Once upon a time there lived an unhappy girl. Unhappy she was, for her mother was dead, her father had married another woman, a widow with two daughters.

Her stepmother didn''t like her.

She made the girl live in the kitchen and do all the work in the house.

She cleaned, and cooked, and sewed, and swept the cinders.

That''s why the stepsisters called her "Cinderella".

It happened that the Prince gave a ball at the palace. He celebrated his birthday. He invited all persons of fashion to it. The young stepsisters were also invited. And Cinderella wanted to go the ball too.

The stepsisters could talk only of the ball.
- Cinderella, would you not like to go to the ball? - asked they.

- Mother, can I go to the ball too? - asked Cinderella.
- You?! My dear girl, you are staying at home to wash the dishes, scrub the floors and turn down the beds for your stepsisters. They will come home tired and very sleepy.
And the stepmother with her daughters leaved to the ball.

Poor Cinderella cried in the garden and called her godmother. Cinderella''s godmother was a fairy!

- My dear Cinderella, - said the Fairy, - The wind blew me your sighs. You are a kind and beautiful girl. You must go to the ball! Bring me a rat and a pumpkin!

Cinderella soon returned with a fine pumpkin and a rat.

The Fairy touched a rat with her magic wand and it turned into a strong horse.

Then she touched a pumpkin and it turned into a fine coach.

- Now you can go to the ball, my girl! - said the Fairy.
- How I can, dressed in rags?!

The Fairy smiled. She touched Cinderella with the magic wand, and the girl''s poor clothes turned into a golden dress and wonderful slippers.

- But remember, my dear, you must come back before midnight! For that is when the spell ends. Your coach will turn back into a pumpkin, the horse will became rat again. Do you understand?

- Yes, I understand! Thank you, godmother!

When Cinderella entered the ballroom at the palace, a hush fell. Everyone stopped in mid-sentence to admire her elegance, her beauty and grace.
- Who can that be? - people asked each other.

Her family also wondered who the newcomer was. They would ever had guessed that the beautiful girl was really poor Cinderella!

When the Prince set eyes on Cinderella, he was struck by her beauty.

- Welcome, beautiful princess! - he said to the girl.
- Would you like to dance with me?
- With pleasure, my Prince! - answered Cinderella.

Also, to the great dissapointment of all young ladies, he danced with Cinderella all evening. She liked the merry, beautiful and clever Prince.

Cinderella had a wonderful time at the ball.

Suddenly the clock striked twelve.

Cinderella remembered what the Fairy had said, and without a word of goodbye she slipped from Prince''s arms and ran down the steps out of palace.

As she ran she lost one of her slippers in a hurry.

The Prince, who was madly in love with Cinderella, picked up the slipper into his hands and said:
- I will find you, my beautiful princess!

On the next day the Prime minister started to look for the beautiful princess. He traveled around the kingdom with the slipper and asked all the girls to try it on.

And finally he came to Cinderella''s house.

The two sisters were ready to try on the little slipper.

But their feet were too big. Their mother was very angry.

- Do you have another girl in your house? - asked the Prime minister.

- Yes, my daughter Cinderella in the kitchen! - said the Father.

The Prime minister asked Cinderella to try the slipper on. It fitted perfectly!!
- Come with us, fair maiden! The Prince awaits to present you with his engagement ring! - said the Prime minister.

The Prince waited for Cinderella near his palace.
- You are my princess! - he said.
- Yes, my Prince! - answered the happy girl.

The Prince and Cinderella lived happily ever after together