Cinder Ella’s story
My mother died when a was still very young,so my father needed help to look after me so he remarried I did not like my stepmother very much,she had 2 daughters,when my father was not looking they bullied me,I loved my father he always looked after me. I have very bad eyesight and he always bought me nice glasses.3 years ago I started having hearing problems so he bought me the latest type of very small hearing aids. But last year he died suddenly and my stepmother inherited everything. She hated me, I had to do all the work in the garden. We grew all our own food and sold vegetables and fruit door to door,also on a market stall every Saturday. Six months ago I was picking apples and fell out of the apple tree and broke my glasses and lost my hearing aids,I was trying to find them in the grass but without my glasses I am nearly blind,suddenly I felt something under my feet bending down and scrambling through the grass I found them all broken I had stood on them. I managed to find my way back home, but was so worried that I had not filled the baskets with apples, My stepmother had seen me coming without the cart.. When I got into the kitchen she shouted at me. “Why have you not brought the apples in” “I was just about to explain,when she turned and looked on the table” There were 6 baskets full of apples. “O i see you have brought them in already what have you done with your glasses” Without my glasses on I squinted to see the baskets,how did that get there I thought. “Will you please buy me new glasses stepmother” “No you lazy girl,you can walk into town and go to the Coop opticians and get a free pair of NHS glasses and hearing aids” “But father always bought me nice glasses and paid for the lens to be thinned” “Think yourself lucky I still let you live here” I had found one of the lens but it had a crack across the middle but I managed to tape it together and stick some black tape were the other lens should have been to hold it all together. I did not want to be seen looking like this,so I decided to take a short cut through the Lord of the manors forest. Who is that coming I must hide behind the trees,I think it’s the lord’ of the Manors son and his man servant but everything is all such a blur and I can’t hear what they are saying without my hearing aids in,I must run before they see me “Did you see that girl with the long blonde hair running away” “No sir, shall I tell your father we have trespassers” “No we won’t trouble him he is sitting in the House of Lords today”
“Hello Cindy,I was so sorry to hear about the death of your father,you did not come for your annual test.What has happened to your glasses” “I fell out of our apple tree, can you speak a little louder please I broke my hearing aids as well”
“I’m afraid your eyes have got much worse now. You should have come before,here is your new prescription”. R - 29.25 - 3.75 180 add 3.50 L. -26.75. -2.75 130 add 3.50 “You will need 2 pairs one for distance and the other pair for reading and sewing. “All the new styles are over there on the left “ “Can you show me were the free NHS frames are,I sorry but I don’t have any money” “These round metal styles are the only choice,there is pink, blue or tortoiseshell” The only lens that are free are C39 they will be very thick,do you not have any money for thinner lens” “No my stepmother won’t give me any money” We will get them ready in an hour for you”,
“let’s check your hearing next” When I left the opticians I felt dreadful I had small round glasses with wire hooks that went over my ears and lens that were nearly one inch thick and two large hearing aids that looked like bananas behind my ears., When I got home my stepmother was very angry “Where have you been” “I went to get new glasses and hearing aids” “You were supposed to get that field ploughed,instead of going to town,let’s see how much you have done” I was just about to explain “Um I suppose that will have to do,next time get the rows straighter”
I looked around how did that get ploughed I said to myself,then .Then I heard a voice.i turned and said. “Who are you and who ploughed the field” “I’m your friendly neighbour,I thought you needed help My stepsister made fun of me every day and teased me about my eyesight and called me banana ears and said “nobody will ever marry you your eyes look so ugly”
The next month was December and when my stepmother opened the morning post she looked excited “O look girls we have been invited to the manor for the New Year’s Eve ball” My 2 step sisters we’re overjoyed. “Please mother tell Cinders she has to make us beautiful dresses for the ball. “But stepmother I won’t have time to make 4 dresses” “What made you think you are coming,you have far to much work to do before the snow arrives” I got all the material together,and put my reading glasses on to start cutting the the patterns out. I heard the door open. I squinted but could not see very far with my reading glasses on,then I heard a voice say please will you make me a cup of tea it’s very cold outside “Who are you I said” “I’m your friendly neighbour,why are you looking so tired” “I have to make 3 dresses today” “What are they are on the models over there you had better put your other glasses back on” “But they are beautiful how did they get there” “I told you I’m your friendly neighbour”
The day of the ball arrived and my stepmother and my 2 step sisters left for the ball,and I was sitting in front of the fire keeping warm I had been in the barn all morning, when I heard a voice say why are you looking so sad,I turned and there was my friendly neighbour. “You should be at the ball now” “I can’t go I have nothing to wear and look at these ugly glasses I wearing now see how thick the lens look and these big hearing aids that look like bananas” “I think you look lovely,have you not looked in the mirror today “How did that happen my dress is beautiful, and I love the cats eyes glasses with the diamonds in the corners and the lens are so much thinner with the Myodisc lens in,and my hearing aid are small and golden coloured,how did that all happen” “I told you I’m your friendly neighbour” “But how am I to get there I dont have a car” “Come outside and let’s see what we can do” “That’s a beautiful pink Rolls-Royce car,it look like lady Penelope’s car and Parker her Chauffeur” “Yes I told you I’m Your friendly neighbour” “Now remember I’m you friendly neighbour and I will be waiting here at midnight for you.
