Cinderella Takes the Stage

by Disney Books

  It occurred to Ella that only days before, she had been sitting in the garden, longing for someone to talk to and share her dreams with. And maybe she had stumbled upon a pocket of magic, because that very person had entered her life. As Val had said, You’d be surprised what makes itself available to you when you’re in need. Ella hadn’t even realized how much she needed Val, but here Val was all the same.

  Bruno and Claudio also had become fast friends. They would dart around the beams and buckets and piles of hay, playing hide-and-seek and sharing bits of food. Then they would curl up together to nap in the warm afternoon sun that shone through the barn window.

  That was how it went day after day. As Claudio and Bruno played and napped, Ella and Val chatted and worked. All the while, Val would offer Ella tips on how to craft her puppets. Leo and the rest of the barn mice proved helpful as well. They would line up with the exact materials Ella needed before she even knew to look for them. Soon Ella had nearly all her puppets complete.

  Ella couldn’t figure out what Val’s puppets were supposed to be, and Val wouldn’t tell her. All Ella knew was that it didn’t matter. They were magnificent. Ella kept offering Val some of her beads or trimmings or fabric. Val kept refusing, always saying something like “I’ve got everything I need. Don’t worry about me, Cinderella.”

  At the end of their last working day, on the eve of the festival, Ella sat back in her chair, admiring her puppets. She was tired but still had the tingle of excitement she always felt the night before a holiday.

  Val packed her own finished puppets into her wagon. For the first time, the girls hugged goodbye instead of shaking hands.

  Val tucked Claudio into the flour satchel and called out as she walked down the path, “Tomorrow is the big day! The village won’t know what’s coming to them. Cinderella and Valentine, master puppeteers!”

  As Ella watched Val leave, her heart felt heavy. She was full of love for her new friend and for Claudio. Ella yearned to see Val’s dreams come true as much as her own. But she was also confused. She didn’t feel any different about her own goal. She still wanted that win and the dress that came with it.

  Ella wondered, how could both of their dreams come true when they were competing against each other for one prize?

  Later that evening, after supper, Ella left a sleeping Bruno by the fireplace and made her way to the garden bench. She hadn’t visited her corner of the garden since Val’s visits had begun.

  Ella’s thoughts swirled around in her mind. Her dreams had always felt so clear and so much her own. But now they were mixed up with someone else’s.

  Ella sat down on the bench and faced the willow. This time she didn’t stare and wait for the fairies to appear. She spoke to them. “Fairy Godmother, I know you’re in there. My mother told me about you. That you’re looking out for me. But I’ve found someone else who needs looking after. Her name is Val, and she has a pig named Claudio. I’m sure you’d like them. I didn’t like her so much at first, but…never mind.”

  Ella thought about what she was asking for. “I thought since you have magic on your side, maybe you could help us. We both want to win the puppet contest tomorrow. I don’t know how it’s possible for both of us to get what we want. And even if Val wins, I fear it’s not enough to reach her dream of a farm in the country. Can you help her get that farm, Fairy Godmother? At the very least, could you make sure we stay friends no matter who wins? Or help Sir Edgard to stop being so cruel?”

  Ella had closed her eyes. She opened one, just a little, hoping she might see a fairy in a blue frock before her. Nothing. She opened both eyes. Still nothing.

  Ella’s shoulders fell. She didn’t understand. Had her mother made it all up?

  She felt a hand touch her shoulder. Without looking, she knew who it was.

  “Ella, darling. She is there. She’s always there.”

  “It doesn’t look at all like she’s there, Mother,” Ella said.

  Her mother sat down and took her hands. “Your fairy godmother will always be here for you. I promise you that much. You must have faith. She will appear to you when you need her the most.”

  “When will that be?” Ella asked.

  Her mother tucked a lock of hair behind Ella’s ear. “I hope not anytime soon. But it’s very kind of you to ask for help for Val.”

  “I didn’t think it could hurt to try,” Ella said.

  “Of course not,” Ella’s mother said. “Though it may make you happy to know that Val’s dreams have a magic and power of their own, as all dreams do. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised if she has her own fairy godmother.”

  “Oh, that would be wonderful,” Ella said.

  “You don’t always have to look to the willow tree.” Ella’s mother put her hand over Ella’s heart. “Friendship and love have their own magical way of helping wishes come true.”

  Ella hoped her mother was right. A farm was such a big dream for someone who had to hide a tiny pig. And it seemed that one way or another, Val or Ella would end up disappointed by the end of the festival. But then Ella caught sight of the glowing castle towers in the distance and felt her heart leap. Anything is possible, she reminded herself.

  And the possibilities would start tomorrow, when Mademoiselle Cinderella and Mademoiselle Valentine premiered their puppet shows at the Midsummer Festival.

