A long time ago, in a faraway land, there lived a king and queen with their beautiful daughter, Princess Eleanor. The princess was beautiful, kind, and popular. One month before her 16th birthday, the king and queen decided to prepare a grand ball to celebrate Eleanor’s birthday. There would be singing and dancing. All friends, family, and neighbors in the kingdom would be invited to the party.
The best dressmaker in the kingdom was asked to make the finest dress for Eleanor, and the best shoemaker to craft the finest dancing shoes. But Eleanor was not happy.
“Why are you so sad, Eleanor?” asked the queen.
Eleanor had a secret that she now had to tell. “I can’t dance!” Eleanor cried out.
“Of course you can dance,” said the king. “You are beautiful, and beautiful girls can dance.”
“But I can’t!” Eleanor shouted and ran into the forest, as far as she could go. Suddenly, she heard a beautiful singing voice in the distance. She walked further into the forest. She hid behind a tree and saw a young farm girl dancing so gracefully and singing so beautifully in the woods.
The farm girl suddenly saw Eleanor and stopped both singing and dancing.
“What is your name?” asked Eleanor.
“Giselle,” said the farm girl.
“What is your name?” Giselle asked.
“I am Princess Eleanor, and I live at the castle.”
“I wish I lived in a castle,” Giselle said.
“I wish I could dance like you,” said Eleanor.
“My father, Mr. Jenkins, made some magical silver dancing shoes when I was a little girl. They sparkle in the moonlight and shine in the sunlight,” said Giselle.
“Would he make some for me?” Eleanor asked. “I need to be able to dance at my birthday party. If your father makes me some shoes, it will mean that I can dance like you.”
“He would be happy to make the shoes for you and bring them to the castle a week before your birthday party,” said Giselle.
Eleanor was so happy and ran back to the castle and told the king and queen that she had found a shoemaker who would make magical dancing shoes for her.
“Father, Mother,” she shouted, “I have found a shoemaker who can make magical dancing shoes for me.”
Giselle ran back to her father’s small wooden cottage deep in the forest. “Father,” she said, “Princess Eleanor needs magical dancing shoes for her birthday party. Can you make the shoes for her?”
Mr. Jenkins agreed and immediately began making the shoes. Everyone loved Princess Eleanor. Mr. Jenkins worked day and night to make the magical shoes. After ten days, the shoes were ready. They were silver and shone and sparkled in the moonlight.
Mr. Jenkins said, “These shoes are truly fit for a princess.” He placed them on the window of the cottage, ready to take to the castle, and went out to call for Giselle. But when he came back, the shoes had vanished into thin air.
“Giselle,” he called. “Did you take the magical shoes?”
“No, Father,” she replied.
“They’re gone!” Mr. Jenkins said.
“Don’t worry, Father,” said Giselle, “I’ll help you look for them.”
Mr. Jenkins and Giselle searched the small wooden cottage and the forest for the shining silver shoes, but they were nowhere to be found.
“What will I do?” Mr. Jenkins asked. “The party is only five days away. I’ll never make another pair of shoes in time.”
Giselle said, “Don’t worry, Father, I have an idea! Eleanor can have my shoes. I can dance, and if she wears my shoes, she’ll be able to dance too!”
“But your shoes aren’t magical. They’re just ordinary shoes, and they’re not silver. They’re just plain brown and not fit for a princess,” said Mr. Jenkins.
“We’ll paint them silver, and I’ll show Eleanor how to dance, and then she will dance. She will dance, Father, I promise!”
Mr. Jenkins wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t have time to make another pair of shoes, so he took Giselle’s old brown shoes and painted them silver. He put them in a large brown box wrapped with a red ribbon, and Giselle and Mr. Jenkins set off for the castle.
Eleanor was so excited when she saw Giselle and Mr. Jenkins.
“My magical shoes have arrived!” she said.
Mr. Jenkins approached the king and queen. “Look! I have these magical shoes, fit for a princess.” He bowed and proudly presented the shoes.
The king gave a questioning look at the shoes, which did not seem suitable for a princess.
Eleanor looked at the shoes, which were not made of the finest leather or adorned with the rarest jewels, but they were magical shoes.
“Try them!” said Giselle, “and I will show you how to dance in them.”
Eleanor carefully put the shoe on her foot, and it fit perfectly.
“You can dance now, Eleanor,” Giselle said.
Eleanor put her right foot forward and then her left and began to dance and glide so gracefully around the room.
The king and queen marveled at the sight of their beautiful daughter dancing. “I can dance! I can dance!” Eleanor exclaimed.
The king was delighted and gave Mr. Jenkins a large velvet bag filled with gold coins.
Mr. Jenkins and Giselle were happy, and they returned home to their cottage in the forest.
“It was your magic that helped Eleanor dance,” said Mr. Jenkins to Giselle.
“There was no magic,” said Giselle. “Anyone can dance if they believe they can!”
They never found the magical dancing shoes, but Eleanor danced happily for the rest of her days.
