Cinderella used to spend long hours
all alonetalking to the cat. The cat
said, "Miaow", which really meant,
"Cheer up! You have something neither
of your stepsisters have and that is beauty."

It was quite true. Cinderella, even
dressed in rags with a dusty grey face
from the cinders, was a lovely girl.
While her stepsisters, no matter how
splendid and elegant their clothes,
were still clumsy, lumpy and ugly and
always would be.

One day, beautiful new dresses arrived
at the house. A ball was to be held at
Court and the stepsisters were getting
ready to go to it. Cinderella, didn't
even dare ask, "What about me?" for
she knew very well what the answer to
that would be:

"You? My dear girl, you're 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." Cinderella sighed at
the cat.

"Oh dear, I'm so unhappy!" and the
cat murmured "Miaow". Suddenly something
amazing happened. In the kitchen, where
Cinderella was sitting all by herself,
there was a burst of light and a fairy
appeared. "Don't be alarmed, Cinderella,"
said the fairy. "The wind blew me your
sighs. I know you would love to go to
the ball. And so you shall!" "how can
I, dressed in rags?" Cinderella replied.
"The servants will turn me away!" The
fairy smiled. With a flick of her
magic wand... Cinderella found herself
wearing the most beautiful dress, the
loveliest ever seen in the realm.

"Now that we have settled the matter
of the dress," said the fairy, "we'll
need to get you a coach. A real lady
would never go to a ball on foot!"

"Quick! Get me a pumpkin!" she ordered.
"Oh of course," said Cinderella,
rushing away. Then the fairy turned
to the cat.

"You, bring me seven mice!"

"Seven mice!" said the cat. "I didn't
know fairies ate mice too!" "They're
not for eating, silly! Do as you are
told!... and, remember they must
be alive!"

Cinderella soon returned with a fine
pumpkin and the cat with seven mice he
had caught in the cellar.

"Good!" exclaimed the fairy. With a
flick of her magic wand... wonder of
wonders! The pumpkin turned into a
sparkling coach and the mice became
six white horses, while the seventh
mouse turned into a coachman, in a
smart uniform and carrying a whip.
Cinderella could hardly believe her eyes.

"I shall present you at Court. You
will soon see that the Prince, in
whose honour the ball is being held,
will be enchanted by your loveliness.
But remember! You must leave the ball
at midnight and come home. For that
is when the spell ends. Your coach
will turn back into a pumpkin, the
horses will become mice again and the
coachman will turn back into a
mouse... and you will be dressed again
in rags and wearing clogs instead of
these dainty little slippers! Do you
understand?" Cinderella smiled and said,
"Yes, I understand!"

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. The two stepsisters also
wondered who the newcomer was, for
never in a month of Sundays, would
they ever have guessed that the
beautiful girl was really poor Cinderella
who talked to the cat!

When the prince set eyes on Cinderella,
he was struck by her beauty. Walking
over to her, he bowed deeply and asked
her to dance. And to the great
disappointment of all the young ladies,
he danced with Cinderella all evening.

"Who are you, fair maiden?" the Prince
kept asking her. But Cinderella only
replied:

"What does it matter who I am! You will
never see me again anyway." "Oh, but I
shall, I'm quite certain!" he replied.
Cinderella had a wonderful time at the
ball... But, all of a sudden, she heard
the sound of a clock: the first stroke
of midnight! She remembered what the
fairy had said, and without a word of
goobye she slipped from the Prince's
arms and ran down the steps. As she
ran she lost one of her slippers, but
not for a moment did she dream of
stopping to pick it up! If the last
stroke of midnight were to sound... oh..
. what a disaster that would be! Out
she fled and vanished into the night.

The Prince, who was now madly in love
with her, picked up her slipper and
said to his ministers, "Go and search
everywhere for the girl whose foot
this slipper fits. I will never be
content until I find her!"

So the ministers tried the slipper on
the foot of all the girls... and on
Cinderella's foot as well... Surprise!
The slipper fitted perfectly.

"That awful untidy girl simply cannot
have been at the ball," snapped the
stepmother. "Tell the Prince he ought
to marry one of my two daughters!
Can't you see how ugly Cinderella is!
Can't you see?"

Suddenly she broke off, for the fairy
had appeared. "That's enough!" she
exclaimed, raising her magic wand. In
a flash, Cinderella appeared in a
splendid dress,shining with youth and
beauty. Her stepmother and stepsisters
gaped at her in amazement, and the
ministers said, "Come with us, fair
maiden! The Prince awaits to present
you with his engagement ring!"

So Cinderella joyfully went with them,
and lived happily ever after with her
Prince. And as for the cat, he just
said "Miaow"!