Once upon a time, there was a pretty young girl named Cinderella. She lived with her widowed father. He loved her very much, but thought she needed a mother. So he married a woman with two daughters named Anastasia and Drizella. Not long after that, he died.
Cinderella’s stepmother, Lady Tremaine, spent most of the family fortune. She forced Cinderella to become a servant and live in a cold, dark attic. Day in and day out, Cinderella did all of the household chores—from feeding the chickens to polishing the chandeliers. She waited on her stepsisters and stepmother hand and foot. Yet nothing she did ever pleased them.
No matter how mean her stepmother and stepsisters were, Cinderella was always cheerful. She made friends with the mice and birds and even sewed little outfits for them. Two of Cinderella’s best friends were mice named Jaq and Gus.
One day, a messenger delivered an invitation to a royal ball. It was to be held that night at the palace. All the unmarried maidens in the kingdom were invited—the King wanted to find a wife for his son.
“Why, that means I can go, too!” Cinderella cried. Her stepsisters just laughed at her. They thought it was funny that a servant would think she could go to the ball.
“Well, why not?” asked Cinderella. “It says, ‘By royal command, every eligible maiden is to attend.’”
Her stepmother looked at the invitation. “Well, I see no reason why you can’t go,” she said, “if you get all your work done and if you can find something suitable to wear.”
Cinderella was delighted. She ran upstairs at once.
In her attic room, Cinderella opened her trunk and found a pink gown that had belonged to her mother. It was a little old-fashioned, but she knew she could make it into a beautiful dress.
TO BE CONTINUE
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