Cinderella:
But I was
Prosecution: Cinderella, may I ask you,
how was it like when you were still
living in the same house with your
stepmother?
Cinderella: I can’t say that it was the
best days of my life your honor.
P: What do you mean Cinderella?
C: You see, while I was with them, it
felt like I wasn’t welcome in the house.
I felt secluded. Restrained in my own
house. It didn’t feel like home, not like
what it used to be.
P: Why do you say that you weren’t
welcome?
C: The moment my stepmother came
to our house, I already felt that she
didn’t want to be with me.
P: And why do you say this?
C: During our first dinner, she ordered
me to get out and not sit with them.
She said that the stupid goose should
not sit with them on the table. So I
was shooed away.
P: You were shooed away? As in you
were not allowed then to sit together
with them on that dinner?
C: It began with that dinner. And they
continued by not giving me food. They
said that I would only be allowed to
eat if I would have worked for it.
P: work for it? But isn’t that you said,
that you were in your house and it is
your stepmother who just moved in
with you?
C: yes, it was our house.
made to work in my own house.
P: work? You mean like chores?
Household chores, perhaps?
C: they gave me hard work from the
early hours of the morning and to
continuously labor until the wee hours
of the evening. And at night when I
would feel weary and tired from the
day’s work, they would still not
provide me a place to sleep. Instead, I
was made to sleep near the fireplace,
just so at least I would be warmed.
P: so, the work you do, are not merely
chores? Chores that at least even your
stepsisters would do?
C: My stepsisters are not doing
anything in the house. I don’t actually
understand why I was made to labor in
the house when in the first place we
had house help to assist us. But they
made the helpers to go, and all the
work around the house was left for me
to do. Imagine, the whole house was
used to be taken cared of by 5
helpers, now all the work was left for
me to do.
P: Work done by 5 people was left all
for you to do?
C: yes your honor. And most of the
time, they would mock me and make
fun of me as I would go do and obey
their bidding.
P: Why again did they make you work
in the house? And made the servants
leave?
C: I don’t know your honor. They just
made me do it. They made the
servants leave, maybe because they
didn’t want them to see how much my
stepmother made it hard for me.
P: I see. How about for the work, are
you getting paid for it?
C: No your honor. In fact, even the
food they fed me wouldn’t sustain for
the type of work I used to do.
P: and You said that you were made to
work from early morning til the wee
hours of the night?
C: yes, your honor. That’s what I said
P: So, you work continuously all day?
C: yes sir, all day. I wasn’t even
allowed to go out of the house until I
would be able to finish my work. The
house that used to be my home felt
like a detention cell for me, since I had
to do labor without getting paid for it,
and even my request to attend the
ball was not permitted as I wasn’t
allowed to go out of the house.
P: and what do you just do when you
feel all tired and weary and helpless?
C: I would just visit my mother’s
grave. There I would just cry and cry. I
couldn’t anything else. There was no
one whom I could able to talk with.
P: Was it always like this even before
your stepmother moved in to your
house?
C: No your honor. You see, when my
mother was still alive, life wasn’t hard
for me. We were happy then. My
mother was very good to me. She took
good care of me, she only wanted the
best for me.
P: You mentioned, you were happy
then. What made you feel sad?
C: Of course, my mother’s death. After
then, I felt that I was always alone. No
one to comfort me. We had a big
house but I had no one to confide with.
True, I had my father. But he was
always busy with work, so I didn’t
want to bother him with my sadness. I
found it improper to do so. Add to the
fact that this stepmother whom I
thought would become a new mother
figure to comfort me, instead made
me feel like I was a servant girl, made
to do their bidding.
P: May you show us your arm
Cinderella?
C: (Shows arm ,may pasa pa)
P: (Shows picture as shown earlier in
the doctor’s questioning) Are these
pictures taken on these same arm,
Cinderella?
C: yes, your honor.
P: And may this court know from
where you’ve gotten these bruises?
C: I got these from all the work your
honor.
P: Like what work?
C: one of the things I had to do was
maintain the house, the garden, the
whole estate. Not to mention do their
laundry, cook for them… everything.
As I said, they had to let go of the
servants, but made me work instead.
P: how big is the whole estate,
Cinderella?
C: The whole lot covered by the estate
is about 5 hectares, your honor.

P: and you had to maintain the whole

5 hectares of the estate by yourself?

C: Yes your honor.

P: and you still had to do other work

inside the house? Cook, laundry, clean
the house…

C; Yes your honor.

P: No more questions, your honor.

