Long ago, there was a little girl. Her father was a businessman. He was too busy to look after her. Then one day, the little girl's mother died. She buried her mother

under a tree in the garden. The little girl cried before the tomb every day. Even the birds in the tree became her friends.

Later, her father remarried. Her stepmother had two daughters.

They had beautiful faces but evil hearts. 

They lived in her room, wore her clothes and forced her to do a lot of housework.

The little girl did not have a room, so she had to sleep beside the stove

and got very dusty. So her stepmother and stepsisters called her Cinderella.

One day, the king decided to hold a ball to choose a wife for the prince.

Cinderella's stepsisters were invited to the ball. They were very excited. 

"Hurry up! Comb my hair!" one stepsister ordered Cinderella.

"Cinderella, tie my belt, polish my shoes!" the other one commanded.

Cinderella also wanted to go to the ball. 

"How could you go to the ball in such dusty clothes?" her stepmother sneered.

Her stepmother and sisters left.

Cinderella was very upset. She went to her mother's grave and cried.

Suddenly, an old woman appeared. Cinderella was surprised. 

She greeted the old woman politely,

"Good evening, Granny!"

"Little girl, don't cry. I'm a fairy. I will help you!" the old woman said.

Cinderella was puzzled. The fairy took out a magic wand from her robe. 

She pointed it at Cinderella.

Suddenly, Cinderella's ragged clothes turned into a beautiful dress!

And her hair was done up, too!

"What a beautiful dress! I can go to the ball now! Thank you very much!" Cinderella said happily.

Cinderella could hardly wait to attend the ball. Then the fairy told her, "Wait a moment. You should take a carriage."

The fairy thought for a while and then she pointed her magic wand at the big pumpkin in the corner of the house.

The pumpkin became a large carriage!

"We need four horses," the fairy said to herself. Just then she saw four mice

running by. So she waved her magic wand and turned the mice into four

white horses!

Then the fairy gave Cinderella a box. Cinderella opened it. A pair of glass shoes was lying in it! She put them on and they fitted perfectly.

Cinderella thanked the fairy again and got into the carriage.

The fairy reminded her, "You must come back before midnight. After twelve o'clock, all the magic things will disappear.!"

At the ball, Cinderella was so beautiful that everyone was attracted by her charm.

Even her stepmother and stepsisters did not recognize her. They took her for a

princess of another country. When the prince saw Cinderella, he invited her to

dance with him at once. He didn't dance with any other girls the whole night.

It was almost twelve o'clock. Cinderella had to leave. She left the prince

and ran downstairs to the door.

"Miss, wait! May I have your name?" The prince ran after Cinderella. But

he didn't catch up with her and only found a glass shoe on the stairs.

The prince missed Cinderella so much. He wanted Cinderella to be his wife. But how could he find her? The glass shoe was the only clue.

The prince and his ministers went to every street and every house, asking the girls to try on the shoe. But several days went by, and the shoe still fitted no one.

One day, the prince and his ministers came to Cinderella's house with the glass shoe. The elder stepsister tried it on first. Although the shoe was too small for her foot, she still managed to put it into the shoe. She suffered great pain in her foot, but she tried to act gracefully in order to please the prince. But when she walked out, the birds sang to the prince, "The shoe is too tight, this girl is not the bride!"

"Did any other girls go to the ball?" the prince asked. The other stepsister put on the shoe at once. But her foot was too small. When she walked out, the shoe fell off her foot. The birds sang again, "The shoe is too big, this girl is not the bride!"

The ministers said they would punish the family for lying to the prince.

At that moment, Cinderella walked out of the kitchen. "Please let me try," she said. She put on the shoe. It fitted perfectly! The prince came closer and studied her face. "Yes, she is the girl!" the prince cried happily. Seeing this, Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters were furious. Cinderella sat on the horse led by the prince. They went back to the palace. The birds sang,

"She's the beautiful bride, you'll be happy forever!"

The prince and Cinderella got married. They loved each other and lived happily ever after.