Once upon a time, in a land far away, a beautiful young girl lived with her father in a small kingdom by the sea.  She was very happy there, until one day her father informed her that he was going to marry again, and bring home a new mother for his little girl.

The new mother was lovely, but beneath her prettiness was a cold, cruel, uncaring heart.  She married the young girl’s father only for his money, and when he died a few years later, her true character emerged.

The young girl, whose name was Cinderella, was forced to work as a maidservant in her own house.  She performed all the household chores alone, and served as handmaid to her step-sisters, who were as cruel and cold as their mother.  Cinderella bore their abuse with a gentle and quiet spirit, submitting meekly to their cruelty.

One day, a letter arrived at the manor from the Palace.  The King was to give a ball in honor of his son’s return from his perilous quest, and all the marriageable young women in their household were invited to attend.  Cinderella’s step-sisters and step-mother were delighted in their mercenary way, for this meant one of them could become Princess of the land.  They quickly began to plan for the upcoming ball.

Cinderella worked her hardest to please them, all the while imagining what it would be like to be at the ball herself, mixing with her father’s friends, meeting perhaps a handsome young man who would marry her and take her away from this house of unhappiness. 

The day of the ball finally came, and Cinderella helped her stepsisters and stepmother prepare themselves.  They left in the carriage, and Cinderella slumped to the ground in exhaustion and despondency.  “I know I should be content,” she said softly, “But I so wish I could go to the ball.”

“And why should you not?” asked a kindly voice.  Cinderella sat up quickly to see an old woman in a pink gown watching her with a compassionate gaze. 

“Who are you?” Cinderella asked, surprised.

“I am your fairy godmother,” the old woman said with a smile, “And you are going to go to that ball.”  Working quickly, the old woman turned a pumpkin from the garden into a beautiful coach, pulled by four white horses that had once been four white mice from the kitchen.  The coachman was Cinderella’s stepsister’s cat, and the groom was her stepmother’s dog.  Then, with a wave of her magic wand, Cinderella’s fairy godmother turned Cinderella’s old dress into a ball gown, more beautiful than anything Cinderella would have imagined, complete with a pair of sparkling glass slippers.

“Thank you, Fairy Godmother,” Cinderella said, giving the old woman a kiss on the cheek. 

“You must remember one thing, Cinderella,” the old woman cautioned as Cinderella climbed into the carriage.  “You must be home by the last stroke of midnight, for at that time all of this magic will disappear, and instead of a carriage with horses, a footman, and a groom, you will have a pumpkin with mice, a dog, and a cat.”

“I will remember,” Cinderella promised as the carriage whisked her away to the ball.

At the Palace, Cinderella walked into the ballroom, a room decorated with the most gorgeous flower arrangements and tapestries, filled with lively music, dancing figures, and twirling gowns.  As Cinderella stepped into the room, a hush descended upon the crowd, and a handsome young man stepped forward to greet her. 

“Good day, Maiden,” he said, staring at her.

“Hello,” Cinderella returned, mesmerized by his striking features, and clear blue eyes. 

“Do you care to dance?” the young man asked, bowing, as the musicians prepared to strike up a waltz.

“Thank you, sir,” Cinderella replied with a curtsy, “I would love to dance.”

Taking her by the hand, the young man led Cinderella out onto the floor.  The music began, and they danced.  The two of them danced long into the night, and Cinderella had never been so happy.

The handsome young man and Cinderella were walking quietly in the gardens of the Palace, delighting in each other’s company, when suddenly the bell of the clock tower began to chime the hour.  Cinderella sprang up immediately, knowing she had spent too much time in the Palace, but she hated to leave.  Without a word to anyone, Cinderella fled, tears starting to come to her eyes as she did.  She reached the courtyard on the last stroke of twelve, and the carriage waiting for her suddenly disappeared.  Rushing past the pumpkin on the ground, Cinderella hurried back to her father’s home.

Later that night, Cinderella’s stepsisters and stepmother came home, bringing news of the mysterious “princess” who had enchanted the Prince.  They told of her disappearance, and how the Prince had found a single glass slipper as the only proof of her existence.  He had declared that the person who fit that slipper was the only woman he would marry. Cinderella was astonished that the handsome young man she had fallen in love with was the Prince himself.

The next day, Cinderella’s stepsisters were all aflutter because the Prince was going to come to their home to try the slipper on all of the young women.  Cinderella was happy, because it meant she could see him again, and perhaps he would be the one to take her away from the castle.  However, just as the Prince’s company rode up, her stepmother decided to take no chances, and locked Cinderella in the kitchen.  Cinderella peered through the keyhole anxiously as the Prince entered, and his groom began to try the slippers on her stepsisters.  Neither of them fit the slippers, and the Prince was about to leave, when something made him pause.

“Are there any other young women in the house?” he asked Cinderella’s stepmother.

She hesitated a long moment, and Cinderella’s heart nearly stopped.  “There is only the servant,” the stepmother said, waving her hand negligently, “but she could never be the princess you are looking for.”

The Prince looked at her for a long moment, “Madame,” he said, “I am determined to try this slipper on every young woman, be she rich or poor.”  He took the kitchen key from her.  Walking to the doors, he unlocked them, and then opened them, revealing Cinderella, sitting inside, a look of expectant happiness on her face.

The Prince froze when he saw her, and even through her ragged clothes and dirt-streaked face, he recognized her.  He knelt in front of Cinderella, and called for the slipper.  With his own hands, he slid the glass slipper on her foot, and it fit perfectly.  Wonder in his eyes, the Prince took Cinderella’s hands and gazed into her eyes. “Marry me, fair maiden?” he asked.

“With all my heart,” Cinderella replied, tears of joy filling her face as the Prince lifted her up, and led her out of her father’s house, to a new home in the Palace.

And they lived happily ever after.

The End