La Cenicienta

In a quaint village nestled between rolling hills and enchanted forests, there was a cozy yet slightly eerie cottage. The walls held wooden shelves filled with trinkets and faded photographs, and twinkling lanterns cast soft shadows that danced like fairies in the corners. Inside this cottage, lived a sweet and gentle girl named Ella with her stepmother and two stepsisters. Despite her kind nature, Ella’s stepmother and stepsisters were jealous of her beauty and goodness, and so they made her do all the chores. Covered in ashes from the fireplace, they mockingly called her "Cinderella." One evening, an unexpected invitation arrived—an invitation to a grand ball at the palace! Prince Hugo was searching for someone special, and everyone in the kingdom was invited. Excited whispers filled the air, but Cinderella’s stepmother cruelly declared that Cinderella could not attend unless she finished an impossible list of chores. “Oh, why must they be so unkind?” Cinderella sighed, scrubbing the floors with tears glistening like stars on her cheeks. Just then, the room grew colder and a gentle, magical glow filled the air. From the shadows emerged a sweet old lady with sparkling eyes and a warm smile – the Fairy Godmother. “Do not despair, dear child. You shall go to the ball,” the Fairy Godmother promised. With a flick of her wand, she transformed a nearby pumpkin into a magnificent golden carriage, and the mice in the house turned into gallant white horses. Cinderella’s tattered dress blossomed into a stunning gown sewn with shimmering silks and tiny crystals that sparkled like morning dew. On her feet appeared a pair of glass slippers, delicate and beautiful. “But remember,” the Fairy Godmother warned, “the magic will end at the stroke of midnight. You must return home before then.” “Thank you, thank you!” Cinderella exclaimed joyfully, her heart brimming with hope and excitement. Arriving at the ball, Cinderella’s beauty and grace captivated everyone, especially Prince Hugo. They danced and talked as if they had known each other forever. However, as the clock struck midnight, Cinderella remembered her Fairy Godmother’s warning. She dashed out of the palace, before the last bell of midnight, in such haste that she left one glass slipper behind. “Wait! Please, wait!” the Prince called, but Cinderella was already gone, leaving behind only the glass slipper as a clue. Determined to find the mysterious girl, Prince Hugo proclaimed that he would marry the one whose foot perfectly fit the slipper. The next day, he and his guards went from house to house, trying the slipper on every young woman in the kingdom. Finally, they arrived at Cinderella’s cottage. Her stepsisters tried to squeeze their feet into the glass slipper, but to no avail. When Cinderella asked if she might try, her stepmother and stepsisters laughed mockingly. But Prince Hugo, noticing her kindness and grace, insisted she try. As Cinderella gently slipped her foot into the glass slipper, everyone gasped—it was a perfect fit! Prince Hugo, recognizing her as the girl from the ball, was overjoyed. “I have found you at last!” Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters, realizing their cruelty, felt ashamed. With a forgiving heart, Cinderella invited them to join her at the palace, hoping they too could change their ways. And so, Cinderella and Prince Hugo were married and lived happily ever after, but Cinderella never forgot the friends and home she left behind. She often returned to the cottage where her story began, turning it into a place of warmth and kindness for all who needed it. And from that day on, the village was filled with laughter and joy, as though a touch of magic had forever settled there. Sometimes, in the twilight, they say you can still see the shadows of dancing fairies on the cottage walls, whispering the tale of Cinderella to all who will listen.