Sarah Alexander - Cinderelephant CBeebies Bedtime Stories

.

CBeebies Bedtime Story.

Hello. I'm Sarah.

I love going to parties. Do you?

Our friend in tonight's bedtime story loves parties too

but she doesn't get invited to many.

Let me tell you all about her.

This story is called Cinderelephant and it's by Emma Dodd.

Once upon a time, there was a lonely girl called Cinderelephant.

Cinderelephant lived with her two cousins who were

known as the warty sisters.

They were horrible, mean and smelly,

and they had no table manners.

They made Cinderelephant do all the cooking and cleaning

and they never, ever said thank you.

Cinderelephant was sad and tired and fed up with being ignored.

One day, an invitation arrived from the palace.

Prince Trunky had decided it was time he found a girlfriend,

so King Saggy and Queen Wrinkly had invited all the girls

in the neighbourhood to a ball.

The warty sisters were very excited and started to plan

what they would wear.

"If they're inviting all the girls," said Cinderelephant,

"perhaps that includes me!"

"Of course you won't be going, Cinder-irrelevant, ha ha ha,"

laughed the warty sisters.

"Whoever would want to dance with you?! Ha!"

The day of the party arrived

and the warty sisters dressed up in their most fashionable clothes.

"Bye-bye, Cinderelephant," they called as they left the house.

"Don't wait up! We're bound to be home very late! Ha ha!"

Poor Cinderelephant sat alone in the silent house,

a big tear rolled down her trunk and plopped onto the floor.

"Hey," squeaked a small voice.

"Watch where you drop those tears, I'm getting soaked!"

Cinderelephant saw a tiny mouse looking up at her crossly.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed.

"I'm just feeling sad that I can't go to the party."

"Excuse me for asking, but who are you?"

"Why, I'm your fairy god mouse, of course," he exclaimed.

And with a flick of his magical tail,

he said, "You shall go to the ball!

"Wow! You look amazing! Go to the party and enjoy yourself,"

said the fairy god mouse.

"But, and it's a big but, you must be home by midnight."

At the palace, Prince Trunky was bored.

He didn't want to dance with any of the girls.

He was worried they might get squashed.

If only he could find someone a bit more his type.

But wait, who was that vision of loveliness that had just walked in?

"Oh, clear the floor," bellowed Prince Trunky.

"Want to dance?" he asked Cinderelephant,

and he swept her off her feet and onto the dance floor.

Prince Trunky and Cinderelephant

danced together for the rest of the evening.

"Who is that?" everybody asked enviously.

"She looks a bit like... But no, it can't be. She looks so good

"and she's such a great mover," said the warty sisters.

Cinderelephant had never been so happy.

She didn't notice the time passing until suddenly,

the clock struck midnight.

BELL TOLLS

"Whoops!" she exclaimed. "I've got to go home."

As she rushed from the palace, she dropped one of her beautiful shoes.

"Wait! What's your name?!"

Prince Trunky called after her, but Cinderelephant had already gone.

At his feet, lay one of Cinderelephant's fabulous shoes.

Then and there, Prince Trunky made a decision

and Prince Trunky's decisions carry a lot of weight.

Picking up the stiletto, he declared, "I shall find

"the girl whose foot fits this shoe and I shall marry her!"

The next day,

Prince Trunky began the search for the girl of his dreams.

He went from house to house,

trying the fabulous shoe on every girl's foot. It fitted nobody.

"Will I never find her?" sighed the prince.

At last, he arrived at the warty sisters' house.

"Give me that shoe!" demanded one warty sister!

"It's bound to fit me!"

But of course, her little trotter was far too small

for the gorgeous shoe.

"Let me have a go!" said the other sister, snatching it.

"I am Prince Trunky's one true love!"

But of course, it did not fit her either.

Sighing quietly to herself,

Cinderelephant peeped shyly through a crack in the kitchen door.

But woops! She accidentally stepped into a bucket knocking over the mop,

bringing down a pile of pots and pans, crashing and clattering down.

"Who's in there?" asked the prince.

"Oh, nobody important," said the warty sisters, hurriedly.

Taking no notice, Prince Trunky went to investigate.

"Could it be you?" asked the prince,

slipping the lovely shoe onto Cinderelephant's foot.

It was a perfect fit.

"You are the one for me!" cried the prince in delight.

Cinderelephant had never been so enormously excited in her life.

Cinderelephant and Prince Trunky were married the very next day

and of course, they were hugely happy ever after.

I hope you enjoyed that story which was called Cinderelephant.

I'm glad Cinderelephant lived happily ever after

with her prince, aren't you?

Right, it's bedtime now,

so snuggle up and I'll see you soon for another bedtime story.

Sweet dreams.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd