Once upon a time, a long, long ago, there lived a beautiful princess named Cinderella.
One morning, Cinderella was doing her toilette.
Someone knocked on the door. "Come in!" she called.
"G'morning, miss." Phoebe, the maid greeted the princess. "You are wanted in the sitting room."
"Why?" Cinderella questioned Phoebe. "I don't know miss." Phoebe replied.
Cinderella picked up her skirts and hurried to the sitting room.
When she arrived, she saw three people there. She had never seen them before in her life.
"Hello." She greeted them. "I am Princess Cinderella."
"Hello, Princess Cinderella." The woman in the blue suit stood up and spoke in a mocking voice. "I am Baroness Van Schuatz."
"My pleasure. And you are here because...?" Cinderella asked.
"Why, didn't you father tell you?" the Baroness purred. "I am your new stepmother."
"My, my, WHAT?" Cinderella exclaimed.
"Yes, your stepmother." Baroness Van Schuatz said.
"And this is your stepsister, Guinivere."
"And your other stepsister, Esmerelda."
"Well," Cinderella said, trying to be happy about this new arrangment. "I've always wanted sisters!"
"Er, stepsisters, if you don't mind." Guinivere said sharply.
"But from now on, you will call them Miss Guinivere and Miss Esmerelda." The Baroness said.
"Why?" Cinderella questioned.
"Because you are now a servant to me and my daughters." Baroness Van Schuatz exclaimed.
"Oh, Phoebe!"
Phoebe appeared instantly. "Phoebe, take Cinderella to the servant's quarters and get her equipped in a proper outfit."
"Ma'am?" Phoebe said.
"You heard me, now obey me." The Baroness said.
"Um, yes, ma'am." Phoebe said.
"Baroness Van Schuatz, why are you doing this? Where is my father? He will set you straight!" Cinderella cried. "Your father is dead." The Baroness said, happy to be the bearer of bad news. "I am Queen of this kingdom, and I want no interference from possible heirs."
"We are now the heirs." Guinivere cackled. "Yes." Esmeralda agreed. "And no one will ever know what became of little Princess Cinderella." Cinderella gasped.
"You won't get away with this." She said. Though Cinderella had a very humble and congenial spirit, even this was too much for her to bear.
She spun on her heel, and followed Phoebe to the servant's quarters.
"I'm so sorry, Princess Cinderella." Phoebe said softly, handing a pale blue dress to Cinderella.
"Thank you, Phoebe, but you best not call me Princess Cinderella anymore. It might get you in trouble. Just call me Cinderella." She said, and then slipped into her dress.
"How do I look?" She asked Phoebe. "Beautiful...just as beautiful as you did in them gowns, Princ...I mean Cinderella." Phoebe said, smiling.
"We're friends now, Phoebe. Because you are probably one of the only friends I've got now." Cinderella said.
Phoebe smiled. "I'm proud to be your friend, Cinderella.
Cinderella worked hard all the time.
At night, she fell into bed exhausted, only to wake up the next morning and work just as hard.
Her only friends (besides Phoebe) were the little mice that made their homes in the walls of her bedroom.
One day, a knock came at the door that was to change Cinderella's life forever.
"Letter from King Phillip of the neighboring kingdom for Baroness Von Schuatz." The messanger said.
"Thank you." Cinderella took the letter, and hurried to the sitting room.
"Cinderella, what is the meaning of this, bursting in without knocking?" Baroness Von Schuatz exclaimed.
"It's an invitation, Baroness! From King Phillip of the neighboring Kingdom." Cinderella said. "Give me that!" The Baroness snatched it from Cinderella's hand.
"Your three daughters are invited to Prince John's birthday ball!" She read.
"Three?" Kathleen exclaimed. "But there are only 2 of us!"
"I'm sure they mean Cinderella as well." Baroness Von Schuatz said. "Cinderella?" Guinivere exclaimed. "You won't let her come though, will you, Mother?"
"Well," Baroness Von Schuatz said, looking up at Cinderella. "I suppose if she gets all of her chores done, she might be able to go." "Mama!" Guinivere exclaimed. "Calm down, Guinie, she won't prove a rival to you, that's for sure." the Baroness told her daughter.
