Like all other stories, this one too begins with… once upon a time, there was very rich man, who, after his wife had passed, married a terribly wicked woman, who brought along her two daughters. Shortly after the wedding, the woman revealed her true colours. She couldn’t stand the fact that her daughters were ugly and uneducated, while her husband had a beautiful, kind, hard-working and gentle daughter, just as her mother had been.

– She can’t be in the same room as us! She belongs in the kitchen! moaned the two girls, while taking away her beautiful clothes and making her wear brown rags and wooden clogs.

Just to see her father at peace, the beautiful girl agreed to sleep in the cinder, by the fireplace and work from dawn till dusk to attend to every need of the three wicked women. And, because she was constantly covered in cinder, everyone started calling her Cinderella.

– I’m going to the market today. What should I bring you? asked the man one day.

– Dresses and jewelry! said the two evil sisters.

– I only want a little twig, answered Cinderella.

And so the beautiful girl received a walnut twig, which she placed on her mother’s tombstone. After a few years, the twig turned into a beautiful tree, which a white, magic bird now called home.

One day, the Emperor announced that he was hosting a grand ball, and that all young women in the land were invited.

-Cinderella, come and fix our hair, press our dresses, polish our shoes. We’re going to a
ball, haven’t you heard?

-You would like to go too, wouldn’t you? asked her step-mother, thinking that Cinderella
had no business attending a royal ball.

-I would… but maybe I don’t belong there…

-Right you are! Everybody would make fun of you! But if you can pick every single lentil
out of this bowl of suit, you can go.

With the help of the doves and the pigeons, Cinderella managed to pull it off, but her
mother would not have it. There was no way she would take Cinderella with them, so she took her two daughters and set off, leaving Cinderella behind.

Hearing the poor girl cry, the white bird in the walnut tree, who was, in fact, her fairy
god-mother, came by her window.

– Fetch a pumpkin from the garden!

Hocus-pocus, the pumpkin turned into a beautiful carriage and several mice from the barn
turned into majestic horses and a driver.

– As for you, lizzards, you will be Cinderella’s elegant servants tonight.

With a swish of her wand, the fairy god-mother turned the girl’s old rags into an enchanting
dress, made out of silver and gold thread, and gave her a pair of sparkly glass slippers.

– Make sure you leave before the clock strikes midnight. If you are late, your carriage will
turn back into a pumpkin, your driver into a rat, your horses into mice, your servants into lizzards and you dress into rags.

– What a beautiful girl! Who is she? Who is she? all the guests started wondering, when Cinderella showed up.

The moment he saw her, the Emperor’s son welcomed her and asked her to dance with him.
After a few hours, which flew like seconds, the clock struck midnight. Ding. Doooong! Scared, Cinderella ran out of the prince’s arms and hurried home, leaving behind nothing but a glass slipper.

– I need to find my prrincess! announced the prince the following day. All the girls in the
kingdom must try on the slipper!

– What are you waiting for? Cut off your toe and soon you’ll be Emperess and you will no
longer need to walk anywhere! said the step-mother to her eldest daughter, when she saw her foot was too large.

– Can’t you see it won’t fit? Cut off part of your heel and be done with it! You’ll soon be
Empress and you will no longer need to walk anywhere! she then told her other daughter.

But this was all in vain, for the Emperor’s son knew they were not the love of his life.

– Can I please try on the slipper as well? asked the beautiful Cinderella.

– Of course.

Cinderella put on the slipper and took out the other one as well.

– Here is my bride! Will you marry me? asked the Emperor’s son, recognizing the kind eyes of the girl whom he had danced with at the ball.

– I will!

And so the entire kingdom rejoyced at the wedding and, during the ceremony, on Cinderella’s shoulders sat the doves and white bird, to celebrate together.