The Lord of the manor had arranged for a lot of his wealthy banker friends to bring their daughters to the ball as he wanted to get his son married. One by one the young man had to dance with each girl,he complained to his father he wanted to marry for love not money, ”The door opened the loudspeaker announced this is Lady In connito Everybody stopped dancing to look at this beautiful lady wearing cat’s eye glasses,the 2 small circle in the Myodisc lens sparkled in the candle light as she turned you could see her golden hearing aids. The Lord of the manor son was mesmerised by her beautiful, he had always dreamed of marrying a high myopic girl, but to see a girl wearing hearing aids as well was beyond his wildest expectations. He spent all the evening dancing with her and gazing into to her tiny eyes. They walked into the garden and he sat looking at her,the moon was reflecting off the circles in the middle of her Myodisc lens. “You had better call me William, Wait here I will get some more wine for us.to toast the new year in” I heard the church clock start to chime for midnight ,I remembered what my friendly neighbour had said,I started to run down the steps to the car, as I ran I tripped and fell.my glasses flew off and one of my hearing aids dropped to the ground.I had no time to search for them.
I just had to get way as the clock struck midnight I could not find the car,Without my glasses I was only partially sighted, everything was a blur, I stumbled through the forest ,when I got home my friendly neighbour was sitting there waiting for me. I squinted into the mirror,gone had my beautiful dress,in its place I was wearing my old working cloths. “Your NHS glasses are over there you had better put them on,your stepmother will be here soon” “My stepmother must not find out that I have been to the ball and not working” “O what has happened the house is all clean and tidy and fresh fruit in the bowls” “I told you I’m your friendly neighbour” William chased after the girl of his dreams, ,but he was to late,as he turn to return home he spotted her glasses and hearing aid lying in the grass,he picket them up and carried them back home, He knew this was the girl he wanted to marry. When he went to bed that night he wondered how she had manage to see to get to her car without these glasses with the myodisc lens he wanted her to be with him so he put her glasses on and and fitted her hearing aid in.just as he was falling asleep he heard a voice coming through the hearing aid. “This is your friendly neighbour,if you want to find that beautiful myopic girl then you must take these glasses and hearing aid and get all the girls around the county to try them on. Only the girl that can read the eye chart wearing them is the girl you are looking for”
When William woke the next morning was very angry that his father had kept him talking and the girl of his dreams had gone. So he sent his manservant out to find an eye chart. Later that morning they started visiting all the grand houses and getting the young lady’s to try on the glasses, ,but none could read the eye chart,he returned home very saddened. That night he again put the glasses on and fitted the hearing aid in. As he lay there think of what might have been,he heard this voice coming through the hearing aid. “This is your friendly neighbour.if you want to find this girl you must look in the villages and not just the grand houses” He woke early the next morning,by lunchtime they had visited 2 villages,one girl managed to see the big E but when he put the hearing aid in it started to whistle, They stopped at a inn,he sent his manservant in to get a jug of ale. He was missing the girl of his dreams so much he put her glasses on and fitted the hearing aid in. Then like before he heard this voice come though the hearing aid. “This is your friendly neighbour,you must go to the village on the other side of your fathers forest” He could not see through the glasses everything close looked tiny and and beyond a foot all was blurred but he decided to keep the hearing aid in. And hoped to hear the voice again.
“Sir I think its time we gave up,we will never find her” “Yes I think you are right let’s just try that big rundown house over there then we go home” “Good afternoon madam my Master would like to know if any of you went to the Lord of the manor’s New Year ball,and dropped your glasses” Both girls said” yes we lost our glasses”. But neither could read any of the chart The manservant returned to his master who had waited outside William looked sad,he was just going to take the hearing aid out when he heard a voice coming from it.”This is your friendly neighbour,who is that girl hiding behind the apple tree” William went over to look. “Young lady please turn around I want to see your face” “No sir I can’t I broke my glasses and I’m very shortsighted and have to wear these ugly glasses”” As she turned the sun sparkled on her thick lens,and to his delight he saw the 2 large hearing aids she was wearing. William heart started beating faster. “You look beautiful I love your glasses I love your thick lens and large hearing aids.Just ,come here let me take them off and you try these, what can you read on this chart “ E T O Z p e c e d f William then gently removed the magic glasses.”we must keep these safe I want a glass case made for them.I love you even more wearing your round glasses with the thick lens”. “Why did you run away from the New Year ball” William had forgot he still had the hearing aid in until a voice, I’m your friendly neighbour it’s a long story she will tell you one day” When they got back to the Manor,he told one of the maids to look after cindy and find some of his sister beautiful cloths. When the dinner gong rang for the evening meal Cindy came down the stairs wearing a beautiful evening gown and her NHS glasses with the thick lens,William loved the big hearing aids she was wearing..
The next day she accompanied William to the Coop were he was fitted with matching NHS glasses and hearing aids ready for their Marrage.