A Mother’s Passing
The wife of a wealthy man became very ill, and knowing that she didn’t have much time left, she called her only daughter to her side. “My dear child,” she said softly, “always be kind and good, and God will watch over you. I will look down on you from heaven and stay close to you.” With those words, she closed her eyes and passed away.
Every day, the girl visited her mother’s grave, crying and staying true to her mother’s advice, always kind and good-hearted. When winter came, the grave was covered in a blanket of snow, and by the time the spring sun melted it away, her father had married again.
Unkind Home
The girl’s stepmother brought two daughters with her, who were beautiful on the outside, but mean and nasty on the inside. From that moment on, things got really hard for Cinderella.
“Why should this silly girl sit with us?” they sneered. “If she wants to eat, she has to work for it. Out to the kitchen with her!” They took away her nice clothes, dressed her in an old grey gown, and gave her clunky wooden shoes.
“Look at the little princess now!” they mocked, laughing as they sent her off to do chores. The girl had to work from dawn till dusk — fetching water, making fires, cooking, and cleaning. The stepsisters made her life even harder by dumping her food into the ashes, forcing her to pick it out piece by piece. At night, when she was exhausted, there was no cozy bed for her. She had to sleep near the fireplace, in the ashes. Because she was always covered in dirt and dust, they began to call her Cinderella.
A Simple Wish
One day, Cinderella’s father was going to the fair and asked his stepdaughters what they would like him to bring back.
“Beautiful dresses,” said one.
“Pearls and jewels,” said the other.
Then he turned to Cinderella and asked, “And you, what would you like?”
Cinderella smiled and replied, “Father, just bring me the first branch that brushes against your hat on your way home.”
So, while he bought fancy dresses, pearls, and jewels for the stepsisters, a hazel branch tapped his hat as he rode through a forest. He broke it off and brought it back for Cinderella. When he gave his stepdaughters their gifts, he handed Cinderella the simple branch. She thanked him, then went to her mother’s grave, planted the branch, and cried so much that her tears watered it.
The branch grew into a beautiful tree. Every day, Cinderella visited the tree to sit, cry, and pray. A little white bird lived in the tree, and whenever she wished for something, the bird would throw down exactly what she asked for.
Festival At The Palace
The King decided to hold a festival that would last for three days, inviting all the young women in the kingdom so his son could choose a bride. When Cinderella’s stepsisters found out they were invited, they were thrilled. They called Cinderella over and said, “Comb our hair, brush our shoes, and fasten our buckles! We’re going to the festival at the King’s palace!”
Cinderella did as she was told but couldn’t help crying. She wished she could go to the festival too, and begged her stepmother to let her attend. “You, Cinderella?” her stepmother scoffed. “You’re dusty and dirty, and you want to go to the festival? You don’t have nice clothes or shoes, and you think you can dance?”
Even though her stepmother mocked her, Cinderella kept pleading. Finally, her stepmother said, “Fine. I’ve thrown a dish of lentils into the ashes. If you can pick them all out in two hours, you can come with us.”
Cinderella went into the garden and called out, “Tame pigeons, turtledoves, and all the birds under the sky, come help me pick:
“The good ones go into the pot,
The bad ones go into your crop.”
At once, two white pigeons flew in through the kitchen window, followed by turtledoves and all the other birds under the sky. They fluttered down into the ashes and began picking out the lentils. Peck, peck, peck — they worked quickly, and in less than an hour, they had gathered all the good grains into the dish. The birds flew away, and Cinderella took the dish to her stepmother, hoping she could now go to the festival.
But her stepmother said, “No, Cinderella, you have no nice clothes, and you can’t dance. You’d only embarrass us.”
Cinderella cried again, and the stepmother said, “If you can pick two more dishes of lentils from the ashes in one hour, I’ll let you go.”
Thinking Cinderella couldn’t possibly succeed, the stepmother threw two more dishes of lentils into the ashes. But once again, Cinderella went into the garden and called for the birds:
“Tame pigeons, turtledoves, and all you birds under heaven, come help me pick:
“The good ones go into the pot,
The bad ones go into your crop.”
The pigeons and turtledoves returned, and soon, all the birds from the sky were helping again. Peck, peck, peck — they worked even faster this time, and before half an hour had passed, they had finished. Cinderella took the dishes to her stepmother, feeling certain she could now go to the festival.
But her stepmother sneered, “It doesn’t matter. You’re not coming with us. You don’t have the right clothes, and you can’t dance. We’d be ashamed of you.”
Then she turned her back on Cinderella and hurried off to the festival with her two daughters.
The Beautiful Dress
With everyone gone, Cinderella hurried to her mother’s grave under the hazel tree and called out:
“Shiver and quiver, little tree,
Silver and gold, throw down over me!”
In an instant, the bird in the tree dropped a beautiful gown of gold and silver and slippers embroidered with silk and silver thread. Cinderella quickly put on the dress and rushed to the festival. Her stepsisters and stepmother didn’t recognize her at all. To them, she looked like a stunning foreign princess. They never imagined it was Cinderella, who they assumed was still at home, picking lentils out of the ashes.
