Once upon a time there was a pretty young girl named Cinderella. Cinderella was loved by everyone because she was good and sweet and kind. But Cinderella’s widowed father believed that she needed a mother. So he married again to a woman with two daughters of her own. Soon Cinderella’s father died and she was left to live with her mean stepmother and two jealous stepsisters in the attic of house. Poor Cinderella had to do all the cooking and cleaning. She no longer had nice things and wore only tattered old cloths, while her stepmother and stepsisters had very nice cloths and lived very comfortably. But no matter how men her stepmother and stepsisters were, Cinderella was always cheerful. Even the little animals loved to be near her.
She made friends with the mice and birds, making them little outfits to wear and caring for them. Two of Cinderella’s best friends were Jaq and Gus. Cinderella and Jaq were always saving Gus from mean old Lucifer the cat, who had his eyes on the plump little mouse. One day a letter came inviting everyone to the palace for a ball. Cinderella’s stepmother said, “Cinderella may go, but only if she finishes her work.” Cinderella happily washed, ironed and scrubbed the floors all day. Meanwhile, Cinderella’s little friends went to work making her a lovely gown. The birds an mice who loved Cinderella wanted so much to surprise her. And when she saw what they had done, she was very touched. She put on the beautiful dress and ran downstairs to join her stepsisters.
The birds and mice had used sashes and ribbons and beads that belonged to Cinderella’s stepsisters to make the dress look nice. But when her stepsisters saw the gown, they tore it to shreds. “That’s my ribbon!” cried one. “And those are my beads!” yelled the other. Cinderella ran to the garden in tears. “Now I can’t go to the ball!” she cried. “Don’t cry, child,” said a gentle voice. “I am your fairy godmother, and I have come to help you.” Then the fairy god mother waved her wand. Four mice became four proud white horses, and a big, round pumpkin became a glittering coach. Again the Fairy Godmother waved her wand and turned Cinderella’s torn dress into a beautiful gown. “You must leave the ball by midnight,” she warned. “After that, the magic spell will be broken.” At the ball, the Prince danced with Cinderella all evening. She felt as if she were floating on a dream!
The king and the Grand Duke were delighted to see them falling in love. but as the clock struck midnight, Cinderella ran from the palace. She was in such a hurry that she left one glass slipper behind. The prince and after her, but it was too late. The next day, the Prince sent the Grand Duke door-to-door to find the young woman who had lost her slipper. When they got to Cinderella’s house, both stepsisters tried on the glass slipper, but their feet were much too big.
Cinderella’s stepmother told the Grand Duke that there were no other ladies in the house. She had locked Cinderella in her room upstairs on purpose. But Cinderella’s little friends Gus and Jaq stole the key from her stepmother’s pocket, opened her door, and freed Cinderella just in time. When Cinderella appeared and asked if she could try on the slipper, her stepmother was furious. She tripped the footman who was holding the slipper on a pillow. It fell to the floor and shattered. But Cinderella reached into her apron pocket and pulled out the matching one. It was a perfect fit. The Grand Duke wash happy and relieved that he had found the slipper’s owner.
