Cinderella - European

In a cozy little house, there lived a sweet girl. Her name was Cinderella. She cleaned the house from the morning sun to the nighttime moon. She sat by the warm fireplace, and her face got smudged with soot. So they called her Cinderella. Her stepmother and stepsisters were not very kind. They made her work, work, work all day long. But even with a smudgy nose, Cinderella had a big, kind heart. She was always good and always gentle. This is the story of Cinderella.

One day, a letter came for a big, big ball at the castle. The stepsisters put on fancy dresses and shiny shoes. But Cinderella had no fancy dress, only her old, dusty clothes. She was very sad. Then, whoosh. A kind Fairy Godmother appeared in a sparkle of light. She waved her magic wand. A big orange pumpkin became a shiny coach. Poof. Little mice became big horses. Poof again. Cinderella’s dusty clothes turned into a beautiful, glowing gown. On her feet were tiny, sparkly glass slippers. 'Go to the ball,' said the Fairy Godmother. 'But remember. You must be home when the big clock says twelve.'

At the ball, everyone looked at Cinderella. She looked so lovely. The Prince danced with her all night. They laughed and twirled. But then, the big clock started to chime. Dong, dong, dong. It was midnight. Cinderella remembered. 'I have to go.' she said. She ran down the big stairs, so fast, so fast. One of her little glass slippers fell off. The Prince found the tiny, sparkly slipper. He said, 'I will find the girl who fits this slipper.' He went to every house. Finally, he came to Cinderella’s house. She tried on the slipper. It fit just right. The Prince was so happy. Cinderella and the Prince got married and were always kind to everyone.

The story of Cinderella is a happy story. It teaches us that being kind is like magic. It is the best magic of all. Even when you are sad, good things can happen. Hope can sparkle, just like a tiny glass slipper. This story tells everyone to have a good heart and believe in happy endings.