You know that old saying, "Be careful what you wish for?" What kind of wish should one make over a birthday candle? What about a birthday candle on a cupcake given to you by your very own fairy godmother--only you don't know when you make the wish that she's your fairy godmother, or that the wish is going to matter quite so much. You only know that you're sad and old and lonely, and the chance of your happy ending disappeared thirty years before. If I ever were to have the opportunity, I'd sure want to know what it was before it happened. Otherwise, I'd be sure to blow my wish on something mundane, like getting the electrical bill paid, or a guarantee that my ancient jalopy managed to keep from falling apart for another year or two. That is, if I had a fairy godmother.

I love fairy tales. It's not just the folkloric characters or how they are filled with the marvelous. There's just something essentially satisfying about guaranteed happy endings with a dash of magic here and there. How many of us would love to have a fairy godmother, to come to our rescue in the nick of time. It seems about as likely as winning the lottery--with the added bonus that one wouldn't have to pay taxes on the fairy godmother's gifts.

So, back to the candle and the wish. Let's say you're past your prime, and have dubbed yourself not Cinderella but Seniorella, because you are not merely past your prime, you are decades past. What would you wish for? Grace Hendrick in Seniorella wishes for one more night with Jared, the man she'd run away from years ago. She blows out the candle, eats the cake, reads the card, then steps on to her porch to fetch her mail and falls. She falls right into a moment thirty years before; and the one who picks her up and sets her on her feet is none other than the long departed Jared--her long lost Dom.

This is a charming fairy tale with the perfect structure. The ending couldn't have been more appropriate if it had been gifted to the author by her own fairy godmother. I loved reading Seniorella, and I love how the story reminds me of the magic of having dreams come true. This short story comes highly recommended to all BDSM aficionado/magic reality/fairy tale lovers. I'll be sure to read more by Robin L. Rotham.

Reviewed by Maîtresse
© October 2007