Once upon a time, there was a wealthy widower who married a proud and
haughty woman as his second wife. She had two daughters, who were equally vain
and selfish. The gentleman had a beautiful young daughter, a girl of
unparalleled kindness and sweet temper. The man's daughter is forced into
servitude, where she was made to work day and night doing menial chores.
After
the girl's chores were done for the day, she would curl up near the fireplace
in an effort to stay warm. She would often arise covered in cinders, giving
rise to the mocking nickname "Cinderella" by her stepsisters.
Cinderella bore the abuse patiently and dared not tell her father, who would
have scolded her.
One day, the Prince invited all the young ladies in the land to a royal
ball, planning to choose a wife. The two stepsisters gleefully planned their
wardrobes for the ball, and taunted Cinderella by telling her that maids were
not invited to the ball.
As the sisters departed to the ball, Cinderella cried in despair. Her Fairy
Godmother magically appeared and immediately began to transform Cinderella from
house servant to the young lady she was by birth, all in the effort to get
Cinderella to the ball. She turned a pumpkin into a golden carriage, mice into
horses, a rat into a coachman, and lizards into footmen. She then turned
Cinderella's rags into a beautiful jeweled gown, complete with a delicate pair
of glass slippers. The Godmother told her to enjoy the ball, but warned that
she had to return before midnight, when the spells would be broken.
At the ball, the entire court was entranced by Cinderella, especially the
Prince. At this first ball, Cinderella remembers to leave before midnight. Back
home, Cinderella graciously thanked her Godmother. She then greeted the
stepsisters, who had not recognized her earlier and talked of nothing but the
beautiful girl at the ball.
Another ball was held the next evening, and Cinderella again attended with
her Godmother's help. The Prince had become even more infatuated, and
Cinderella in turn became so enchanted by him she lost track of time and left
only at the final stroke of midnight, losing one of her glass slippers on the
steps of the palace in her haste. The Prince chased her, but outside the
palace, the guards saw only a simple country girl leave. The Prince pocketed
the slipper and vowed to find and marry the girl to whom it belonged.
Meanwhile, Cinderella kept the other slipper, which did not disappear when the
spell was broken.
The Prince tried the slipper on all the women in the kingdom. When the
Prince arrives at Cinderella's home, the stepsisters tried in vain to win over
the prince . Cinderella asked if she might try, while the stepsisters taunted
her. Naturally, the slipper fit perfectly, and Cinderella produced the other
slipper for good measure. Cinderella's stepfamily pleaded for forgiveness, and
Cinderella agreed.
Cinderella married the Prince as her stepsisters are married to two
handsome gentlemen of the royal court.They lived happily everafter..
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