Hoofdstuk 1: Het arme buurmeisje Oh mijn lieve lezers!

Chapter 1: The Poor Girl Next Door Oh my dear readers!

Ik heb een verhaal voor je vandaag!

Do I have a story for you today!

Ken je dat grote huis op Maple Street?

You know that big house on Maple Street?

Die met de hoge ramen en de mooie tuin?

The one with the tall windows and the pretty garden?

Laat me je vertellen wat er echt gebeurt binnen die muren.

Well, let me tell you what really happens inside those walls!

Daar woont een meisje genaamd Assepoester.

There lives a girl named Cinderella.

Arme meid.

Poor thing!

Haar vader stierf toen ze heel jong was.

Her father died when she was very young.

Nu woont ze bij haar stiefmoeder en twee stiefzussen.

Now she lives with her stepmother and two stepsisters.

En die drie vrouwen zijn niet aardig tegen haar.

And oh my goodness, those three women are NOT nice to her!

Elke ochtend zie ik Assepoester de ramen schoonmaken.

Every morning, I see Cinderella cleaning the windows.

Ze wast de vloeren.

She washes the floors.

Zij kookt het eten.

She cooks the food.

Zij doet AL het werk!

She does ALL the work!

Ondertussen slapen haar stiefzussen tot de middag en verven ze hun nagels.

Meanwhile, her stepsisters sleep until noon and paint their nails.

Dat is niet te geloven.

Can you believe it?

De stiefmoeder laat Assepoester oude, vuile kleren dragen.

The stepmother makes Cinderella wear old, dirty clothes.

Maar zelfs in die vodden is dat meisje mooi!

But even in those rags, that girl is beautiful!

Ze heeft vriendelijke ogen en een lieve glimlach.

She has kind eyes and a sweet smile.

Niet zoals haar stiefzusjes - ze zijn gemeen en lelijk van binnen EN van buiten!

Not like her stepsisters - they are mean and ugly inside AND outside!

Hoofdstuk 2: Groot nieuws in het paleis!

Chapter 2: Big News at the Palace!

Afgelopen dinsdag, kwam de stadspreker naar ons dorp.

Last Tuesday, the town crier came to our village.

Hij had groot nieuws.

He had BIG NEWS!

De prins heeft een bal!

The Prince is having a ball!

Een mooi feestje in het paleis.

A fancy party at the palace!

Elke jonge vrouw in het koninkrijk mag komen.

Every young woman in the kingdom can come.

De prins wil een vrouw vinden.

The Prince wants to find a wife!

Je had de stiefzusjes moeten zien.

Well, you should have seen the stepsisters!

Ze sprongen op en neer als gekke kippen!

They jumped up and down like crazy chickens!

Ze kochten nieuwe jurken.

They bought new dresses.

Ze hebben hun haar laten doen.

They got their hair done.

Ze oefenden dansen in de woonkamer.

They practiced dancing in the living room.

Maar arme Assepoester?

But poor Cinderella?

Ze moest ze helpen zich klaar te maken.

She had to help them get ready.

Ze maakte hun haar.

She fixed their hair.

Ze reinigde hun schoenen.

She cleaned their shoes.

Ze hielp hen zelfs hun strakke jurken aan te trekken!

She even helped them put on their tight dresses!

"Mag ik ook naar het bal komen?" vroeg Assepoester. De stiefmoeder lachte.

"Can I come to the ball too?" asked Cinderella. The stepmother laughed.

Jij?

"You?

In die vuile kleren?

In those dirty clothes?

Doe niet zo stom.

Don't be silly!

Je moet thuis blijven en het huis schoonmaken".

You must stay home and clean the house."

Hoe gemeen is dat?

How mean is that?

Hoofdstuk 3: Magie gebeurt!

Chapter 3: Magic Happens!

Op de avond van het bal liep ik met mijn hond langs het huis van Assepoester.

The night of the ball, I was walking my dog past Cinderella's house.

Ik hoorde huilen in de tuin.

I heard crying from the garden.

Er zat Assepoester bij de oude bron, met tranen op haar gezicht.

There was Cinderella, sitting by the old well, tears on her face.

Plotseling begon de lucht te glinsteren!

