A shoe That’s Lost
The next day too, everything had happened as the previous two days. Her sisters again dressed up beautifully with the help of Cinderella and wished not to find the unknown beauty in that day’s ball, so that the prince would look at them. Soon after her family left, without wasting even a moment’s time, Cinderella ran to the hazel tree and called out to the fairy for help.
“Oh dear fairy, Turn me in to a beautiful lady and make me look as splendid as I can be,” she pleaded the fairy. As usual, with a wave of the wand, Cinderella was a changed one, this time dressed in a sea green dress that resembled the waves of the sea and her shoes too were made of gold.
With the carriage ready by her side, she quickly ascended it and waved goodbye to the fairy, who again cautioned her to come back before midnight.
So delighted was she to be at the ball, that she desired for nothing other than dancing with the prince. As soon as she entered the palace, the prince who kept his eyes glued to the entrance, at once rushed to her, took her hand in to his and led her to the dancing floor. Completely engrossed in each other’s company, Cinderella and the prince lost track of the time. The ever-cautious Cinderella, for once forgot that she had to be back at home by twelve.
As the clock was about to strike twelve, Cinderella suddenly remembered her Godmother’s caution and trembled in tear. Scared that her true identity would be known, she freed herself from the prince and fled down the stairs in a great hurry, leaving one of her golden slippers behind. “I have no time to worry about my shoe,” she thought as she fled away from the scene.
Soon after she came out of the palace, the clock struck twelve and before her eyes, the carriage vanished in to thin air. Her beautiful dress too had changed in to rags and she was her usual selT again. She soon took her other shoe in to her hand and ran home as swiftly as she could, with an intention to reach home before her family returned.
The prince, on the other hand, went running behind her to trace where she had gone, When he inquired the palace guards, they told him that they saw none except a ragged maid who looked dirty and poor. The prince dejectedly went back to the palace, caught sight of her golden shoe that was left behind and retired from there silently with the shoe.
Back at home, Cinderella waited for her sisters to know what had happened after she left.
As soon as they returned, she curiously asked, “Sisters! Tell me if the beautiful princess was there at the ball today too? How did she look and what did she wear?” They excitedly replied, “You can’t imagine how beautiful she was in today’s dress. Above that she wore golden shoes too.
But alas! As the clock struck twelve, she quickly ran out of the palace leaving one of her shoes behind. The prince followed her but could not trace where she had gone.”
Cinderella heaved a sigh of relief for not being discovered and retired to the kitchen to sleep.
She took the single shoe, left with her and hid it carefully in the kitchen loft, as a memory of the only good times she had in her life till then.