Cinderella by Charles Perrault Narration by Ari Ross Once upon a time in a town of cobblestone streets and flowering hedges lived a kind and gentle girl named Cinderella.
Her real name had been Ella,
But over time her stepsisters had started calling her Cinder-Ella because she always came back from the fireplace covered in ash and soot.
Cinderella's father had died when she was young,
And now she lived with her stepmother and two stepsisters who treated her more like a servant than family.
While they wore fine dresses and ate cake with tea,
Cinderella did the laundry,
Scrubbed the floors and cooked every meal.
Her bed was a thin mat by the fireplace,
And her dress was patched and faded.
Still,
Cinderella never complained.
She had a hopeful heart and believed that one day kindness would be rewarded.
One fine spring day,
A royal messenger arrived in town.
Hear ye,
Hear ye,
He called.
His Majesty the King invites all young ladies to a grand ball at the palace.
The prince will choose a bride.
The village buzzed with excitement.
Cinderella's stepsisters screamed with delight.
Which one of us will he fall in love with?
One asked,
Twirling.
Help us get ready,
Demanded the other.
We must look perfect.
Cinderella sewed ruffles,
Polished shoes,
Curled hair and fastened pearl necklaces,
All while wondering what it would be like to attend a royal ball herself.
When the day came,
She asked timidly,
May I go too?
Her stepmother raised an eyebrow.
You,
In that old thing?
The prince would laugh you out of the room.
The sisters cackled as they left her behind.
Cinderella stood in the garden,
Trying not to cry.
Suddenly,
A warm breeze stirred the air.
A shimmer of light floated down from the trees and standing there,
Holding a silver wand,
Was a kind-looking woman in a cloak of stars.
Don't be afraid,
She said.
I'm your fairy godmother.
Cinderella blinked.
My what?
Your fairy godmother?
I've come to help you attend the ball.
She waved her wand toward the garden.
Bring me a pumpkin,
She said.
Cinderella fetched one,
Confused.
With a flick of the wand,
Poof,
The pumpkin turned into a golden carriage.
Then she turned six mice into horses,
A rat into a coachman,
And two lizards into footmen.
Finally,
The fairy godmother turned to Cinderella.
Hmm,
Now for you.
She tapped the girl's tattered dress,
And in a flash,
Cinderella stood in a shimmering gown of silk and silver with delicate glass slippers on her feet.
Her hair sparkled,
Her eyes shone.
She looked like a princess.
One rule,
Said the fairy godmother.
The magic will end at midnight.
Be back before then.
Cinderella nodded,
Her heart fluttering.
The carriage rolled away toward the palace.
When she entered the ballroom,
Everything went quiet.
The chandelier sparkled overhead,
The music played softly,
And the prince,
Who had been slouching in his chair,
Stood up in awe.
He walked straight to Cinderella and bowed.
May I have this dance,
He asked.
Cinderella nodded,
Barely able to speak.
They danced the night away.
No one recognized her.
The stepsisters watched in confusion and envy.
I've never seen her before,
One whispered.
Do you think she's royalty,
Said the other.
But Cinderella only smiled and danced.
She and the prince talked and laughed,
And it felt like no one else existed in the world.
Then,
The palace clock began to chime midnight.
Oh no,
She gasped.
She pulled away from the prince and ran down the grand staircase,
One of her glass slippers slipping off one foot.
The prince shouted after her,
But she was already gone,
Vanishing into the night as the carriage turned back into a pumpkin and her gown into rags.
All that remained was the single glass slipper on the steps.
The next day,
The prince made a royal announcement.
I will marry the girl whose foot fits this glass slipper,
He declared.
We must find her.
His messengers traveled from house to house trying the slipper on every young woman in the kingdom.
When they reached Cinderella's cottage,
The stepsisters pushed and squeezed their feet,
But the slipper did not fit.
May I try?
Cinderella asked softly.
Her stepmother laughed.
You?
Don't waste their time.
But the prince's messenger said,
Every young lady must be allowed.
Cinderella sat down and the slipper slid on her foot perfectly.
The room was silent.
The messenger clapped his hands.
She is the one.
Cinderella's stepmother and sisters gasped.
Cinderella stood tall as the fairy godmother appeared once more,
Transforming her gown and glass slippers again before their eyes.
The carriage arrived and this time Cinderella rode to the palace,
Not in disguise,
But as herself.
She and the prince were married soon after in a celebration filled with light and music.
Cinderella forgave her stepmother and stepsisters,
Though she didn't invite them to live in the castle.
And she never forgot how kindness,
Patience and a little help from magic changed her life forever.
A moral of the story,
True beauty shines from within and kindness,
Even when unreturned,
Always finds its way back to you.
THE END
