Cinderella

You're pretty familiar with the story of Cinderella, so you reach for that book which has a dark green cover. Doe sees the title and says, "Okay, I think that's a good choice. Now, grab onto my hand, and remember, when you next see me, I'll look different."

You take a deep breath, close your eyes, and take hold of her hand. Suddenly the ambient noise changes, the temperature changes, even the smell changes.

CINDERELLA

The story of a neglected and abused girl who dreams of meeting her prince...

You open your eyes and discover that instead of being in the library basement, you're now in brilliant sunshine, standing in the middle of a dirt road, a forest to your left and a meadow to your right. Ahead of you, the land gets more hilly, and atop a high plateau in the distance is what appears to be a gigantic castle.

What you don't see is Doe. You do a slow 360-degree turn, and still nothing. Finally, you say, "Uh, Doe?"

The voice that answers is squeaky and high-pitched. "Down here, John." You look down, and next to your left foot is a small brown field mouse, looking up at you.

"Oh, you're a talking mouse. Great," you say sarcastically. But then you realize, "Hey, does that mean you're one of the mice who tries to help Cinderella --"

Doe the mouse cuts you off. "This isn't the Disney version. Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think I'm going to be singing, either."

"Okay, whatever," you say. You stand for a minute, looking toward the castle, then turn and look the other direction down the road but see nothing of interest except what looks like a house a few hundred yards away. Finally, you ask Doe, "So, uh, which way should we go?"

"It's hard for me to see what's going on from down here," she says. "Oh, sorry," you apologize, and lean down, gently place your hands under her, and slowly lift her up to your eye level. Her feet tickle your palms as she surveys the area. Finally, she says, "I think which way we should go depends on how you want to make the happy ending happen."

"What do you mean?" you ask.

Doe explains, "You could make sure everything happens correctly at Cinderella's house. Her fairy godmother shows up, gets her ready to go to the ball, and she goes. Or you could make sure everything happens correctly at the palace. The prince falls in love with Cinderella, but she runs off and leaves a glass slipper behind, there's a search throughout the kingdom, and so on. So which way would you rather do it?"