CINDERELLA with Defense
Defense: Cinderella, you mentioned
earlier that you were made to work
inside the house? And that the
servants were made to go?
C: yes your honor.
D: And you didn’t think that this was
done by your stepmother in order to
teach you how to become responsible.
That she was just teaching you how to
deal with work?
C: No your honor. The work was just
too laborious to be considered as just
teaching me.
D: When your mother was still alive,
were you even made to work
Cinderella?
C: No, your honor. Not once.
D: So, how were you able to say that
the work you were made to do were
laborious when you haven’t actually
experienced work from before?
C: But, your honor ---
D: Cinderella, you also mentioned
earlier that your stepmother does not
allow you to go out of the house, is
that correct?
C: Yes, your honor, that is correct.
D: But did she expressly mentioned
that you were not allowed to go out of
the house?
C: No, your honor ---
D: Which means that there was
actually no restriction on your part to
go out of the house?
C: No, your honor, that is not what it
is…
D: But you said she did not say that
you were not allowed to go out of the
house.
C: no. She mentioned that I would only
be allowed to go out of the house if I
would be able to finish my work. But,
how would I be able to finish my work
if whenever I would be done with it,
they would add more…
D: But the fact remains that there was
no express prohibition or restraint on
your part, isn’t it?
C: it’s implied!!! (bursts into tears)
D: But if it is true that you were not
allowed to go out of the house, how
come you were able to attend the
Prince’s party? And not just once, not
just twice but three times.
C: But they really did restrain me from
going out, even on those nights. At
first they said that I may be able to go
if I would be able to gather the peas
and lentils which they purposely
thrown in the ashes, and said that I
needed to finish it within 2 hours,
which I did finish in an hour. Then they
threw it all again, and said I had to
recover those within a lesser period,
which by the way I did again. But they
still didn’t allow me. Such acts is
obvious implication that they would
not allow me to go out of the house
because they continued to make
impossible tasks which they seemed
that I would not be able to finish, but I
did.
D: Impossible tasks?
C: Yes.
D: If so impossible, then how were you
able to finish them?
C: I got help.
D: Help? But I thought you said that
you were made to work on yourself?
So from where is this help coming
from?
C: I got help from the birds. In fact,
they were even the once who provided
for the dresses I wore on the parties
because my father and his wife would
not provide me with one.
D: Birds? Cinderella, did I hear you
correct? Birds?
***crowd whispering***Defense
astounded***
Prosecution: Your honor, may we
request for a brief recess?
Judge: Grounds?
P: Cinderella needs to have a break
your honor, all these interrogation is
causing stress to the the princess.
Judge: I believe we really do need a
little break. I call recess and we’ll
resume in 30mins.
***RECESS***discussion amongst
defense***
D: Your honor, may we call again Ms.
Cinderella on the stand?
Judge:Proceed.
D: Cinderella, did we hear you correct
when you mentioned that you were
able to finish those impossible tasks
because you got help from the
“Birds?”
C: Yes. That is true.
D: How long have been getting help
from these birds?
C: For quite a long time now. They
lived in the tree which I planted near
the grave of my mother.
D: And that’s where you always go to
when you need their help?
C: Yes, your honor.
D: You ask for their help, and they
give you help?
C: Yes. Precisely, they listen to what I
say.
D: And how do you know that they are
listening?
C: Because they respond back. They
would give me what I would request
from them.
D: Is that so? And how many birds are
we talking about?
C: A lot of them.
D: And this bird… what kind of bird is
this? Is this a new breed of bird?
Perhaps one that is evolved?
C: No your honor, they’re just ordinary
birds. Pigeons and Doves, in fact.
D: Doves and Pigeons? Just ordinary
doves and pigeons?
C: Yes. Sir.
D: Ordinary, but they can understand
you and that they help you with
chores? That ordinary?
C: Yes.
D: Cinderella, since how long have you
been talking with birds?
C: Since when I planted that tree in my
mother’s grave. They lived there.
D: Do you know any other people who
were able to talk as well with these
birds?
C: None, so far your honor. But…
D: Yes, so do I. and so do everyone
here in court. We are yet to see birds
who are able to understand and
communicate with us, humans. Not
unless you’re a mutant, Cinderella, are
you a mutant?
stories that you were actually
restrained in the house?
C: No…that is not true! I was truly
detained. And I can talk with those
birds. That is a fact.
D: No more questions your honor. In
addition your honor, I would like to
add in our pleading the additional
finding that Ms. Cinderella here is
suffering from serious mental illness
which may have resulted for her
imagining of the restraint that was
imposed on her on her house.
J: Sustained.

P: Objection, Relevance?

J:Sustained!

D: Cinderella, do you find it unusual

that you can communicate with birds?

P: Objection, Relevance?

J: Counsel, please get to the point.

