Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl named Cinderella. She lived with
her wicked stepmother and two stepsisters. They treated Cinderella very badly.
One day,
on short notice, they were invited for a grand ball in the king’s palace.
The king was the
big wheel
in the land. But
Cinderella’s stepmother would not let her go and said that she was being
sassy
to even think that she could
measure up
to someone who could go to a grand ball. Cinderella was made to sew new
party gowns for her stepmother and stepsisters, and curl their hair and
everyone was
in a tizzy
getting ready for the ball. They went to the ball, leaving Cinderella alone at home.
What
a drag
that was, and Cinderella felt like a
sad sack and began to cry. Suddenly, a fairy godmother
who had a
hidden agenda, appeared and said, “Don’t
cry, Cinderella! I will send you to the ball!” But Cinderella was sad. She
said, “Get serious, I don’t have a gown to wear for the ball!” The fairy godmother
had an
ace in the whole,
a magic wand! She said,"
You are
under my care
now," and waved her
magic wand and changed Cinderella’s old clothes into a beautiful new gown! The
fairy godmother then touched Cinderella’s feet with the magic wand. And lo! She
had beautiful glass slippers! “How will I go to the grand ball?” asked
Cinderella. The fairy godmother found six mice playing near a pumpkin, in the
kitchen. She touched them with her magic wand and the mice became four shiny
black horses and two coachmen and the pumpkin turned into a golden coach.
No
tin Lizzie
for Cinderella, she was going to the ball in style. Cinderella was overjoyed and set off for the ball in the coach drawn by the six
black horses. Before leaving. the fairy godmother said, “Cinderella, this magic
will only last until midnight! You must reach home by then! You must
keep under wraps
how you got these fine clothes.”
When Cinderella entered
the palace, everybody was struck by her beauty. Nobody, not even Cinderella’s
stepmother or stepsisters, knew who she really was in her pretty clothes and
shoes. The handsome prince also saw her and fell in love with Cinderella. He
went to her and asked, “Do you want to dance?” And Cinderella said, “Yes!” The
prince danced with her all night and nobody recognized the beautiful dancer.
Cinderella was having
a blast
dancing with the prince that she almost forgot what the
fairy godmother had said. At the last moment, Cinderella remembered her fairy
godmother’s words and she rushed to go home. “Oh! I must go!” she cried and ran
out of the palace. One of her glass slippers came off but Cinderella did not
turn back for it. She reached home just as the clock struck twelve. Her coach
turned back into a pumpkin, the horses into mice and her fine ball gown into
rags. Cinderella was
back to square one,
in rags again. Her stepmother and stepsisters reached home shortly after that. They were
talking about the beautiful lady who had been dancing with the prince.
The prince had fallen
in love with Cinderella and
longed for the beautiful girl, but
he did not even know her name. He found the glass slipper that had come off
Cinderella’s foot as she ran home. The prince said, “I will find her. The lady
whose foot fits this slipper will be the one I marry!” The next day, the prince
and his servants took the glass slipper and
dropped in
on all the houses in the kingdom.
They wanted to find the lady whose feet would fit in the slipper. All the women
in the kingdom wanted to have
first crack at the slipper but it would not fit any of them. Cinderella’s
stepsisters also tried on the little glass slipper. They tried to squeeze their
feet and push hard into the slipper, but the servant was afraid the slipper
would break. Cinderella asked if she could try on the slipper and her stepmother
told her to
hold your tongue
and would not let her try the slipper on, but
the prince saw her and he wouldn't
let up
on his search and said, “Let her also try on the slipper!” The slipper fit
her perfectly. The prince recognized her from the ball. He married Cinderella
and she
put down roots
in the palace where the
balance of power
between her stepmother and her stepsisters changed. She was now a queen, and
Cinderella felt her stepmother and stepsisters could
eat
their hearts out.
Cinderella and the King lived happily ever after.
Idioms in this story:
a big wheel a blast a drag ace in the hole let up long for measure up hidden agenda hold your tongue in a tizzy keep it under wraps first crack at it get serious tin Lizzie under my care eat your heart out drop in put down roots sad sack sassy back to square one balance of power on short notice