Cinderella

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl whose mother died.

She was always kind and thoughtful.

She visited her mother’s grave often and cried because she missed her very much.

A short time later, the girl’s father married again.

His new wife had two daughters whom she brought with her.

They were beautiful, too. But their hearts were selfish and cruel.

The new wife and her daughters hated the beautiful stepdaughter.

They took away her pretty clothes and made her work as a maid.

The poor girl had no place to sleep either.So she slept near the fireplace among the cinders.

Her clothes were always dirty and dusty from the cinders.And so they called her Cinderella.

The stepmother and stepsisters were very cruel to poor Cinderella.

Cinderella would go to her mother’s grave often to cry.

There was a large tree planted near the grave.

And on this tree was a little white bird who gave Cinderella everything she wished for.

One day, the king announced a great festival that would last three days.

Every girl in the village was invited. The young prince was going to find himself bride!

The stepsisters were busy looking for pretty dresses to wear.

“Cinderella, clean our shoes!

Cinderella, brush our hair!

Cinderella, clean our hair ribbons!

We’re going to the festival to meet the prince!” the said to Cinderella.

Poor Cinderella worked very hard for her stepsisters and stepmother.

But her heart was sad because she really wanted to go, too.

So one day, she went to her stepmother and asked if she could go to the festival with them.

“You, Cinderella? You can’t come with us.

You don’t have anything to wear. Just look at you! You’re covered in dirt!”

“Oh, please, may I come with you? I will clean myself up and find something to wear” said Cinderella.

“We don’t want to be seen with you, Cinderella. Besides, you have too much work to do at home.

Here, I have made a list for you to do.” said the stepmother.

Thinking that Cinderella could never finish all the work in time.

She added, “If you get all the work done, perhaps you can come with us then”

“Thank you!” cried Cinderella and off she went to do everything on the list.

She worked very hard that day. And she had help from all her animal friends like the birds and squirrels.

Cinderella finished everything on the list very quickly.

So Cinderella went to her stepmother again, thinking that she could finally go to the festival with them.

But the stepmother was not happy at all that Cinderella had finished all her work

“Cinderella, you may not come with us to the festival. We don’t want to be seen with you.

You have nothing to wear. And you look dirty. No, you can’t come with us. That’s final!” said the stepmother unkindly.

Cinderella went outside to her mother’s grave in tears. She was very sad.

She looked up at the tree and said,

“Shiver and shake, little tree. Gold and silver shower on me!”

The little white bird threw down a beautiful dress made of silver and gold.

Cinderella dressed quickly and went off to the festival.

When the Prince saw Cinderella, he wanted to dance with her only.

Nobody knew Cinderella was, not even her stepmother and stepsisters. Everybody thought Cinderella was a foreign princess.

At the end the evening, Cinderella wanted to go home before her stepmother and stepsisters did.

But the Prince did not want her to go.

He asked her who she was, but she could not tell him.

Cinderella was able to slip out when the Prince wasn’t looking and went home quickly.

When her stepmother and stepsisters came home, they saw that Cinderella was sleeping by the fireplace in the cinders as she always did.

The next day, Cinderella went to the tree again and said,

“Shiver and shake, little tree. Gold and silver shower on me!”

Then little white bird threw down an even more beautiful dress.

Cinderella went to the festival again.

Again, she danced with the Prince all night.

And when it was time for her to go home, the Prince tried very hard to keep her with him.

But Cinderella was able to get away again and went home.

The Prince was determined to find out who Cinderella was.

He wanted to marry her! He told his father that he had found his bride at last.

“When I see her again tomorrow night.

I will make sure I keep her with me until she tells me who she is!” said the Prince.

The next day, Cinderella again went to the tree by her mother’s grave

“Shiver and shake, little tree. Gold and silver shower on me!”

This time, the little bird threw down the most beautiful dress ever made!

Cinderella looked very lovely in it. She also wore shoes made of gold.

And that night, the Prince danced with no one else but Cinderella, as he had done the last two nights.

“Please tell me your name, I need to know who you are” said the Prince to Cinderella.

But Cinderella could not tell the Prince who she was.

Then when it was time for Cinderella to leave, the Prince held on to her hand. But Cinderella slipped out and started to run.

This night, Cinderella tripped and dropped one of her gold shoes on the stairs

And she did not have time to pick it up because the Prince was close by!

Cinderella ran all the way home with just one shoe.

The Prince picked up the gold shoe. It was small and beautiful!

And he said “The lady whose feet this shoes fits will be my bride”.

And so everyone in the village heard about the golden shoe.

When the King’s men came to Cinderella’s home, her stepsisters were ready.

When the older stepsister tried on the shoe, it did not fit.

Her feet were too long.

And when the second stepsister tried on the shoe, it did not fit her either. Her feet were too fat.

“Do you have another daughter?” asked the King’s men.

“No, we don’t. Well, I do have one stepdaughter, but you don’t have to ask her.

She is just like one of our servants” said the stepmother.

“We must follow the King’s order, madam” said the King’s men.

“Please call her.”

And so Cinderella was called for.

She put the foot into the golden shoe. And it fit beautifully!

“We have found the Prince’s bride!” cried the King’s men happily.

And so Cinderella married the Prince and they lived happily ever after.