D: Cinderella, are you really certain

that you were able to communicate
with these birds, that these birds
helped you finish your work at home
and that these birds provided you with
your dresses? And you are not just
imagining things… and you are not
just making a mockery out of this
court by creating false pretenses that
you are able to communicate with
these birds, just like the same fact
that you are also maing up these
STEPSISTERS:
D: How long have you been living with
Cinderella?
B1: For quite some time now, your
honor. Since my mother married his
father and we moved in at their house.
D: Can you please describe to this
court the type of relationship you had
with Cinderella?
B2: Cinderella is a nice girl, but she
was rather aloof.
D: What do you mean aloof?
B2: She would always tend to shy
away from us. She spends most of her
time in her mother’s grave, crying… or
at the fireplace, gathering those
beads. I guess they were beads.
D: But she said that she was crying
because you made her work real hard.
B1: no, that is not true.
D: Why do you say that?
B1: Because she was always on her
self. Crying and crying. We thought
then that she was just like that
because she couldn’t move on with
the death of her mother. She never
came to us, to share her grief or
anything like that. She just cried. We
always see her on her mother’s grave,
she would water the tree she planted
there… I mean, how would she be able
to work if she’s all day in the grave
just crying?
D: When you were with the prince that
time, he said he realized that both of
you were not the Cinderella because
he heard something talk who told him
that you were both not Cinderella?
B2: Yes, that was what he said.
D: And you also heard these words
which he claimed may have been from
the Birds?
B1 and B2: No, we didn’t hear them.
D: none at all?
BOTH: Yes sir, nothing at all.
D: Then who would the Prince have
heard then?
B1: It was just us then. You, see our
mother wanted us desperately to
marry the prince. That’s why she
made us disguise ourselves to be the
princess… but we couldn’t do it, so we
decided to whisper to the Prince that
we were not the true Princess.
D: No more questions your honor.
Prosecution: You girls mentioned that
your mother wanted desperately to
have one of you marry the prince?
Correct?
B2: Yes, correct.
P: Why so?
B1: She just wants us to get a good
life, just like any loving mother.
P: So desperate that she would
enslave Cinderella so that she may not
be able to go out of the house to claim
her rightful place? Anything that a
loving mother would do in order to
provide for her daughters even at the
expense of Cinderella?
B2: No, that’s not how our mother is.
She is not like that.
P: Really? But she made you mutilate
parts of your feet just so you would
have the shoe fit. And claim
something which is reightfully for
Cinderella. Just like how she enslaved
Cinderella, took her property so that
you two could get a good life and an
instant maid, right? That is your
mother!
B1: No! you misunderstand her. You
see, we never knew that the princess
was Cinderella. No one came up to
claim that she was Cinderella, that’s
why my mother thought that since no
one would most likely stand up, we’ll
just take the place of the princess.
Had she known that it was Cinderella,
then she would certainly presented
Cinderella.
P: but she didn’t even dare tell the
Prince that there was another lady
living in the house which could be the
Princess he was looking for. Which
means she deliberately hid Cinderella
to restrain her.
B2: (Angry tone) have you not been
listening? Cinderella never mingled
with us. She didn’t come to the party
with us because she was busy picking
on her peas and lentils at the
fireplace. And when we left that time
for the party, she was again sobbing
and crying over her mother’s grave.
We just thought that she was not
interested at all. We never had an idea
that she had a plan to go to the party,
and deceive us all.
B1: She has her own world. We never
understood her really. She just cries a
lot. We pity her really. We didn’t
realize that she was suffering some
illness, or something.
***Cinderella OUTBURST***
C: I’m not crazy. I was crying because
you maltreated me. That is the truth.
***Crowd begins to talk amongst
themselves***
J: ORDER! Order in the Court!
D: We’d like to again call on Cinderella
on the witness stand your honor.
J: Prosecution, is Ms. Cinderella ready
to be put to the stand?
***Lawyer turns to Cinderella,
Cinderella says she’s okay and
proceeds, but still emotional***
Defense: Cinderella, when you were at
the party, they said you just ran away
and they never found you?
C: Yes. That is true. That’s why they
never got to discover that it was really
me.
D: Even when the prince sent his men
to follow after you, they weren’t able
to catch up on you.
C: Yes sir. That is correct.
D: And where were you going?
C: I climbed up the trees and hid
there.
D: While you were wearing your gown,
your heels and all that?
C: Yes, your honor.
D: And you climbed those trees fast, I
assume, since the prince and his men
were not able to catch up on you.

C: Yes sir. That is true.

D: May that be the reason why you

have all these bruises on your body?
And again means that you were just
making up those stories of being
maltreated?

C: No. I was not making up these

stories. They really treated me bad.

D: and again, it was the birds and the

tree who comforted you, the same
tree where you climbed and where
you gotten those injuries? But not
really from your stepmother.

C: No, why do you not believe me? I

am innocent? I did not make up my
stories. Mother, please help me
***looking at the window, crying*** mother,
please tell them that you sent those
birds to help me. ***faces the counsel*** I
am not lying… I never lied. They made
me work. That woman is evil! Those
girls, they wanted to take everything
away from me! I am not crazy ***looks at
window again*** mother, please answer
me. Please!!! Prove that I am not
crazy. ***Cinderella has an outbreak, case showing
her instability***case closes***