Watch more halloween stories on our YouTube channel.
Once upon a time, there lived a wealthy man whose wife became gravely ill. In her final moments, she called their only daughter to her bedside and said,
“Always be kind and good, my dear. God will watch over you, and I will look down on you from heaven.”
Then she gently passed away.
The girl often visited her mother’s grave, crying quietly and staying true to her goodness. In winter, a white blanket of snow covered the grave, and when spring returned, her father remarried.
His new wife brought her two daughters into the household. They were beautiful on the outside but had cold and cruel hearts. Life quickly became difficult for the stepdaughter.
“Why should a silly girl like her sit with us?” the sisters mocked. “If she wants to eat, she must earn it!”
They took away her fine clothes, gave her a rough gray dress and wooden shoes, and sent her to work in the kitchen. From morning until night, she carried heavy loads, fetched water, lit fires, cooked, and cleaned. The sisters made her life even harder by throwing peas and beans into the ashes and forcing her to pick them out.
At night, exhausted and without a proper bed, she slept by the hearth, covered in dust and cinders. So they called her “Cinderella.”
One day, the father was heading to the market and asked his stepdaughters what they wanted.
“Beautiful dresses,” said one.
“Pearls and jewels,” said the other.
“And you, Cinderella?” he asked.
“Just the first branch that brushes against your hat on your way home,” she replied.
He bought fine clothes and jewels for the stepsisters, and on his way home, a branch brushed against his hat. He broke it off and brought it home to Cinderella.
She took the branch to her mother’s grave and planted it. Her tears watered the soil, and soon a lovely tree grew in its place. A white bird in the tree would grant any wish she made.
Then came a royal announcement: the king would host a grand ball to find a bride for the prince, and all the young women in the land were invited.
The stepsisters were thrilled and made Cinderella help them prepare. She did everything they asked but quietly cried, wishing she could go too.
She begged her stepmother to let her attend, but her stepmother laughed and said,
“If you can pick all the lentils I’ve thrown into the ashes within two hours, you may come.”
Cinderella called upon the birds for help, and they quickly picked out the lentils. But her stepmother still refused to let her go and left for the ball with her daughters.
Left alone, Cinderella went to her mother’s grave and said:
“Dear tree, please be kind,
drop gold and silver for me to find.”
The bird dropped a shimmering gown of gold and silver, along with shoes adorned with pearls. She quickly dressed and went to the palace.
Her stepmother and stepsisters didn’t recognize her at all – they thought she was a mysterious princess. Meanwhile, the prince was immediately enchanted. He danced only with her and told anyone who asked,
“She is my partner.”
When night fell, Cinderella slipped away, and the prince tried to follow. She hid in the pigeon coop. The prince told her father what had happened, and the father, suspecting the truth, chopped the coop open – but Cinderella had already returned to the kitchen, dressed in her rags.
The next night, she returned to the grave and received an even more beautiful dress. Again, the prince danced only with her. And again, she escaped, this time hiding in a pear tree. Her father cut it down, but she was already back in the kitchen.
On the third night, the bird gave her a gown more dazzling than ever and golden slippers. At the ball, everyone was spellbound. But this time, the prince had laid a trap on the stairs – pitch to stop her from escaping.
As she ran, one golden slipper stuck to the step. The prince picked it up and declared,
“I will marry the one whose foot fits this slipper.”
One by one, he visited each house. The stepsisters tried to force their feet into the slipper – one even cutting off her toe, the other her heel – but birds revealed the deception each time with a song.
Finally, Cinderella tried on the slipper, and it fit perfectly. The prince recognized her at once.
Her stepmother and stepsisters were horrified. But the prince took Cinderella with him, and the birds sang:
“No blood upon the golden shoe,
the foot fits true, her heart is too.”
At the wedding, the stepsisters tried to win her favor, but the birds punished their cruelty by blinding them, leaving them to live out their days in darkness – a just end for their wickedness.
And so, Cinderella and the prince lived happily ever after.
Looking for more classic fairy tales?
Explore our full collection of classic fairy tales for kids here:
https://bestbedtimestory.com/classic-fairy-tales-for-kids/
