Bedtime Story | Cinderella

Listen and relax to this slightly modified version of Cinderella, originally written by Henry W. Hewet, narrated in a soft and soothing female voice. This bedtime story includes peaceful nature sounds in the background.

Royalty-free sound effects from Pixabay.

Transcript

Cinderella Original Story by Henry W.

Hewitt Once upon a time,

In a faraway kingdom,

There lived a lovely little girl named Ella.

She was loved by all who knew her,

For she had a kind heart and a generous spirit.

Her early years were filled with happiness,

Living with her loving mother and father in a charming countryside estate.

Her father,

A respected merchant,

And her mother,

A gentle and wise woman,

Taught Ella the values of kindness,

Courage,

And compassion.

When Ella was just nine years of age,

Her mother fell gravely ill and passed away.

Ella was full of grief at the loss of a mother so good and kind.

Her father,

Seeking to bring joy back into their lives,

Remarried a widowed woman who had two daughters by a former marriage,

Both as haughty and bad-tempered as their mother.

Tragedy struck again when Ella's father died unexpectedly during one of his travels.

With his passing,

Her stepmother's true nature emerged.

She squandered the family fortune and relegated Ella to the role of a servant in her own home.

Despite the hardships,

Ella remained hopeful,

Her spirit unbroken.

She was forced to do all the household chores from dawn until dusk.

Because of the soot and ash that often covered her,

Ella's stepsisters gave her the nickname of Cinderella.

Yet,

For all her shabby clothes,

Cinderella was a hundred times prettier than her sisters,

No matter how magnificently they dressed.

One day,

A royal decree was announced.

The king was hosting a grand ball in honor of his son,

The prince,

Who was seeking a bride.

Every eligible maiden in the kingdom was invited.

Cinderella's heart filled with hope at the thought of attending,

But her stepmother quickly crushed her dreams.

She gave Cinderella an impossible list of chores and destroyed the only dress she had suitable for the ball.

The long-wished-for evening came at last,

And her sisters stepped into the carriage and drove away to the palace.

Cinderella looked after the coach as far as she could see and then returned to the kitchen in tears.

She continued sobbing in the corner until a knocking at the kitchen door roused her.

She got up to see a kind,

Elderly woman who introduced herself as the Queen of the Fairies and Cinderella's godmother.

She asked her why she was crying.

Cinderella told the old woman all her griefs,

How her sisters had gone to the ball and how she wished to go too,

But had no clothes or means to do so.

Her godmother told her she would indeed go to the ball and that she'd have clothes and horses finer than anyone.

Cinderella had heard her father often talk of her godmother and tell her that she was one of the good fairies who protected children.

Her spirits revived and she wiped away her tears.

The fairy took Cinderella by the hand and asked her to go into the garden and fetch a pumpkin.

Cinderella bounded lightly to execute her commands and returned with one of the finest and largest pumpkins she could meet with.

It was as big as a beer barrel and Cinderella trundled it into the kitchen,

Wondering what her godmother would do with it.

Her godmother took the pumpkin and scooped out the inside of it,

Leaving nothing but rind.

She then struck it with her wand and it instantly became one of the most elegant gilt carriages ever seen.

She next sent Cinderella into the pantry for the mouse trap,

Bidding her bring six little mice alive which she would find in the trap.

Cinderella hastened to the pantry and there found the mice as the fairy had said,

Which she brought to the old lady,

Who told her to lift up the door of the trap,

But a little way and very gently,

So that only one of the mice might go out at a time.

Cinderella raised the mouse trap door and as the mice came out,

One by one,

The old woman touched them with her wand and transformed them into fine prancing,

Dapple-gray carriage horses with long manes and tails,

Which were tied up with light blue ribbons.

The fairy then asked her to run to the stables and bring her the rat trap.

Cinderella was full of joy and did not lose a moment and soon returned with the trap,

In which there were two fine large rats.

These two were touched with the wand and immediately the one was changed into a smart pastillion and the other into a jolly looking coachman in full finery.

Her godmother then asked her to go to the garden again and look behind the watering pot stand,

Where she would find six lizards.

Cinderella hastened to the garden as she desired and found the six lizards,

Which she put into her apron and brought to the fairy.

Another touch of the wonderful wand soon converted them into six spruce footmen in dashing liveries with powdered hair and pigtails,

Three cornered hats and gold-headed canes,

Who immediately jumped up behind the carriage as nimbly as if they had been footmen and nothing else in all their lives.

After the coachman and pastillion took their places,

The fairy asked Cinderella if she was pleased with it.

Oh yes,

Dear godmother,

Replied Cinderella,

And then,

With a good deal of hesitation,

Added,

But how can I make my appearance among so many finely dressed people in these mean looking clothes?

On saying this,

The old woman,

Assuming her character of queen of the fairies,

Touched Cinderella with the magic wand and her clothes were instantly changed into a most magnificent ball dress ornamented with the most costly jewels.

The fairy took from her pocket a beautiful pair of elastic glass slippers,

Which she told Cinderella to put on,

And then desired her to get into the carriage with all speed as the ball had already commenced.

The two footmen opened the carriage door and assisted the now beautifully dressed Cinderella into it.

