Cinderbella
A Different Kind of Fairy Tale
Can Cinderella go to the ball without magic?
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful girl called Bella. Her father remarried after her mother passed away when she was young. Bella lived with her stepmother, father and one step-sister.
Bella has a talent for making beautiful clothes and accessories. The stepmother and step-sister are jealous of her beauty and skills. They were mean to her and did not treat her well.
Every day, Bella had to do all the household chores. She had to prepare food, wash the clothes, and clean the floor. The only thing Bella was happy about was making pretty clothes in her room at night from old clothes her step-sister threw away. Bella keeps her hobby a secret so she will not get into trouble.
Shortly after, her father fell ill and passed away. The stepmother and step-sister became even more awful. They made her do more chores every day till late.
One night, her step-sister felt hungry past midnight. She called out to Bella to make her some food. By then, Bella was already in her room making some dresses. She was so engrossed that she did not hear her step-sister calling her. When her step-sister could not get her, she got angry and opened her room door. She saw Bella making dresses secretly.
In her anger, she screamed and took a pair of scissors to destroy the dress. Her step-sister then opened her wardrobe and found more dresses! She took them out and cut them as much as she could, and threw them to the floor while trampling to dirty them.
As soon as she heard the commotion, the stepmother rushed in to see what had happened. When the stepmother saw the dresses, she demanded, “Burn those dresses! You have no use for them and will never get to wear pretty clothes!” They grabbed all the dresses Bella made and threw them all into the furnace.
“No….!!” Bella’s tears flowed as she tried to save the dresses from getting burned without success. Her face was smeared with black ashes from the furnace as she rubbed tears from her eyes. “Clean up this mess. Cinderbella, I don’t want to see them in the morning.” her stepmother grinned. “With those ashes on your face, this name suits you more.” From then on, they called her Cinderbella.
One day, there was an invitation to a royal ball event at the Palace. Everyone was invited. Cinderbella had to help prepare the dresses, makeup and hair for her sister and stepmother. She started to prepare for herself when she had completed all her work. Her step-sister noticed and said, “You cannot go. Those dresses you have are unfit to be present at the ball.”
“But I have one which my mother left me.” Replied Cinderbella. She picked up the only dress from the box her mother gave her. The mean sister snatched the dress away and cut it immediately in front of her. “Oh no, you have no dress. You cannot go to the ball.” the step-sister giggled. Cinderbella was devastated. She wept as she watched her stepmother and sister leave for the ball.
“My girl, do you want to go to the ball?” A voice said. Cinderbella turned and saw her neighbour, a very lovely old granny.
“I’m an old lady, and I have difficulty walking. You can have my invitation card if you wish.” Said old granny. “But I have no clothes or means to go to the Palace.” Replied Cinderbella.
Granny smiled. “Grandpa has horses. He will bring you there. I knew you have the talent to make dresses. Come to my house. I have a lot of clothes for you. If you don’t mind, they may be a bit old. You better hurry.”
Cinderbella smiled as she saw hope. She quickly picked herself up and went over to granny’s house. She mixed and matched the clothes and performed her “magic” in making clothes. After she had completed her dress, she noticed she did not have any shoes to go with her dress. Granny smiled. “I have the perfect shoes for you. I nearly forgot about them but managed to find them while you were making the dress.” She handed over two shiny glass slippers for Cinderbella.
As Cinderbella was about to leave, granny said to her. “You must not forget to come home before your stepmother and sister. It is best to be home before midnight so you don’t get into trouble with your stepmother.”
“I promise,” Said Cinderbella, and she left for the Palace.
Cinderbella was late when she reached the ball. When she stepped into the ballroom, she stood out from the crowd with her pretty dress and how beautiful she was. Everyone looked at her with awe. The Prince immediately stepped forward to ask for a dance with Cinderbella. He danced with only Cinderbella and no one else. Nobody knew who the girl was and where she came from.
From afar, the stepmother and sister could not recognise Cinderbella. Moreover, after destroying her dress, they did not expect her to turn up for the ball. Everyone at the ball was envious of Cinderbella. Cinderbella had never been so happy that she had forgotten the time. The ball is nearly over when the clock strikes midnight.
“Oh no! I need to go back before anyone finds out!” Cinderbella told herself. In a hurry, Cinderbella accidentally dropped her glass shoes. The Prince chased after her but only found her shoe. He told his servant, “I must find the owner of this shoe and marry her.”
Soon, royal notices were put up to find the shoe’s missing owner. The servants went from house to house to find the shoe owner. Finally, the servant arrived at Cinderbella’s house. “Give me that shoes. I’m the owner, and I will marry the Prince.” Claimed the step-sister.
“Not only must the shoes fit, but you must also wear your dresses to show our Prince.” Said the servant. The step-sister tried nonetheless. However, her feet were a bit too big for the glass shoes.
“Anyone else in this house who wants to try the shoes?” The servant asked. Cinderbella, who had been watching, asked,” may I try?” “No, she did not attend the ball, and she is just a maid!” exclaimed the stepmother.
The servant replied, “Every girl in the kingdom must try.”
Cinderbella tried on the shoe, and it fit her perfectly. She took out the other shoes from her pocket and showed the servant. “Please wait for me.” Said Cinderbella as she went to her room to change into the outfit she wore to the ball. The stepmother and sister were both stunned beyond words when they saw Cinderbella.
“Let’s return to the Palace immediately,” Said the servant. “Before I go, I need to thank my “fairy” who helped me.” Said Cinderbella. “Fairy?” Everyone in the room looked at each other, puzzled. Cinderbella went to her neighbour and said, “Granny, I cannot thank you enough. Are you willing to let me be your Goddaughter, and I promise to take care of you?” Granny smiled. “I will always be your Godmother.”
Cinderbella married the Prince soon after and lived happily ever after. Her story was retold in many versions, and soon many people mistake her granny for a fairy Godmother!
Fairy Tale Stories ~ Let’s Discuss
Learning About Cinderella
- How different is this fairy tale from the usual Cinderella story you have heard? Do you prefer the story to have a fairy god mother?
- Cinderbella is good at making dresses. Do you know how to make dresses for your dolls or toys?
- What do you think about the stepmother and stepsister? Do you think it is ok to treat Cinderbella this way?
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This story “Cinderbella” .
Cover designed By: StoryDino
Special Thanks To: My two boys for their suggestion on the design 🙂