As soon as she arrived, the prince came to greet her, took her hand, and danced with her. He refused to dance with anyone else and never let go of her hand. If another person tried to dance with her, he simply said, “This is my partner.”
Cinderella danced the night away, but when evening came, she wanted to leave. The prince, determined to know where she lived, said, “I will come with you.” But Cinderella slipped away from him and ran to hide in the pigeon-house.
The prince waited until her father came back and told him that the mysterious maiden had leapt into the pigeon-house. Cinderella’s father thought, “Could it be her?” So, he brought an axe and a pickaxe to break open the pigeon-house. But when they searched inside, it was empty.
By the time they got back home, Cinderella was already lying in her old, dirty clothes by the fireplace, with only a faint oil-lamp burning nearby. She had quickly jumped down from the back of the pigeon-house, run to her mother’s grave, and returned the magical dress to the bird. Afterward, she slipped back into her gray gown and sat quietly in the kitchen among the ashes.
On The Second Night of the Festival
The next evening, when the festival began again, Cinderella’s parents and stepsisters left for the palace. Once they were gone, Cinderella went to the hazel tree and said:
“Shiver and quiver, my little tree,
Silver and gold, throw down over me.”
This time, the bird gave her an even more dazzling dress than before. When she arrived at the festival, everyone was amazed by her beauty. The prince had been waiting for her and immediately took her hand, dancing only with her. Whenever someone else asked her to dance, he simply said, “She is my partner.”
As evening came, Cinderella wanted to leave again. The prince, determined to find out where she lived, followed her closely. But Cinderella darted away, heading into the garden behind her house. There, a tall pear tree stood, its branches full of magnificent fruit. Quick as a squirrel, Cinderella climbed the tree, disappearing among the branches before the prince could catch up.
When Cinderella’s father returned, the prince told him, “The mysterious maiden has slipped away from me again, and I think she climbed the pear tree.”
Her father, wondering if it could be Cinderella, fetched an axe and chopped down the tree. But no one was there. When they entered the house, they found Cinderella lying in the kitchen by the fireplace, covered in ashes as usual. She had cleverly jumped down from the other side of the tree, returned the magical dress to the bird, and put on her grey gown before anyone could suspect a thing.
The Lost Slipper
On the third day of the festival, after her parents and stepsisters left for the palace, Cinderella went once again to her mother’s grave. She stood beneath the little tree and said:
“Shiver and quiver, my little tree,
Silver and gold, throw down over me.”
This time, the bird gave her the most magnificent dress yet—more splendid than any before—and a pair of golden slippers. When Cinderella arrived at the festival in this stunning outfit, everyone was left speechless. The prince, as usual, danced only with her, and whenever anyone else asked her to dance, he said, “She is my partner.”
As the evening drew to a close, Cinderella wanted to leave. The prince, determined to find out where she lived, tried to follow her. But once again, Cinderella slipped away too quickly for him to keep up.
This time, though, the prince had a plan. He had the palace staircase smeared with sticky pitch. As Cinderella ran down the stairs, her left slipper got stuck in the pitch, and she left it behind. The prince picked up the small, dainty, golden slipper and knew he would use it to find her.
Search For The True Bride
The next morning, the prince went to Cinderella’s house with the golden slipper and told her father, “No one shall be my bride except the one whose foot fits this slipper.”
The stepsisters were thrilled because they had pretty feet. The eldest sister eagerly tried on the slipper in her room while her mother watched. But the slipper was too small for her. She tried to squeeze her foot into it, but it didn’t fit.
Then the younger stepsister took her turn. She managed to get her toes into the slipper, but her heel was too large. She tried to force it, but the slipper wouldn’t fit properly. The prince was disappointed and said, “This isn’t the right bride. Is there anyone else?”
The father replied, “There is one more daughter, but she’s just a kitchen maid and can’t possibly be the bride.”
The prince insisted, so Cinderella was called. After washing up, she came to the prince, who handed her the golden slipper. When she slipped her foot into it, it fit perfectly. The prince recognized her as the beautiful maiden who had danced with him and said, “She is the true bride!”
The stepmother and stepsisters were shocked and furious, but the prince took Cinderella on his horse and rode away with her. As they passed the hazel tree, the two white doves called out:
“Turn and peep, turn and peep,
No trouble in the shoe,
The shoe fits her perfectly,
The true bride rides with you.”
With that, the doves flew down and perched on Cinderella’s shoulders—one on the right, the other on the left—and stayed there happily.
The Happy Wedding
On the day of Cinderella’s wedding, her stepsisters came to the celebration, hoping to mend their relationship with her and share in her joy. Cinderella welcomed them graciously, showing her kind heart and willingness to forgive.
As the wedding procession made its way to the church, Cinderella’s stepsisters walked alongside her, one on the right and one on the left. They were amazed by the beauty of the day and Cinderella’s grace.
After the ceremony, as the wedding party returned to the palace, Cinderella’s stepsisters approached her. They sincerely apologized for their past behavior and asked for her forgiveness. Cinderella, with her big heart, forgave them and embraced them as part of her new beginning.