by Billy Helms

Created on: January 24, 2009   Last Updated: August 08, 2009

Once there was an old African widower Ekundayo, who had but one daughter, Zuri. As the months passed, the man found no woman that could outshine his former bride. Undaunted, he continued his search to keep himself and his daughter happy. As months passed the man found not such a woman that could outshine his former bride, but continued his search to keep himself and his daughter happy. Soon after the first anniversary of his wife's death, it was discovered that he would be married again. His new wife, Baya Buqisi, brought her two twin daughters along with her. The oldest was named Kulwa and the youngest, Kurwa.

At first, all was well in the house; the girls spoke of their interest in many things such as boys, and games of teley-teley. Baya would help the girls with their hair and show them how to cook small portions of chapattis and ugali."She helped with the chores around the house, and found it a simple matter to enter town in order to find work."

Baya and her daughters secretly disliked Zuri. They were angry at her for receiving more attention than all of the other women in the house. Even Kulwa was ignored in favor of Zuri when she called out to the handsome young men who walked by on the nearby streets. She was more beautiful than any of them, and this made them angry.

Soon things began to change as Baya began to insult both Zuri and Ekundayo. "You are a lazy old man" she would say to Ekundayo. "Who would marry such an ugly girl" she would say to Zuri. Though he would have wanted to reply to these horrible statements he heard, Ekundayo remained silent in order to keep his wife happy. Zuri's tasks became harder as days passed and she began cooking the entire meals and cleaning up the house. Whenever the family ate outside, she was to put out the fire and sweep up the cinders, a task for which Kulwa and Kurwa began calling her Cinderella.

On her 18th birthday Cinderella's father gave her a diamond bracelet. He told her to keep it close at all times for it belonged to her mother. "Pray over it every night and you shall be blessed with whatever you wish. I know how you have struggled with accepting our new family members, perhaps you should pray for a way to get them to stop mistreating you for I am but an old man, what can I do? Cinderella took in these words, but had no idea of what she would wish for. She continued to do her work and never complained, believing that she would be rewarded.

One day while walking in the town market Baya Buqisi noticed

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