Of Bears and Penguins

Fairy Tale, Schmairy Tale
As a child I was partial towards Snow White -- she was so good and kind, and so conscientious of good hygiene habits always making the dwarfs wash their hands. I enjoyed Cinderella as well, but lets face it, she wasn't nearly as pretty as Snow White. And Cinderella took a lot of crap from her human companions -- Snow White didn't take no guff from anyone.

Lately...
In the past couple of days, I've felt a strange kinship towards Cinderella. Just this morning I woke up and found that there were several small rodents gathered around my bed, and two bluejays had flown in to fix my hair. Three small rabbits were laying out my clothes for the day, and outside my door, residents could be heard moving around.
From out of no where an orchestra started to play, and we broke in to song,
"RCPA, RCPA, night and day, it's RCPA,
flip the breaker, check my homework,
by the way my roommate hates me"

"Oh, Sara" said the smallest mouse, "Will you go to the grand ball tonight?"
"Alas my furry friend" said I, "I must stay here, for if I go, I will surely face dire consequences. How I do love the idea though, to step out of these rags, do my nails and hair up, and be the belle of the ball. Drat to those watchful relatives, who keep me chained in my tower bedroom."
"Darling Sara" twittered a bluejay, "Were you to go, you would most certainly be the most beautiful and gracious lady in all the land. Perhaps some goodness will happen to you and you will be able to go afterall." The rest of the furry contingent nodded their heads in eager agreement.
"Dear friends, you are too kind" I said, blushingly "I do so appreciate your lovely words, but sometimes life is more like John Steinbeck than a Disney fairy tail. There will be no fairy godmother to pat my head and put me in a stunning dress. Most favored mice, you will not be turned into horses to draw my coach. Dear friends, it's past Halloween, there are no pumpkins to be found and glass slippers are, quite frankly, impractical."

My friendly animals hung their heads in sadness, and I offered a hankerchief to one of the rabbits.
"Never fear - I'm sure we will pass an enjoyable evening all the same, and well, we just won't think about how much fun all the people in the land will be having at the grand ball tonight. We'll not think of it at all. Or maybe we'll think of it tomorrow, after all tomorrow is another day."