The Zorconians had tapped into the core of their sun to harvest energy for everything they did. Now their sun was ready to explode. Zorcon’s desperate High Council decided to send an armed fleet establish a settlement on Sol #3. Meanwhile in Oberland Kingdom, a crone appeared in Cinderwan’s mirror. Cinderwan remembered facing Baba Yaga in the woods as a small child. In the greatest test of her life, she would revisit her childhood experiences. She would need all of her training to meet a challenge in the metaverse. And the help of her friends.

Chapter 1. Cinderwan’s Dream

“Before she could fulfill her destiny, Cinderwan first had to remember and understand her childhood.” Prof. Andreacus Steficus, Department of Cosmology, Zorcon University. Cosmic Midwifery: Genesis and Causality in the Multiverse.    

inderwan sat by the fireplace in her lakeside home, waiting for Jorgan. The asteroid crisis was past. They had spent the day helping villagers returning from the emergency camp in Hidden Valley.

Cinderwan was sleepy. As she rested her eyes, she heard Baba Yaga whisper, “Once upon a time there was, and once upon a time there was not.”

She settled in and began to dream. She heard the voice of Bodi, her mother. Bodi said, “Vasalisa, my dear. Listen carefully.”

Cinderella saw her younger self as a little girl sitting by a bed. It was her mother’s death bed.

She had not heard the name “Vasalisa” for a long time. Vasalisa was her childhood name. Everyone had called her Vasalisa before her stepmother arrived.

It was difficult for little Vasalisa to listen to her mother. “My dear daughter, challenges will come to you. Do not face them with resentment or bitterness. The challenges will prepare you for your future, but they are not the meaning of your life.”

Bodi took a tiny doll from beneath the covers of her bed. She whispered to Vasalisa, “I am near to my last breath, my daughter. This doll is for you. She will appear when you need her. Let her be your secret. If you need help, you can ask the doll. Feed her when you take your meals. She is my blessing for you.”

Then Bodi closed her eyes. She took her last breath and was still.

Cinderwan recognized the dream. It was a memory from her childhood. 

After her mother died, Vasalisa and her father grieved for a long time. He was often away from home working to support them. After some years, her father met a widow with two daughters. He married the widow and Vasalisa got a stepmother. Her stepmother and stepsisters smiled and appeared to be nice, but they were secretly cruel to Vasalisa. When Vasalisa’s father was away, they made her their servant.

Vasalisa was kind and became more beautiful and sweeter as she grew up. The stepsisters resented and hated Vasalisa. They grew twisted and mean over time.

One day a man came to the castle to tell them that Vasalisa’s father had become ill and died. Vasalisa’s stepmother was grim. She told Cinderella that she would need to stop going to Oberland School. Instead, she would do work around the castle. They would have little food to eat. Vasalisa would need to clean, cook the food, tend the fire, and run errands. Vasalisa worked hard. She did not complain.

Chapter 2. The Stepsisters’ Trick

ife was not easy for Vasalisa. Her stepmother told her to eat only leftover food scraps. Her stepsisters ordered her to do more and more chores. “Wash the floor! Find my dress. Fix this ribbon. Mind the stove. Fetch some water. Clean the dishes. Comb my hair!”

Their hatred withered their hearts. The stepsisters were never satisfied or happy.

Vasalisa chopped wood and tended the fire. It was hard to keep the ashes from her clothing. Her stepsisters teased her. “You are always dusty with cinders. We will call you Cinderella!” They found it amusing to deprive Vasalisa of her given name. The stepsisters clapped their hands with joy.

One day, the stepsisters conspired to get rid of Cinderella. Although they never tended a fire, they knew how to put one out. “We will tell Mother that Cinderella let the fire go out. She will send her into the forest to Baba Yaga to get fire. Baba Yaga will kill her and eat her.” The stepsisters giggled at their evil plan and waited for Cinderella to come home from her errands.

Baba Yaga was an old crone with crooked teeth. She flew in a wooden bucket that she rowed with her broom. She may not have been wicked, but she suffered no fools. She lived deep in the forest in a house with chicken legs. The house could walk around, whirl and even dance.

The castle was dark when Cinderella came back after her errands. Her stepmother said, “You are a stupid child! You let the fire go out. We cannot cook. We have no light. Someone will have to fetch fire for us. I am too tired. Your stepsisters are too afraid. You must get fire for us.”

In the background Cinderella saw her stepsisters pretending to be afraid. They winked and smiled at each other, pleased that their trick was working.

Cinderella felt her anger rise. Although she was small, she felt very strong. She could push her stepmother aside and go after her stepsisters. They had tormented her long enough. Now was the time to set things right.

Before Cinderella could act on this thought, she felt the doll jumping in her pocket. The doll said, “Do not seek revenge, Vasalisa. Your future is bigger than your stepfamily. Go into the forest and find Baba Yaga. Do this for your own reasons and for your own destiny.”

As the doll spoke, Vasalisa felt her anger fade away. She smiled at her stepfamily and said, “Yes. I will do that.”

Chapter 3. Into the Dark Forest

t was dark in the forest. Vasalisa put her hand into her pocket and found her doll. She felt a little better.

As the paths twisted and forked in the woods, she asked her doll, “Which way should I go?” Each time the doll answered, “go to the right” or “go to the left” or “go straight ahead.”

Vasalisa shivered. She felt a cold chill between her shoulders. Ahead was a hut in the woods. It was a strange place, surrounded by a fence made of skulls and bones. The hut stood on two chicken legs. Eerie light glowed out of its windows.

“Is this Baba Yaga’s hut?” Vasalisa asked her doll.

Vasalisa felt the doll in her pocket shaking. It was laughing.

“Let’s see,” said the doll. “The hut is in the dark forest. Check. It is surrounded by skulls on bones and sticks. Check. The hut has chicken legs. Check. Things are spooky and scary around here. Check.”

Vasalisa laughed despite her fears. She wasn’t expecting humor from the doll, but now she felt better. “OK, I get it,” she said.

“You already know the answer,” continued the doll. “It may be frightening, but this is the hut of Baba Yaga.”

Vasalisa felt a breeze as something swooped down from the tops of the trees. It was the fearsome crone. Baba Yaga did not ride in a carriage or on a horse. She flew in a bucket. She rowed the bucket with her broom and steered it with a mop. Her hair streamed behind her. She smelled.

Baba Yaga faced the young Vasalisa, “What is it you want, child? Don’t just stand there looking at me. Why are you here? Is there something that you want?” She did not wait for answers. She just pummeled Vasalisa with questions.

“I am here to ask for fire,” Vasalisa answered. “Our family fire has gone out. We have no heat and no light.”

“Why should I help you?” asked Baba Yaga. “Why should I give you anything? Perhaps I will just eat you for my dinner!”

Vasalisa felt the doll jumping in her pocket. The doll was thinking. “Baba Yaga can be difficult. She does not like long answers. Just say ‘Because I ask.’”

Vasalisa looked directly at the crone. “Because I ask,” she said.

The crone frowned. “Luck is with you,” she replied. “That is a good answer.”

End of Excerpt

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