Do you believe in fairy tales? Naaah…

It’s been a week of amazing weather, even for the soft south of Britain. Up to twenty degrees outside in our garden; a few hours in a couple of days when we can wear shorts and T-shirts outside, and each day tempting us out to dig over the garden, check over the vehicles (which haven’t moved since January). Temperatures falling to zero and below at night. A full moon yesterday that lit up the frost like a chilly version of daylight. Sirius glittering to the south.

Shame that the main task I should have been doing was an indoor job.

I got caught up in a competition to write a cyberpunk fairytale. I’ve mentioned writing it before. I had a version that I wrote all in three days, right up to the full 7,500 words, and left it. Mainly because it didn’t have an ending.

My biggest problem was the fairytale I chose. I read it as a child in the primary school library and thought it strange; I re-read it this month and I’m not sure I’d let a six year old read it without letting them talk it out afterwards. Twelve dancing princesses who wear out their new shoes every night despite being locked in their bedroom under guard; princesses who feed drugged wine and bread to their guardians to make them sleep through their watch, despite knowing that these guardians would be beheaded if they failed to track down what the princesses were up to. The casual disposal by marriage of one randomly chosen princess to any man who managed to reveal their secret. All this fuss over a dozen sparkly pairs of shoes every night.

I have what I think is a decent idea of a punk version of these twelve dancing princesses, but putting this into modern terms is proving tough. A father who can promise any random male stranger that he can inherit the kingdom and marry whichever daughter catches his fancy? Can’t translate that in any form that would be accepted as part of the modern world.

I’m reluctant to ditch this story, and don’t want to put in a lame version of a decent idea. Deadline? Midnight tomorrow. Up late tonight, then.