Suddenly, the air started to sparkle!

Een oude vrouw verscheen!

An old woman appeared!

Ze had een toverstok en een vriendelijke glimlach.

She had a magic wand and a kind smile.

"Ik ben je fee", zei ze.

"I am your Fairy Godmother," she said.

"Waarom huil je, lief kind?" "Ik wil naar het bal", zei Assepoester.

"Why are you crying, dear child?" "I want to go to the ball," said Cinderella.

"Maar ik heb geen mooie jurk en geen manier om daar te komen".

"But I have no pretty dress and no way to get there."

De Fee Godmoeder glimlachte.

The Fairy Godmother smiled.

"We kunnen dat oplossen!" Ze wees met haar staf op een grote pompoen.

"We can fix that!" She pointed her wand at a big pumpkin.

- Ik weet het niet.

POOF!

Het werd een prachtige gouden koets!

It became a beautiful golden carriage!

Ze heeft muizen aangeraakt.

She touched some mice.

POOF!

They became white horses!

She even turned a rat into a driver!

Then she pointed her wand at Cinderella.

POOF!

Her old dress became the most beautiful ball gown in the world!

It was blue like the sky and sparkled like stars!

On her feet appeared glass slippers - the most beautiful shoes ever made!

"Now you can go to the ball!" said the Fairy Godmother.

"But remember - the magic ends at midnight.

You must leave before then!" Chapter 4: The Ball of the Century!

My friend Betty works at the palace.

She told me everything that happened at the ball!

When Cinderella walked into the ballroom, everyone stopped talking.

The Prince stopped dancing.

Even the music stopped!

She was the most beautiful woman anyone had ever seen!

The Prince walked straight to her.

"May I have this dance?" he asked.

They danced ALL night!

They talked and laughed.

The Prince forgot about all the other women at the ball.

He only wanted to dance with the mysterious beautiful girl.

The stepsisters were so jealous!

They tried to get the Prince's attention, but he didn't even look at them!

Chapter 5: Midnight Strikes!

Just before midnight, Cinderella heard the palace clock.

BONG!

BONG!

BONG!

"Oh no!

I must go!" she said to the Prince. She ran away so fast!

The Prince tried to follow her, but she was too quick.

As she ran down the palace steps, one of her glass slippers fell off.

The Prince picked it up. "Wait!" he called.

"I don't even know your name!" But Cinderella was already in her carriage, riding away into the night.

Just as the clock struck twelve, the magic ended.

The carriage became a pumpkin again.

The horses became mice.

And Cinderella was back in her old clothes.

But she kept one glass slipper.

The other one was with the Prince. Chapter 6: The Great Shoe Hunt!

The next morning, the whole village was talking!

The Prince was looking for the mystery girl!

He would marry whoever could wear the glass slipper!

He went to every house in the kingdom.

Every young woman tried on the shoe.

But it was too small for some and too big for others.

Finally, he came to Cinderella's house.

Oh, the stepsisters were so excited!

The first stepsister tried the shoe.

She pushed and pushed, but her foot was too big!

The second stepsister tried the shoe.

She squeezed and squeezed, but her foot was too wide!

"Is there anyone else in this house?" asked the Prince. "Just the servant girl," said the stepmother.

"She wasn't at the ball."

But the Prince wanted to be sure.

"Please, let her try."

Chapter 7: The Happy Ending!

When Cinderella put on the glass slipper, it fit perfectly!

The Prince looked at her face.

"You!

You are the beautiful girl from the ball!" The stepmother and stepsisters couldn't believe it!

Their servant girl was the mystery princess!

Cinderella pulled out the other glass slipper from her pocket.

It fit perfectly too!

The Prince asked Cinderella to marry him.

She said yes!

They had the most beautiful wedding in the kingdom.

Even the stepfamily was invited - though they weren't very happy about it!

And me?

Well, I had the best story ever to tell!

The servant girl became a princess!

Only in fairy tales, right?

Cinderella and the Prince lived happily ever after.

And every time I walk past the palace, I remember the night when magic made dreams come true!

The End Martha Chatterwell's Gossip Corner: Remember, dear readers - be kind to everyone!

You never know who might be a princess in disguise!