“A New Cinderella,” I said in a too-loud voice, and then softened to a whisper. “Written by Ellie Eddington, nine years old. ‘Once upon a time in a beautiful castle lived a princess. The castle was made of stone. Ivy crawled up the walls so you couldn’t see the cracks. The princess lived in a room overlooking the gardens and fountains. She loved her mother, the queen, who loved her in return. Then one very dreadful day the queen died and the princess was alone. There was a king, and he was nice and kind, but he was always off fighting wars and taking over kingdoms.

“‘The princess was sad and lonely and thought her heart would break into ten million pieces. She walked through the gardens and nodded hello to the court attendants and jesters, but she forgot how to smile and would return to her room to stare out the window and remember her good and beautiful mother.

“‘Then one magical day the king brought home a new mother. The princess’s heart leapt with hope. But then something terrible happened—the queen looked up at the window to the princess and the princess saw the queen’s mean eyes.

“‘The king returned to war and the queen took over the castle. Having this mother was worse than having no mother at all.

“‘The princess found many places in the castle to escape; one day she hid in the library and read the story of Cinderella, of the princess who swept the ashes and slept in the cellar. This Cinderella princess waited and waited for the prince to come with the glass slipper and take her away because she was beautiful. He put her on his white horse and carried her away to live in a better castle away from the cruel queen.

“‘For a long while the princess wasted days waiting for her prince. The princess did all the princess things she was supposed to do, like going to balls and eating dinner at the long dining room table and hugging peasants. She did everything she was supposed to do, including being nice to the cruel queen and pretending to be happy. The princess was pretty, quiet, and very good, but the prince still didn’t come.

“‘Then one day the princess woke up, packed her fancy golden suitcase, and ran away to a faraway land where there were no kings, queens, or princes. Just really nice people. And she lived happily ever after.

“‘The End.’”

“Wow,” he said.

“Yeah. Brilliant literary talent at such a young age.” I placed the story back into the box, then settled into my chair.

“It was brilliant, Ellie. It was. You saw something at that age that others rarely see as adults.”

“And what is that?”

“That we can save ourselves.”

I nodded. “I guess I believed that then. I would have never believed I could say this, but in saving myself, you know what’s the biggest temptation?”