Ella, a kind and clever young girl, lived with her wicked stepmother, Karen, and two stepsisters. Ella’s chores were endless, but her one night her fairy godmother appeared to give her a break, raising unanswered questions about why she had never helped out before.
“Girl, you look like you need a night out” she said. “But, there’ll be none of this faffing about with mice and lizards, we’re busy people” she mused. “Here’s a dress and some shoes, now go have a nice time at the ball.”
“But how will I get there?” Ella asked.
“Uber.” her fairy godmother said, handing her a smart phone. “But make sure to leave before midnight because that’s when the magic wears off”.
“Can’t you make the magic go longer, since it’s, you know, magic?” Ella asked.
“I’m afraid this is just the basic plan. If you want unlimited minutes you’ll have to pay the licensing fee. Gotta dash!”. Her fairy godmother popped off as quickly as she had appeared.
Ella arrived at the palace, after narrowly avoiding several sartorial disasters to do with poofy gowns and small back seats.
As Ella entered the grand hall, she was astonished by the opulence around her. And everyone was mesmerized with her, especially Prince Henry, the king’s son. Ella danced with him until the clock struck midnight.
With the clock’s chimes still echoing in her ears, Ella made a swift exit from the ball, hoping noone would see her beautiful clothing turning into rags and post about it online.
Meanwhile, Prince Henry found Ella’s phone on the street and was determined to find its owner. He searched the kingdom for someone who could unlock it, but to no avail.
After many failed attempts, his advisors told him he had one more house to visit: that of Karen, Ella’s wicked stepmother. Prince Henry was skeptical but decided to give it a try. When he arrived, he was greeted by Ella’s two stepsisters, but neither of them could unlock the phone.
Just as Prince Henry was about to give up, he saw Ella- covered in dirt- weeding in the garden. He was certain it was her, but the phone refused to recognize her beautiful face.
As he frankly couldn’t be bothered looking any longer, Prince Henry asked her to try again. But no matter how hard she tried, the phone would not unlock.
Frustrated, Ella let out a loud sigh and contorted her face into an awkward downward facing expression – complete with three chins.
To Prince Henry’s delight and surprise, the phone’s facial recognition software now recognized Ella’s face. He was overjoyed and asked her to marry him on the spot. Ella happily accepted, hoping no one would remember this moment ever again, and they got married in a grand ceremony.
As they exchanged their vows, Prince Henry realized that true love is not about beauty or grace. Sometimes, it takes a little bit of imperfection to reveal the true soulmate. And making the decision that you are done looking.