Cinderella

This story is called Cinderella. Written by Charles Perrault, and read by Corrie Legge. This is a LibraryCall adaptation and recording. There was once an honorable gentleman who, after the death of his first wife, married the most disagreeable woman in the whole country. This horrible woman had two daughters, who were just like her. But the man had one daughter of his own, from his first marriage, who was a kind and intelligent young girl. The stepmother soon became annoyed by the good qualities of the girl, so she gave her all the worst jobs in the house-- washing the floors and staircases, dusting the bedrooms, and cleaning the fireplace. And while her step-sisters slept in spacious, comfortable rooms, the poor girl slept in the attic, on an old straw mattress. She suffered in silence, and didn’t dare to complain to her father, for she saw that he was completely intimidated by his new wife. When her daily work was done, she used to sit down in the chimney-corner among the ashes, and so her two sisters gave her the nickname “Cinderella.” But Cinderella, though she was allowed to wear only the most ragged and shabby clothing, was somehow always more elegant than they were, in all their fine clothes. One day the king announced that there would be a series of balls at the royal palace, to which the city’s wealthiest families were all invited, including Cinderella’s. Her sisters were very proud and happy to have been invited, and they began to obsess over what they should wear when they went. This was a source of new trouble for Cinderella, who now had to fetch and fix all their fine linen and laces. On the night of the first ball, while she was combing out the older sister’s hair, this ill-natured girl said, rudely, “Cinderella, don’t you wish you were going to the ball?” “Oh, madam” (they always made her call them madam), “don’t tease; I know I would never be allowed to go.” “Right you are! People would only laugh to see someone like you at the ball.” Ignorant of the sting of their hurtful words, the sisters finally rushed to the ball, leaving Cinderella behind. Alone at home, she sat down by the kitchen fire and cried. Immediately her godmother, who was a fairy, appeared beside her. “What are you crying for, my dear?” “Oh, I wish—I wish—” She sobbed. “You wish to go to the ball, don’t you?” Cinderella nodded. “Well, then, you shall go. Now, run into the garden and fetch me the largest pumpkin you can find.” Cinderella did not understand what this had to do with going to the ball, but she did as she was asked. Her godmother took the pumpkin, and, having scooped out all its seeds, she struck it with her wand, and it transformed into a splendid golden carriage. Then, she found six mice, struck them each with her wand, and turned them into six beautiful black horses. A rat was found and was turned into a coachman, and finally six lizards were turned into six footmen, who immediately jumped up behind the carriage, as if they had been footmen all their lives. “Well, Cinderella, now you can go to the ball.” “In these clothes?” said Cinderella sadly, looking down on her ragged dress. Her godmother laughed, and touched her with the wand, at which her wretched, threadbare clothes turned into a magnificent ballgown, and on her feet, beautiful glass slippers. “Now, Cinderella, go! But remember, if you stay one instant after midnight, your carriage will become a pumpkin, your coachman a rat, your horses mice, and your footmen lizards; and you yourself will be just as ragged as you were a moment ago.” Cinderella promised. When she arrived at the palace, the king’s son was standing at the entrance. He offered her his hand, and led her with the utmost courtesy through the assembled guests, who stood aside to let her pass, whispering to one another, “Oh, how beautiful she is!” And the old king said to the queen, that never had he seen such a charming and elegant person. Cinderella felt as if it were something happening in a dream. The king’s son led her out to dance, and she danced so gracefully that he admired her more and more. While they were dancing, she heard the clock strike a quarter to twelve, and making a courteous goodbye to the royal family, she re-entered her carriage, escorted tenderly by the king’s son, and arrived safely at her own door before the clock struck twelve. There she found her godmother, who smiled with approval. Cinderella begged permission to go to a second ball, the following night. She had been invited by the queen! Just then, they heard the sounds of her step sisters, who were also returning from the ball. The fairy godmother vanished, leaving Cinderella sitting alone in the chimney-corner, dressed in rags again “Oh, it has been the most delightful ball. Too bad you weren’t there.” the elder sister said maliciously, coming in. “The prince spent almost the whole evening dancing with a beautiful girl. But no one knew who she was, not even the prince!” Cinderella rubbed her eyes and pretended to be sleepy, as if she hadn’t been the one dancing with the prince half an hour before. The next night came, and Cinderella’s step sisters, richly dressed in different gowns, went to the ball. And a little while later, Cinderella followed, once more in a beautiful ballgown and glass slippers, all thanks to her fairy godmother. “Now remember: twelve o’clock,” her godmother had warned. But at the ball she and the prince were inseparable. They danced and talked for hours, and time passed without her noticing, until, while sitting side by side in a beautiful alcove within the palace, she heard the clock begin to strike twelve. She immediately got up and ran as fast as she could. Confused, the prince followed, chasing her, but could not catch up. He turned a corner, thinking he had caught up with her, only to see a young woman dressed in rags running away from the palace and into the night. Cinderella arrived at home breathless and weary, ragged and cold, without a carriage or footmen or coachman. All had turned back into mice, and lizards, a rat, and a pumpkin. Just one thing remained. She still had one glass slipper – the other she had dropped in the ballroom as she ran away. When the two sisters returned, they couldn’t stop talking about how the mysterious lady had appeared at the ball again, how enamoured the prince was with her, and how, as the clock was striking twelve, she had suddenly risen up and fled, losing one of her glass slippers as she ran. A few days later, trumpets sounded throughout the city, and a herald announced that the King had ordered all the women in the kingdom to try on the glass slipper, in an attempt to find the mysterious girl. A herald and a troop of palace guards went from house to house, and princesses, duchesses, and gentlewomen all tried it on, but, being a fairy slipper, it fit nobody. Besides, nobody could produce its matching slipper, which lay safely in the pocket of Cinderella’s tattered dress. At last, the palace guards came to Cinderella’s house. And her stepsisters, though they knew perfectly well that neither of them was the beautiful lady the prince was looking for, still made every attempt to get their clumsy feet into the glass slipper. Of course, it did not fit either of them. “May I try it on,” said Cinderella, from the chimney-corner. “What, you?” cried the stepmother and her daughters, bursting into shouts of laughter; but Cinderella only smiled and held out her hand. Her sisters could not prevent her from trying, as the palace guard reminded them, for the king’s command was that every young woman in the city should try it on. So the herald asked Cinderella to sit down, and he placed the slipper on her foot. It fit her perfectly. Then, she drew from her pocket its matching slipper, which she also put on. Then she stood up, and for just a moment, at the touch of her magic shoes, her beautiful gown reappeared about her, and she stood before them as the elegant woman from the ball. And then the dress faded away again, and she was once more in rags. Her step sisters were astonished, and more than a little alarmed. They threw themselves at her feet, groveling and begging her to forgive them for all their abuse. She told them to get up, and embraced them, and told them she forgave them. But then she bid them farewell, and departed along with the king’s men. When they arrived at the palace, she told her whole story to his majesty and the royal family, who were not in the least surprised, for everybody believed in fairies, and everybody longed to have a fairy godmother. The young prince found her more wonderful and kind than ever, and they were delighted to be in one another’s company once more. Soon they were wed, and they lived happily in the palace till the end of their days. We hope you enjoyed Cinderella, written by Charles Perrault, and read by Corrie Legge. This has been a LibraryCall adaptation and recording.