Her godmother,

Before she took leave,

Strictly charged her,

On no account whatever,

To stay at the ball after the clock had struck twelve,

And then added that if she stayed but a single moment beyond that time,

Her fine coach,

Horses,

Coachmen,

Pastillion and footmen,

And fine apparel would all return to their original states.

Cinderella promised faithfully to attend to everything that the fairy had mentioned,

And then,

Quite overjoyed,

Gave the directions to the footmen,

Who told the coachmen to take them to the royal palace.

The coachman touched his prancing horses lightly with his whip,

And swiftly the carriage started off,

And in a short time reached the palace.

The arrival of so splendid a carriage as Cinderella's could not fail to attract general notice at the palace gates,

And as it drove up to the marble portico,

The servants in great numbers came out to see it.

Information was quickly taken to the king's son that a beautiful young lady,

Evidently some princess,

Was in waiting.

His royal highness hastened to the door,

Welcomed Cinderella,

And handed her out of the carriage.

He then led her gracefully into the ballroom,

And introduced her to his father,

The king.

The moment she appeared,

All conversation was hushed,

The violins ceased playing,

And the dancing stopped short.

So great was the sensation produced by the stranger's beauty.

A confused murmur of admiration fluttered through the crowd,

And many people exclaimed how surpassingly lovely she was.

The ladies were all busy examining her headdress and her clothes,

In order to get similar ones the very next day,

If,

Indeed,

They could find such rich patterns,

And find tailors clever enough to make them up.

What a lovely creature,

So fair,

So beautiful.

How elegantly she is dressed,

They said.

Even the prince's father,

Old as he was,

Could not behold her with indifference,

But wiped his eyeglass and used it very much,

And said very often to the queen that he had never seen so sweet a being.

The king's son handed Cinderella to one of the most distinguished seats on the dais at the top of the hall,

And begged she would allow him to hand her some refreshments.

Cinderella received them with great grace.

When this was over,

The prince requested to have the honor of dancing with her.

Cinderella smiled consent,

And the delighted prince immediately led her out to the head of the dance,

Just about to commence.

The eyes of the whole company were fixed upon the beautiful pair.

The trumpets sounded,

And the music struck up,

And the dance commenced.

But if Cinderella's beauty,

Elegant figure,

And the splendor of her dress had before drawn the attention of the whole room,

The astonishment at her dancing was still greater.

Cinderella seemed to play in all her motions.

The airy lightness with which she floated along drew forth a general murmur of admiration.

The hall rang with the loudest acclamations of applause,

And the company,

All in one voice,

Pronounced her the most elegant creature that had ever been seen.

And this was the little girl who had passed a great part of her life in the kitchen,

And had always been called a cinder wench.

When the dance was ended,

A magnificent feast was served up,

Consisting of all delicacies.

So much was the young prince engaged with Cinderella that he did not eat one morsel of the supper.

Cinderella drew near her sisters,

And frequently spoke to them,

And in her goodness of heart,

She offered them the delicacies which she had received from the prince,

But they did not know she was their sister.

As the clock began to strike midnight,

Cinderella rose hastily and flew away like a startled fawn.

The prince attempted to follow her,

But she was too swift for him.

Suddenly as she flew,

She dropped one of her glass slippers,

Which he picked up very eagerly.

Cinderella reached home quite out of breath,

Without either coach or footman,

And with only her shabby clothes on her back,

Nothing,

In short,

Remained of her recent magnificence save a little glass slipper,

The fellow to the one she had lost.

The sentinels at the palace gate were closely questioned as to whether they had seen a princess coming out,

But they answered they had not seen anyone except a shabbily dressed girl,

Who appeared to be a peasant rather than a young lady.

A few days afterwards,

The king's son caused a proclamation to be made,

By sound of trumpet all over the kingdom,

To the effect that he would marry the girl whose foot should fit the slipper exactly.

The slipper was first tried on by all the princesses,

Then by all the duchesses,

And next by all the persons belonging to the court,

But in vain.

It was then carried to the two sisters,

Who tried with all their might to force their feet into its delicate proportions,

But with no better success.

Cinderella,

Who was present and recognized her slipper,

Asked if she could try it on.

Her sisters ridiculed such an idea,

But the gentleman,

Who was appointed to try the slipper,

Having looked attentively at Cinderella and perceived how beautiful she was,

Said that it was but fair she should do so,

As he had orders to try it on every young maiden in the kingdom.

Accordingly,

Having requested Cinderella to sit down,

She no sooner put her little foot to the slipper than she drew it on,

And it fitted like wax.

The sisters were quite amazed,

But their astonishment increased tenfold when Cinderella drew the fellow slipper out of her pocket and put it on.

Her godmother then made her appearance,

And,

Having touched Cinderella's clothes with her wand,

Made them still more magnificent than those she had previously worn.

Her two sisters now recognized her for the beautiful stranger they had seen at the ball,

And,

Falling at her feet,

Implored her forgiveness for their unworthy treatment and all the insults they had heaped upon her head.

Cinderella raised them up,

Saying,

As she embraced them,

That she not only forgave them with all her heart,

But wished for their affection.

She was then taken to the palace of the young prince,

In whose eyes she appeared yet more lovely than before.

They were soon married,

And a grand ceremony attended by everyone in the kingdom.

And they lived happily ever after.

The End.