. It seemed to have been made with gold. The metallic sheen and the filigree like weaving was amazingly beautiful and she had never seen such a cloth as that! On a sudden impulse she darted away to the nearest changing room. Only a few minutes back she had changed from her cheap, two piece to her old tee and trousers. Born of poor parents, she never had anything good to wear. Marriage made things worse as Sean, her husband could not find a job. She had come there to forget all that. Now she saw the bikini and could not resist the temptation to wear the beautiful swimwear.

She had come there a couple of times that fortnight, to forget pain, the pain inflicted by infidelity, falsehood, and subsequent separation from Sean, which had been more painful than she had ever imagined. She had chosen a place in the beach where there were not much of people, for she feared that she would look odd, being all alone.

She loooked at herself in the old mirror hanging in the changing room. The bikini fitted her like her own skin. She looked so different, her copper coloured hair reflecting the gold of the bikini, she looked like some movie star doing the role of an angel. She walked out, the orange rays falling on her, she felt ebullient and optimistic, felt some rich uncle had just left her a quarter million.

Without any thoughts she walked to the waves. The waves started kissing her feet while she felt featherlight. She kept walking straight and all on a sudden realised that she was not walking through water, but walking on it. She pressed her toes into the water but water felt like jelly. She touched her bikini; surely it has got to do with this strange power she had acquired. She turned to see if people were watching. She walked a few steps more and she started surfing. She walked back to the shore pirouetted in air and landed perfectly in the beach. She looked at her feet. They seemed to be not touching the ground. She floated and got changed to her normal dress.

Still Jessica could not believe what had happened. Was she dreaming? Has she become a spidermanlike freak? No, only the dress transforms her.

“How do you like the bikini, lady?” The voice from behind startled her.

“Pardon me, is it yours?” she asked at once and turned.

She saw a man wearing strange kind of clothing made of the same bikini material. The dress looked like skin tight surfing costume.

The man smiled and said,”No. It is a woman’s dress. My partner’s, of course. We came once in a while to swim here. But she died a few years back. I gave up coming here for some time. But last week I wanted a change and I was here. I saw you. I could not believe my eyes. The resemblance between you and my Zumi is striking and unexplainable. I found you gloomy and guessed that you might have had similar misfortune in your life. I thought it’s nature’s way of compensating us both. I kept the swimwear on your way and you took it.”

“Will you be mine and make my life happy once again?” He queried eagerly.

“Look here, Mr… I don’t know who you are. I don’t even know your name and you are professing love to me? What’s your name, stranger? Where are you from?” Questioned Jessica.

“Er.. I am Prince Xawiney.” He replied hesitantly. “What kind of a name is that?” asked Jessica.

“It means green gold, in our language,” he replied.

Jessica was amused. “Which language do you speak? You do look like a clown in that dress.”

He seemed a bit hurt by her frank observation. “Why, Iwolet language, of course,” he replied. “This dress is my official Royal Uniform. If you do not like it, I shall think about it.”

Jessica felt sorry about upsetting him and at the same time she was curious to know in which part of the world Iwolet language was spoken. She asked him that. His answer astonished her.

“I am from Yuvonze, the younger sister of the planet which you call Mars. Of course, because of your planet and your moon’s rotation, it is not seen by you people. It is also very small about one hundredth of your moon. We still have some water left and a few green plants. We, the people of the royal family visit your planet occasionally to enjoy its beauty and learnt your language by staying here.”

Jessica believed now, that she was surely dreaming. She put her finger into her mouth and took a bite. It pained. It was not a dream.

“My God , it’s all real. Some alien is proposing to me. Yet I must know all the details. For all I know he might be a cheat.” So she questioned him,” Where is your space craft?”

“In the sea. We use the special metal for making everything, including our dress. So we do not sink. The metal makes an ionic change in the body cells,” he went on describing things in scientific jargon while she watched him with fascination.

“Why not?” Her heart challenged her.

“After all it was Sean who had been cheating you. You were sincere in your love. Now, look at this man. He loves you because you resemble his lover. Start a new life, wherever it is. Of course you don’t want to be here and see things that constantly remind you of your past. Go with him and forget your hurt, yout pain,” urged her heart.

He had moved closer now and she said,”Yes, I like you, Prince Xawiney. Are you taking me to your place?”

He beamed and took her hands. The sun had set an hour back and it was darkness all around. They walked side by side, with her wearing the bikini. In the distance she could see the outline of a strange ship with glimmering red lights. Both of them rose in the air and did a tango before landing near the spaceship.

She was received with the honours of a queen by his people in the spaceship. She once again bit her finger to know if she was dreaming but felt the pain, and this time the pain was extremely pleasurable.

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