"And she must get all of her chores done, which is very unlikely anyway."
"Oh, you just wait, ma'am." Cinderella said, smiling. "I'll get them all done."
True to her word, Cinderella worked very hard the day of the Prince's birthday ball. She swept...
And did the laundry...
And did every single type of chore there is to do!
"There, Baroness, I'm all done." Cinderella said finally, after doing her final chore. (Or so she thought) "Not so fast, young lady." The Baroness warned. "You still have one chore left. You must help my daughters get ready for the ball." Cinderella sighed, but hurried on her way.
"Oh my goodness!" Cinderella exclaimed when she walked into her sisters' bedchamber. Clothes were tossed everywhere, and Esmerelda and Guinivere were fighting.
"I want to wear this dress!" Esmeralda screamed. "No, no, NO! I want to wear it!" Guinivere squealed back.
"Girls, girls, if you don't stop fighting, NO ONE will get to wear it." Cinderella soothed. "She's got a point." Esmerelda said softly.
Cinderella helped her sisters choose the perfect dress for each of them.
"The Prince will simply fall in love with me when he sees me in this dress!" Guinivere says, sporting a ruffled, pink fandango dress.
"Ha! He'll swoon when he sees me in this!" Esmerelda insisted, holding out the A-line skirt of her Regency dress.
"Really, Es, that dress does not flatter you." Guinivere said. "Well, that dress has so many ruffles on it, I can hardly see you under them all, Guin." Esmerelda returned.
"Girls..." Cinderella said softly.
"Hello, my darlings!" Baroness Von Schuatz floated into the room. "Hello, Mama!" Her daughters answered her.
"I see you have completed your last chore. Well, Cinderella, I suppose I must stick to my agreement. You may go to the ball. If you can get dressed quickly enough." Baroness Von Schuatz told Cinderella.
"Oh, thank you ma'am, thank you!" Cinderella exclaimed, and she dashed off to her room.
But as soon as she arrived in her small garret, she realized something. She did not have any clothes to wear to the ball!
She threw herself on her bed, sobbing. "Oh, oh, I'll never get to go to the ball! I will be a chambermaid for my whole life!"
Her little mice friends, eager to comfort her, quickly formed a plan. They disappeared, but soon were back...
...With sashes, slippers, lockets and clips, all for dressing up their mistress!
'Oh, you darling things!" Cinderella exclaimed.
She smiled as a little white mous fastened a sash about her.
Soon, she was all dressed. "Well, it's not the best, but it'll do." She said, smiling.
"I'm ready!" Cinderella announced, coming out of her bedroom. "Ready...with my sash on!" Esmerelda cried.
"And that's my locket! And my diamond hairclip!" Baroness Von Schuatz cried. "And those are my slippers!" Guinivere said.
"Just for that, you are staying home." Baroness Von Schuatz said. "Just think, she must've gone into our bedroom and taken these things!" Esmeralda cried, as if it were the most worse thing on earth.
So once again, Cinderella found herself on her bed, sobbing her eyes out.
But a soft voice made her look up. "Hello, my sweet."
"Who are you?" Cinderella exclaimed.
"I am your Fairy Godmother. And tell me, why are you crying so?"
"Because I want to go to the Prince's birthday ball, but I have no way to get there and no clothes to wear." Cinderella said softly.
"I see. Well, I might be able to fix that." She said softly.
"Really?"
"Oh yes. Can you bring me a mouse?"
"A mouse?" Cinderella asked. "Quite." The Fairy Godmother replied.
So Cinderella brought a mouse and laid it at the fairy godmother's feet.
And with a wave of her magic wand, the mouse became...
A Footman!
"Oh my!" Cinderella cried.
"Now, bring me a pumpkin."
"A pumpkin." She hurried out to the kitchen, and soon came back with...
...A pumpkin, which she laid at the fairy godmother's feet.
A wave of her magic wand and the pumpkin became...
A beautiful carriage!
Finally, the fairy godmother asked for a rat.
She waved her wand and...
Presto, the rat became a horse!
"Now, are you ready to go to the ball?" the Fairy godmother asked Cinderella. "Well, my clothes." Cinderella said softly. "I cannot wear these to the ball.
