Happily Ever After
Charlie, aka Prince Charming, looked lovingly at his wife as she stood by the window softly singing to a sparrow who sat on her finger.
He called himself Charlie, due to the fact that every other prince was named Charming. It was just too confusing. By his 28th year he realized that most things in his princely and privileged life were confusing in an odd comfortable sort of way.
“How is your morning going Snow?”
His wife turned to him, without her usual smile. “Not good. The dwarves want more money. They say they have photos.”
He’d only seen Snow twice before her married her. The first time was by a well where she was singing. He’d never seen a girl so beautiful. She’d been the daughter of the king three countries over. It was a mysterious closed off place, so nobody really know what weirdness was going on behind the thorny border walls.
Nothing happened. They talked about music and sang a song together. They were both only 17 at the time and typical flighty teens.
Like many teens Snow didn’t get along with her stepmother. The stepmother put a hit out on her, so Snow ran away. Five years later, when Charlie met her she had been living in a house with seven men of small stature. They owned a diamond mine. Why the hell did they always need money?
Anyway, she was in a coma and in some sort of iron lung type of glass box out in the woods. Charlie recognized her. She opened her eyes, pulled his face down to hers, and kissed him. It was like fire, but a good kind of fire.
Then she said, ‘get me out of here.”
They were married a week later. So far so good, or as some would say happily ever after.
But today, six years into their marriage, it was storming outside, a perfect day to stay inside and read. As he settled down with a cup of tea his wife stood in front of him with folded arms, a serious pout on her beautiful pale face.
“Are you going to give the dwarves money?”
“No.”
She pouted some more. He suspected she might be using the money for something else, but he didn’t know what. She never lacked for anything and could spend all she wanted. And she did indeed spend all she wanted.
“What are you reading?”
“Deviant Eyes.”
“My sister wrote that.”
“You have a sister?”
“Mandy White. She is my sister.”
“The most famous horror writer in the Northern Hemisphere is your sister?”
“Yes.”
“She’s blonde, you have black hair.”
“So what? Genetics is funny that way.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you have a sister?”
“You never asked. I have a brother too.”
“A brother?”
“Yes, that is what a male sibling is called.”
So much for marrying a sweet princess he’d found in the woods. Next time he’d bring home a stray cat. At least the cat would appreciate him.
“Who is your brother. What is his name?”
“Samuel White.”
“The front man for the Tabby Ravens?”
“Everyone in my family sings. You’ve seen how the birds flock around when they do outdoor concerts.”
“Samuel White is as famous in music as Mandy White is to literature.”
“And as I am to princesses. You know, being a princess isn’t an easy profession.”
“I know. I’m not saying…”
“Just drop it. I have a lot of charity events next week. I’m going upstairs to write some speeches.”
“OK. Just let me know if you need any help.”
“Sure,” she said as she left the room followed by a flock of tiny chirping birds.
Charlie sat in his chair, feeling sort of numb. Maybe he should have married Princess Daisy. They’d gone to college together. He knew her family. She was pretty but not stunning like Snow, but at least she was always nice to him.”
He glanced over to the mirror on the wall. It was one of Snow’s family heirlooms.
A pale face appeared in the glass. “What the fuck do you want asshole?”
Charlie threw a throw blanket over the mirror and sat back down. He opened the book by Mandy White to the first page.
The walls dripped with blood. The body of the dark haired woman lay on the ground, half eaten by rats, and her eyes pecked out by birds.”
Charlie smiled. He sipped his tea and continued to read.
~ end
A new and absolutely true story written over a half cup of cold coffee. Hope you enjoyed it.
~ Juliette aka Vampire Maman
Vampire Maman 
W – O – W Now, that was quite interesting… you know, the way Snow White was described, the hair black as ebony, the skin as white as porcelain, the lips as red as blood – I always had the feeling she must have been a vampire.