  The next morning, Ella woke before the sun rose. The day of the festival had arrived. She felt as though one of her beloved bonfires were sparking up inside her chest. She rushed through her morning routine so she could begin loading her puppets into her father’s wagon. Ella felt so impatient that she thought about trying to drive the horses herself while her father searched for his hat. But she didn’t want to risk crashing the wagon and harming the puppets.

  After what felt like forever, Ella, her mother, her father, Bruno, and the puppets headed toward the village. Ella’s excitement swelled as they drew closer. She could hear the music, smell the treats, and see the colorful festival banners draped across the rooftops. As soon as her father pulled the wagon to a stop, Ella jumped down and ran to find the puppet booths.

  She found Val with her mother, already setting up. “Cinderella, here!” Val pointed at the booth next to hers. “I made sure it stayed empty. Oh, and this is my mother.”

  Val’s mother waved at Ella. She had the same dark hair as Val, and the same kind eyes and playful smile.

  Ella returned her wave. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Madame. I’ve heard so much about you.”

  “As have I, love,” Val’s mother said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the shows you girls have cooked up in that barn. Val won’t tell me a thing!”

  Val’s mother helped Val lift one of her puppets behind the booth. Ella noticed that it had a stick fastened to the bottom. Ella had wondered how Val was planning to operate it. Ella’s puppets had places to hide a hand inside or strings attached. Val must have attached the stick when she left the barn, no doubt part of her much-talked-about “secret.”

  Ella’s mother and father approached, her father carrying her crate of puppets. Ella got busy setting up in the booth next to Val’s as her parents introduced themselves to Val’s mother.

  “Okay, everyone. Time to enjoy the festival and leave Mademoiselle Valentine and Mademoiselle Cinderella to their debuts. So long!” Val signaled for their parents to leave.

  Ella’s mother laughed and kissed Ella on the forehead. “Shine like the fairies are watching, my darling,” she said.

  “I’m proud of you, Ella,” her father said. “Excuse me, I mean Mademoiselle Cinderella.” He winked.

  Val’s mother whispered something into her daughter’s ear that made Val light up in a way Ella hadn’t seen before. Then the three grown-ups walked off into the crowd to explore the festival.

  “Let’s put on a show!” Val called to Ella. Within minutes, the girls had small crowds of children gathered in front of their booths. And put on a show they did.

  Ella used her puppets to
tell a story of a maiden who had fallen into a deep, dreamy sleep. When she awoke, she was lost in a strange forest. She searched and searched for a way out but only became more lost. She called out for help, and the only one who answered her was a well-dressed frog. When the maiden asked for directions, the frog danced a jig.

  When the maiden asked his name, the frog spun in circles. When the maiden began to cry, the frog hopped and skipped. Through the maiden’s tears, the frog continued to dance. The maiden became so tired of being sad that she decided to join him. The maiden and the frog danced and danced until the maiden began to laugh. A fairy appeared. She told the maiden that a terrible witch had cursed the frog, forcing him to do nothing but dance alone for years until he found a partner. The maiden had broken the spell with her dance. The fairy said that since the spell was broken, she would give the maiden three choices. She could turn the frog into a gentleman to keep the maiden company in the forest. She could turn the frog into a large bird to fly the maiden home. Or she could banish the frog and put a spell on the maiden to allow her to sleep and live in her dreams forever.

  The maiden looked at the frog, who had helped her find laughter in a time of sorrow. She told the fairy she would not make a choice. She would rather keep the frog just the way he was. In the blink of an eye, the maiden found herself back home, the frog by her side. And they lived out the rest of their days as the very best of friends.

  The children loved it. They had laughed, clapped, oohed, and aahed at all the right parts. As soon as that show ended, a new crowd formed to watch the next one.

  Val’s show seemed to be going just as well. Ella was too busy with her own show to watch, but she could hear children squealing with delight at Val’s wacky-looking puppets. Everything was going just as the girls had hoped.

  Throughout the day, Ella noticed a man walking back and forth between the puppet booths. Because of the chill she felt as he paused in front of her show, she was sure it was Sir Edgard. He was tall, with a pair of spectacles that seemed much too small on top of his protruding nose. He wore fine clothes, although they seemed dark and heavy for such a bright summer day.

  Ella tried to ignore the anger she felt when she saw him, thinking of poor Claudio hiding back in the shack. As she continued dancing her puppets across the stage, it struck her: maybe Sir Edgard had something good in him, too. As her father had said, there was something good in everyone—and he had been more than right about Val.

  Though the day was long, as all summer days are, before Ella knew it, the sun began to set. The festival torches lining the village were lit, including one behind Val’s booth. Ella stepped away from her last show just in time to see the lighting of the grand bonfire in the center of the village square. The gathered crowd roared with applause. Ella felt her face brighten in the glow of the flames. The judging ceremony would begin at any moment, as it always did at sundown.

