Cinderella

Once upon a time there was a pretty, kindhearted girl called Cinderella. Sadly, her mother had died and she lived with a stepmother who had two of her own daughters. Her stepmother and daughters were very mean and made her work all day long. The Prince decided to have a ball at his castle. Cinderella's stepsisters were very excited and busy getting ready for the dance, putting on luxurious clothes and make-up. After the two women had gone, Cinderella sat by the window crying,

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"Oh, how I wish I could go to the ball!" But she knew that she could not for she did not have a dress to wear.

Just then, a kindly-looking old woman appeared. "Don't cry, Cinderella," said she. "You would like to go to the dance, wouldn't you?" asked the woman. "Yes," replied the girl. "Then I will help you to get ready for the ball." Then she brought a pumpkin from the kitchen, six mice in a mouse trap, and a frog from the yard. When she swung her wand around, the pumpkin turned into a golden carriage, the mice into beautiful horses, and the frog into a coachman. "Now, it's your turn, Cinderella," said the kindly woman and touched Cinderella lightly with her magic wand.

Suddenly, Cinderella was dressed up in a beautiful dress covered with lots of jewels. When Cinderella looked down on her feet, she was wearing a pair of shiny glass slippers. They were the prettiest slippers she had ever seen. "Now, you can go to the ball. Enjoy yourself. But remember you must come back before midnight. If you don't, everything will change back to what it was before," said the old woman.

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"Yes, I promise," said Cinderella. Then she set off for the party as happy as she had ever been.

When Cinderella entered the ballroom, everyone stopped talking. They couldn't help but notice her striking beauty. Soon they all began talking about her but no one knew who she was or where she was from. Then the Prince asked Cinderella for the next dance. She danced so beautifully that everyone looked at her admiringly.

Cinderella had forgotten herself in dancing with the handsome Prince, until she heard the first stroke of midnight. "I must go now," said Cinderella and dashed out of the castle without even saying goodbye to the Prince. As she was running down the stairs she lost one of her glass slippers, but she did not have time to pick it up. She jumped on the carriage and hurried home. Just then Cinderella heard

the twelfth stroke of the clock. Everything suddenly turned back to what it was before the kind old woman's magic. Cinderella arrived home in her old clothes. The only thing that she had left to remind her of the wonderful

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evening at the Prince's ball was the other glass slipper. Even after the ball, the Prince could think about nothing else but the mysterious beauty. So he sent his servants to find the woman whose foot fitted the glass slipper. Finally they arrived at Cinderella's house. Her two sisters tried on the slipper but it did not fit them. Just then

Cinderella came in and claimed, "I have the other slipper." Everyone was surprised to see the girl in such shabby clothes holding a beautiful glass slipper in her hand. When they found that the girl's feet fitted the slippers perfectly, they were even more astonished.

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Clad in a new dress, Cinderella was taken to the castle by the servants. The Prince was so happy to see her again. He proposed to her and they had a wonderful wedding at the castle. And Cinderella lived with the Prince happily ever after.