As any good fairy godmother knows, stepmothers are not to be trifled with.
And yet, they also present the most persistent and pernicious obstacles a DID has in finding her Happily Ever After.
A good wicked stepmother–someone who is good at wicked stepmothering, not a wicked stepmother who is good–knows how to get her way, and makes constant use of such knowledge. She usually begins by scouting out the territory, checking all available men for both titles, money, and general good looks. All three are preferred, but not necessary. But what all the men have in common are children–at least one, possibly more.
A wicked stepmother is a wily creature. Sometimes she pretends to be your best friend. She smiles at you, talks at you, and eventually laughs at you. This type of wicked stepmother delivers hidden barbs in every word she speaks. The purpose is to tear away any self value the DID might have prior to gaining a new stepmother. Other stepmothers go for the more direct approach. They seize all of the DID’s belongings and force her to act as a servant, all the while heaping complaints and more chores on the poor girl’s back.
But whether they appear kind or not, all wicked stepmothers have one thing in common–they derive great satisfaction from the DID’s misery. The more miserable the DID, the happier they seem to be.
But I have my own theory of what makes a wicked stepmother into a wicked stepmother, because not all stepmothers are wicked.
A wicked stepmother begins as any other girl begins, but as she grows and matures, her heart shrinks and shrivels until it is the size and consistency of a dried pea. I’m not sure what causes their hearts to shrink, but it is evident in their actions that their hearts are on the puny side of small. And the smaller and harder their heart, the more they mean business.
And they are in the business of DID acquisition. Once they have a DID under their thumb, they never want to let her go, no matter how much you might think they hate the poor dears. It doesn’t matter if you’re a prince or a fairy godmother, the answer’s always, “No!” They can be fairly creative about their no’s, and are not above lying, locking their DIDs up, and lashing out at anything that even looks like it’s thinking of liberating their DID.
Why do I have wicked stepmothers on my mind?
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, and I’ve discovered that the gulf between good and evil is enormous, and yet the line dividing them is so very, very slender. Half a breath. The space between your heartbeats. The pause between one thought and the next.
And I wonder, what is it that prompts them to take half a step this way or that? What is the thing that makes them cross a line only one word thick?
Is it a certain type of person, or is every mortal equally at risk for turning into something wicked with a side order of malice?