"Oh dear me, I quite agree."
So with a final wave of her wand, Cinderella was transformed from a
Scullery maid to a...
...Beautiful princess!
"Oh, fairy godmother, thank you so much." Cinderella said, hugging her.
"I'm glad you like it. Now, there is one condition. You must be back here before Midnight. Or else, the magic will wear off. And you will be a scrullery maid again.
"Oh yes, Fairy godmother, I will!" Cinderella said.
The Fairy godmother bid her little charge goodbye, waved her wand and...
...Disappeared.
With the help of the footman, Cinderella stepped into the carriage.
And away they went!
As if by magic, they arrived at the palace not a minute late.
The footman helped Cinderella out...
...And she shyly went through the doors to the ballroom.
As the Prince turned to greet the new arrival, his eyes opened wide. For Cinderella was the most beautiful girl there.
"Good evening, your highness." Cinderella curtsied as the prince approached her. "Will you dance with me?" He asked her.
Prince John and Cinderella danced...
...and danced...
...And danced.
The other princesses who were there looked at Cinderella with looks that would thaw ice.
"Tisn't fair!" Guinivere gasped. "That good-for-nothing girl waltzes in here and steals the Prince away." (She didn't recoginize Cinderella)
"Hm. She's not that pretty either." Said another girl, who really thought she was pretty, but never would've admitted it.
"I think it's so unfair..." Esmerelda said, for she just repeated what her sister said.
"I bet she wasn't even invited." Said another Princess.
"Girls, I think she's very pretty. And you shouldn't make fun of her that way." Said the princess from the Kingdom of Srilankan.
"You don't know anything." Esmerelda said, sniffing at the Srilankan princess.
The princessess seperated into groups...
Esmerelda and Guinivere bickering with each other all the time.
Cinderella was having such a marvelous time, dancing with the Prince, she didn't notice when the clock donged the first dong of Midnight.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, gasping as she looked at the clock. "I must go!"
As she took off running, the prince called after her, "No, don't go!" But Cinderella didn't stop.
Cinderella ran as fast as she could to the carriage.
She reached the carriage just as the eighth dong sounded.
She had run so fast, she did not realize she left behind one of her slippers.
The Prince picked up the slipper. "I will find that beautiful Princess! For I want her to be my wife!"
As he said these words, the final dong sounded from the ballroom, and Cinderella's gown changed back to her work dress, and the horse and footman turned back into a rat and a mouse, and the pumpkin turned into a carriage.
Cinderella sat slowly down, and then she noticed that she still had one of her slippers on her foot. She took it off, and smiled. "Well, this wll be a rememberence of the best night of my life." She said softly.
"Come on, fellows, let's head home." Cinderella slowly stood up and headed home.
The next morning, Esmerelda, Guinivere and Baroness Von Schuatz were sitting at breakfast. Esmerelda and Guinivere were telling their mother all about the previous night. "The Prince danced with that mysterious girl all night long! Till Midnight, anyways. Then she dashed out as if she was going to turn into a pumpkin or something." Guinivere said.
Phoebe stood in the corner of the room quietly, listening carefully so as to report to Cinderella everything she heard.
Suddenly, she jerked to attention as Baroness Von Schuatz ordered, "Phoebe, go get us some more porridge, will you?" "Yes, ma'am." Phoebe said quickly, hurrying off to do her mistress's bidding.
"Oh Cinderella," Phoebe exclaimed as she reached the kitchen. "Missy Guinivere was telling the baroness all about a beautiful girl who was at the ball last night. And as the clock struck midnight, she rushed out, as if she was going to turn into a pumpkin. Oh, Cinderella, don't you just wish you could've been there?"
"Indeed." Cinderella said softly, a small smile playing on her lips.
Later that day, a knock came at the door.
Cinderella answered it. "Yes?" she said. "I am a messanger from the King. Is the Baroness in?" The messanger asked. "Yes, she is. Follow me."
"Baroness Von Schuatz, this man is a messanger from the King." Cinderella said, leading the messanger into the parlor.
"Oh! Oh!" The Baroness exclaimed, thinking perhaps that the Prince had fallen in love with one of her daughters. "You are dismissed, Cinderella."
"Yes, ma'am." Cinderella curstied and hurried away.
"How do you do." Baroness Von Schuatz said, her voice sweet and syrupy. "And what can I do for you?" "There was a young girl last night at the Prince's birthday ball. The Prince has fallen in love with her and wants to marry her. But he does not know her name, or even what Kingdom she is from. The only thing he has is her slipper. He has commanded that whoever can put their foot into this slipper, he will marry her."
"Oh, well then, I will go get my daughters right away." The Baroness bubbled.
She found Esmerelda and Guinivere bickering with each other.
"Girls, girls, shush now. There is a messanger from the Prince here. He has brought a lady's slipper, the slipper of the girl you told me about at breakfast. Whoeverr can get their foot into that slipper, the Prince will marry her."
"Now, I am sure that at least one of you must be able to fit your foot into a slipper."
"Oh, Mama!" Guinivere exclaimed. "Just think, I might be a princess before the day is out!" Esmerelda squealed.
"Perhaps. But you must act civilized." The baroness ordered.
"Here are my daughters." The baroness said, trying to keep her voice steady, though it was almost quivering with excitement. "Well, let's get this over with." The messanger said, standing up.
First, she tried the slipper on Guinivere's foot. Much to her chagrin, it did not fit.
"Tough luck." Esmerelda sneered. Guinivere tossed her head in reply, and went off to sulk.
Then she tried the shoe on Esmerelda. Once again, it didn't fit.
Baroness Von Schuatz forced herself to keep her temper down, though she felt as if steam was coming out of her ears.
"It's not fair." Guiniever whimpered to Esmerelda.
"Well, I'm dreadfully sorry for putting high hopes into your head." The messanger said. "Well, I suppose that's just the way things go." Baroness Von Schuatz said.
"Wait a second, ma'am!" Phoebe rushed into the room. "Phoebe..." the Baroness hissed. But Phoebe pretended not to hear her. "You should have Cinderella try on the shoe as well."
"Cinderella?" The messanger exclaimed. "Isn't that the princess who drowned a month ago?" "Well, well, I..." the Baroness stuttered.
"Drowned!" Phoebe exclaimed. "Hardly. That woman made her a servant when she married her father." "Phoebe, go to your quarters!" The Baroness screamed, her face becoming red as she started to panic. Her plan was falling apart.
Phoebe rushed to find Cinderella. "Cinderella, come quickly!" "Why?" Cinderella questioned. "No time to say, just come!"
Phoebe half-dragged Cinderella to the parlor. "Here she is, ma'am." She said to the messanger.
"What is going on?" Cinderella asked. "Just sit down." The messanger told her.
Cinderella sat down, and the messanger slipped the shoe on...as easy as if it had been molded to fit her foot!
"It's not FAIR, Mamaaa!" Guinievere squealed.
"I think you have some explaning to do." The messanger said to Baroness Von Schuatz. "And you, Princess Cinderella, come with me."
About a month later, another sort of invitation went out.
Cinderella was a beautiful bride.
Phoebe was her attendant.
Cinderella had a long train, which was almost twice as long as she was tall!
As they shared a kiss, Prince John and Princess Cinderella lived Happily...
...Ever...
...After.
But not everyone had such an ending. "Work you, drudges!" The Baroness yelled.
"Mama, YOU are supposed to be doing this work too!" Guinivere said.
"This apron clashes with my dress." Esmerelda whimpered.
"Work, or I'll...I'll..." Baroness Von Schuatz stuttered.
"You'll what?" Guinievere challenged.
"None of your beeswax. Just work!" The Baroness returned.
~ The End ~ Starring: ~ Nicki as Cinderella ~ Violet as Baroness Von Schuatz ~ Felicity as Guinivere ~ Kathleen as Esmerelda ~ Heather as Phoebe ~ Molly as the Messanger ~ Joan as Prince John ~ Samantha as Fairy Godmother ~ Kirsten as Princess #1 ~ Jess as Princess #2 ~ Josefina as Princess #3 ~
And with a special appereance by Ken as the Footman.
