Cinderella...The Royal Ball

Later that day,  Cinderella heard a knock on the door.  "Open in the name of the King," said the royal messenger.  He  handed Cinderella an invitation.

When her stepmother read the invitation aloud,  Drizella and Anatasia became excited.  Each imagined the Prince falling in love with her.

Cinderella was also axcited.  "Why,  That means I can go,  too!" she said.  The stepsisters laughed,"answered Cinderella.

Surprisingly,  her stepmother agreed.  "I don't see why you can't go . . . if you get all you can find something suitable to wear. "

Cinderella raced to her room and found a dress that had belonged to her mother.  With a little stitching,  she could make it pretty.

  As Cinderella worked on the dress,  her stepmother and stepsister called for her and gave her many chores."Get them done quickly," said her stepmother.

  When Cinderella had to put the dress aside, her animal friends began to work on it.  They gathered beads and a sash that the stepsister had thrown away.

  Soon they had created a beautiful gown!

  Cinderella finally finished her chores and went to her room.  Then she realized it was too late to get ready for the ball.  She was so sad!  Suddenly, the mice yelled,  "Suprised!"

They showed Cinderella the beautiful gown.  "Oh, thank you so much!" she cried.

Cinderella put on the gown and hurried to join her stepfamily.  But when her jealous stepsisters recognized their old sash and beads, they tore Cinderella's gown to shreds!

  Cinderella's friends watched sadly as she wept in the garden."It's no use," She sobbed. "Nothing will help."

At the moment, bright, sparkling lights began floating and swirling around Cinderella.

Poof! Cinderella's Fairy Godmother appeared.  "Dry those tears," She told Cinderella."You can't go to the ball looking like that."

"But I'm not going," said Cinderella.

"Of course you are," replied the Fairy Godmother.

She waved her magic wand over the pumpkin, and a regal coach appeared! "Oh, it's beautiful," said Cinderella.  The Fairy Godmother waved her wand again.

Jaq and Gus and two other mice turned into four beautiful white horses.  Then she changed Major the horse into the coach driver and Bruno the dog into the footman.

Next, the Fairy Godmother turned Cinderella's torn dress into a beautiful gown  In a flash, there were also tiny glass slippers for her feet.

 "On the stroke of midnight, the spell will be broken," the Fairy Godmother warned.  "Everything will be as before."

Cinderella...Once upon a time...

Long ago in a faraway land, poor Cinderella  lived with her mean stepfamily.  They filled her days with cooking,  scrubbing,  washing, and chores of every kind.  Cinderella' s stepmother and two stepsisters,  Anastasia and Drizella, never helped with her work.  But Cinderella remained cheerful and kind.  She made friends with all the animals that she met.  Cinderella even made clothes for the mice who shared her small attic room.  One day, jaq, her favorite mouse,  was upset.  "What's all the fuss about?"  Cinderella asked.  Jaq led her to a new mouse that was caught in a trap!  Cinderella quickly freed the frightened mouse.  Then she dressed him in new clothes and found the perfect name for him :  Gus.  When it was time for Cinderella to feed the chickens, the mice headed for the barnyard.  Cinderella always saved some corn for them .  But today,  the mean old cat,  Lucifer,  blocked their way.  Jaq  was chosen to get the cat to chase him.  Then the other mice could scoot outside.  The plan worked.  Jaq kicked the cat and angry Lucifer began chasing him.  But Jaq was too fast for Lucifer and made it safely into a mousehole.  While Licifer waited fir Jaq to come out,  the other mice scampered by him!  Cinderella spent the rest of  her day attending to chores.  "Take that ironing," Drizella demanded.  "Don't forget the mending,"Anatasia added.  "Pick up the laundry and get on with your duties," her stepmother ordered.  Meanwhile, at the royal palace, the King complained to the Grand Duke.  "It's high time my son got married," he sobbed.  "I want  grandchildren!"  The King decided to hold a ball.  "If all the eligible maidens come," said the King,  "the Prince is bound to find his bride among them. "