Writing Prompt: May 24 - "Write a story based on the worst case scenario in a classic fairy tale."

"Oh, please let me stay! I can cook, and clean, and sew!"

She really didn't know what she was asking for. Silly girl. Foolish enough to enter the home of someone unknown, but even moreso to fall asleep and allow them to find her there. Now, here she was, pleading for accommodation.

She would have been better served by living alone in the woods with the wild creatures who kept her company along her journey.

"Why, there's seven of you. How can you take care of yourselves? There's dust and dishes and laundry. You need me, don't you see?"

Of course there was dust and dishes. There was not one, not two, but seven men in residence here. It would have been a miracle if there was *not* dust or dishes.

"Tell me your names"

The extent of her naivete. Who begs for lodging with people they don't even know by name?

___

Introductions having been made, she set upon the tasks promised in exchange for shelter. She couldn't have known how it would come to be. As fall turned to winter, and the evenings grew long, while the snowbanks grew high, the men slowly grew more attentive.

It started innocently enough. Then, one day, one of them offered her a tea. She declined at first, but he persisted. He pointed out that he drank it regularly enough, and it didn't seem to bother him - he was naturally a high-strung individual, and the tea helped him relax. He steeped the teabag in a single pot, and shared the contents out.

She took a mug and emptied it. Soon, her eyes drooped and she felt her body becoming heavy. She wasn't sure if she made it to the couch before she blacked out, but she woke up on her cot 24 hours later.

Taking inventory, she realized that though she was awake, she could not move. Her limbs felt weighted, still. As much as she tried to will herself to get up, her body would not respond. She tried to open her mouth to speak, but her lips refused to part. Her ears and eyes, on the other hand, worked quite well enough.

The one who always flushed in her presence whined - "ohhhhh, I think she's awake... Is she looking at me? Here, stand here so she doesn't see me."

"Idiot. She can't move. She can't see you if you aren't right in front of her. We should get rid of her now. She's just a headache." The scowling voice belonged to a scowling face.

The severity of her situation was like fire to the icy chuckle that retorted, "Hah! Don't worry! This is about as good as it gets! No fighting back, no struggle, and best of all, no yapping! Honestly, we should all be enjoying this a little bit more."

She wished she could flinch as spittle rained down on her from the near-endless bursts of sneezing ensued. "I....YAHchoo... I think... UCHhew... I think that... aaaahPHEW... I like her better.... ACHOO... this way." But she couldn't. She could only feel as the accumulation of saliva formed droplets that rolled down her face and other exposed skin.

A terrifyingly childish laughter came from one corner of the room. She screamed for help with her eyes, but knew that the only one in her direct sightline wouldn't understand what was happening anyways. He probably thought this was one more game, all good and fun. He would participate, not understanding the atrocities he committed.

She saw a diminutive shadow grow long over her. "My dear," their leader spoke directly to her, "You'll be fust jine... I mean... just fine. I'll ensure that there's no lasting damage. We'll have you fixed up in no time. Just relax. Yes. You'll be fine. Just remember, we're all in this together! Yes. All part of the deal. It'll be over soon. Just go back to sleep."

She felt her lips being parted and another serving of the sleeping draught trickled across her tongue and down her throat. She fought will everything she had to convince her esophagus to spasm, to reject the tincture, to vomit... but in minutes, she was unconscious, and was blissfully unaware of what the seven perpetrated that night.

And they, but not she, lived happily ever after.