The story of Cinderella
Read the timeless Cinderella fairy tale about kindness, courage, and true love. A magical short story for kids with a happy ending — perfect for bedtime reading!
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young girl. When her mother died, her father married again. Her stepmother moved into the house with her two daughters from her first marriage.
These two girls did not like their new stepsister at all.
They threw everything she owned up into the attic. Instead of treating her like a sister, they made her do all the housework.
Even after she finished her chores, they wouldn’t let her sit with them. In the evenings, she would stay alone in the kitchen, standing by the dying fire and warming her hands in the ashes. Because of this, her stepsisters began to call her Cinderella.
One day, the two sisters received an invitation to a ball at the royal palace. They were overjoyed. Everyone knew the Prince was looking for someone to marry. “Who knows, maybe he’ll choose one of us!” they thought.
The sisters immediately began to make themselves as beautiful as possible. Unfortunately, this was quite difficult, because unlike Cinderella, they were rather ugly!
On the evening of the ball, after her stepsisters had left, Cinderella sat in the kitchen and began to cry quietly.
“What’s the matter, why are you crying, Cinderella?” asked a gentle woman’s voice.
“I wanted to go to the ball too,” Cinderella sobbed.
“Then you shall go,” said the voice. Cinderella turned around and froze in amazement.
A beautiful woman was standing beside her.
“I am your fairy godmother,” said the woman. “Now, we have no time to lose! Bring me a pumpkin immediately!”
Cinderella brought a pumpkin. With a wave of her magic wand, the fairy godmother turned it into a golden carriage.
“Now, six mice…” Cinderella caught six mice, and her fairy godmother turned them into horses.
“One rat…” She turned it into a coachman.
“And six lizards…” Those became six footmen who ran behind the carriage.
Finally, it was Cinderella’s turn. With one touch of the wand, her ragged clothes turned into a breathtaking gown. On her feet were a pair of glass slippers that sparkled brilliantly.
“There’s only one condition,” said the fairy. “You must return home by midnight. When the clock strikes twelve, your dress will turn back into rags, your carriage will become a pumpkin, and your horses will be mice again. You wouldn’t want the Prince to see that, would you? Now go and enjoy yourself!”
That night, Cinderella was the star of the ball. The ladies — especially her stepsisters — admired her dress and begged her to tell them the name of her dressmaker. All the gentlemen fought to dance with her.
As soon as the Prince saw her, he fell in love. From that moment on, he refused to dance with anyone else.
Hours passed, and just as the clock was about to strike twelve, Cinderella remembered she had to be home.
“Don’t go!” the Prince called after her, but she didn’t stop for a second and ran away. By the time she reached the street, her gown had turned back into rags. All she had left was one glass slipper — she had lost the other somewhere along the way.
That night, Cinderella cried herself to sleep, thinking her life would never be as wonderful again.
But she was wrong. The other glass slipper had been found on the palace stairs. The next morning, the Prince went from house to house, trying the slipper on every young woman. “I will not rest until I find the beautiful girl from last night,” he declared.
At last, he came to Cinderella’s house. Her stepsisters tried the slipper, but it didn’t fit — not even close.
The Prince was heartbroken, as there were only a few houses left to visit. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed the servant girl.
“My lady,” said the Prince to Cinderella, “won’t you try it on as well?”
“She? How dare you!” cried the stepsisters.
But the Prince insisted. He had already noticed how beautiful Cinderella was. Of course, the slipper fit perfectly.
The Prince knelt and asked Cinderella to marry him, while her stepsisters could only watch in anger and jealousy. Naturally, Cinderella accepted the Prince’s proposal — and they lived happily ever after.