Once upon a time, in a grand old house, there lived a kind young girl named Cinderella. She spent her days sweeping, cleaning, and talking to her tiny friend, a mouse named Gus. The warm afternoon sun streamed through the kitchen windows, making dust particles dance like tiny stars in the air.
“Oh, Gus,” Cinderella sighed, leaning on her wooden broom, “I wish I could go to the royal ball tonight.” She looked at her simple brown dress, smudged with ashes from the fireplace. Gus squeaked sympathetically from his perch on the windowsill, his tiny red jacket catching the sunlight.
Just then, something magical happened! A shower of sparkling lights filled the garden, and there appeared a kind Fairy Godmother, her blue robes glowing in the evening air. “Don’t worry, my dear,” she smiled, waving her sparkling wand. “You shall go to the ball!”
With a wave of her wand and a sprinkle of magic, Cinderella’s old dress transformed into a beautiful blue ball gown. But the most magical gift of all was a pair of perfect glass slippers, sparkling like diamonds in the moonlight. “They’re beautiful!” Cinderella gasped, twirling around in delight.
At the palace, the ballroom sparkled with a thousand lights from crystal chandeliers. As Cinderella entered, everyone turned to look at the mysterious beautiful princess. The Prince himself walked straight to her, bowing deeply. “May I have this dance?” he asked.
Together they danced and danced, Cinderella’s glass slippers twinkling with every step. The Prince had never seen such beautiful shoes, nor met such a charming young lady. Everyone watched in wonder as they twirled across the gleaming marble floor.
But then, the great palace clock began to chime midnight! “Oh no!” Cinderella gasped. She had to leave before the magic ended. She ran down the palace steps as fast as she could, but one of her glass slippers slipped off, left behind on the stairs.
The Prince called after her, but Cinderella kept running until she was home. Though her beautiful dress turned back into rags, she still had wonderful memories of the ball – and somewhere in the palace, a perfect glass slipper waited to bring her back to her Prince, proving that dreams really do come true.