The prince was determined to find the mysterious girl from the ball. He announced that he would marry the woman whose foot fit the glass slipper perfectly. His servants went from house to house, carrying the delicate slipper on a velvet cushion.

Every woman in the kingdom tried to put on the slipper. Rich women tried. Poor women tried. Tall women, short women, young women, old women. But the slipper was too small for some and too narrow for others. It fit nobody.

Finally, the prince's servants arrived at Cinderella's house. The stepsisters were thrilled. The first stepsister grabbed the slipper and tried to force her foot in. She pushed and squeezed, but her foot was too wide. Her toes would not go in.

"Push harder!" hissed the stepmother.

The second stepsister tried. She pushed her foot in, but her heel was too big. She twisted and turned, but it was no use. The slipper did not fit either sister.

The servant was about to leave when a quiet voice came from the kitchen doorway.

"May I try?"

It was Cinderella, standing in her ragged dress with ashes on her cheeks. The stepsisters burst out laughing. "You? The kitchen girl? Don't be ridiculous!"

But the prince's servant had his orders: every woman must try. He knelt down and placed the glass slipper on Cinderella's foot.

It fit perfectly.

The room went silent. The stepsisters' mouths fell open. The stepmother turned white.

Then Cinderella reached into her apron pocket and pulled out the other glass slipper. She put it on her other foot. Now she was wearing both.

At that moment, the fairy godmother appeared — though only Cinderella could see her. With a wave of her wand, Cinderella's rags transformed once again into the magnificent ball gown.

The stepsisters fell to their knees. "Forgive us, Cinderella! We are sorry for how we treated you!"

And Cinderella, because she was Cinderella, forgave them.

She married the prince in a ceremony that the whole kingdom attended. She invited her stepsisters to live at the palace, and she was kind to them — because she believed that kindness could change people, even people who had been cruel.

Whether the stepsisters actually changed is another story. But Cinderella was happy, and the prince loved her not only for her beauty but for her gentle, forgiving heart. And they lived, as all good fairy tales promise, happily ever after.