  Ella glanced at Val to see if she’d noticed the fire. Ella was ready to call her over, but Val was rummaging around in her cart, looking for something.

  Ella started toward Val’s booth to offer a hand when Val shot up, holding a large piece of cloth. It was one of the curtains that used to hang in her shack to hide her puppets.

  “Everyone!” Val clapped her hands loudly three times, drawing the attention of the bonfire crowd. “Mademoiselle Valentine has one last show!” Val draped the curtain across the front of her puppet booth and disappeared behind it with a torch.

  What could she possibly be doing? Ella wondered. This must be the trick Val had promised.

  A shadow moved behind the curtain. It was dark and strong against the white cloth. Ella recognized the shape. It was one of Val’s puppets, a long-limbed creature that looked like a cross between a spider and a hare. The shadowed limbs began to move, and Val’s voice boomed into the crowd. She told a story about how the creature came to life.

  Several more puppets appeared behind the curtain, all in shapes Ella recognized. None of the beautiful details—the metalwork or the clever use of flowers and trinkets—could be seen. In their place was something new: another level of puppetry and creation. Val had not only made puppets; she had made shadow puppets, using the Midsummer Festival torches as her stage lights. The audience was in awe of the shadow show, and Ella was, too.

  When Val’s performance was over, the crowd erupted in applause, whistles, and cheers. Val came out and took a bow, sneaking a grin at Ella. Ella grinned back. Val was right. She had had a trick, and there was no doubt in Ella’s mind that she had won the contest. But before she could walk over to congratulate her, the trumpets sounded. The judging was about to begin.

  All the puppeteers stood in front of their booths, their puppets lying limply on the small stages. Sir Edgard paced in front of them, back and forth, back and forth. He cradled the gold coin on his palm, its brilliance shining in the crackling light of the bonfire. When he reached Val’s booth the third time, Ella puffed up her chest, ready to explode with cheers.

  But Sir Edgard kept walking. He stopped between Val’s and Ella’s booths. He took a great dramatic pause as he faced the crowd, holding the gold coin up for everyone to see. “Ladies and gentlemen, your winner!” he announced.

  And he grabbed Ella’s hand and raised it in victory.

  Ella couldn’t believe her ears or the fact that her arm was raised in the air. She let her hand fall out of Sir Edgard’s, only to see it holding the gold coin he had pressed into her palm. It was strange. Ella was holding the coin she’d been dreaming of in the garden for so long. But now it felt like a heavy stone in her hand.

  “Congratulations,” Sir Edgard said.

  Ella was so stunned, she hadn’t noticed that the crowd was clapping—clapping very politely. Ella was sure they knew, as she knew, that the wrong person had won. This didn’t feel like victory to Ella. This should have been Val’s victory.

  Ella glanced over at her friend, expecting to see her upset. But she wasn’t. Val was clapping louder and harder than anyone else, her face full of pride and true joy.

  Ella looked up at Sir Edgard, who was nodding at the crowd. His face was pinched in an awkward smile. “But, sir,” Ella began. “Surely, sir…did you miss Val, I mean, Mademoiselle Valentine’s show? How is it possible that she’s not the winner?”

  Sir Edgard cleared his throat. “I saw that child’s puppets. They’re not what this fine tradition is about. Fancy tricks like that light show can’t disguise what those puppets are made of…. Garbage, scraps, nothing more.” He spoke his words with such confidence and authority, Ella could have almost believed him. Almost, if she didn’t know Val.

  But she did know Val.

  And Ella knew what to do. She felt her spirit return as she looked at her friend. She took a step toward Val, thinking about what she would name the goat, the first animal for her family’s farm. But before Ella got very far, she was stopped in her tracks. A voice called out over the noise of the crowd. An important voice.

  The voice of the King.

  Not even in her daydreams had Ella pictured this: approaching her was the King. She fell into a deep curtsy.

  “A marvelous show, child. Please, please, stand,” the King said.

  Ella did as he asked. “Thank you, Your Majesty,” she said. She tried to look at him but was too nervous to meet his eyes. She looked at the top of his crown instead. She’d never seen such gleaming gold or sparkling jewels. This would fuel her daydreams for a very long time.

  “Congratulations on all your hard work.” The King nodded at Ella and walked away.

  Ella’s breath caught in her throat. Could that really have happened? Words exchanged with the King? She saw her parents standing back in the crowd. Their eyes met, and Ella smiled.

  “And you, young lady,” the King said. The King was still talking! Ella turned sharply to see whom he was addressing, and everyone in the crowd did, too.

  Val. He was walking over to Val! Ella saw her friend’s face turn pink as she realized the King was spea
king to her. She curtsied, too, so deeply that it looked like her knees might touch the cobblestones.

  “Thank you, child.” The King held out a hand and helped Val stand. “You had a magnificent show as well. Like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

  Ella thought Val’s eyes were going to pop out of her head. Val was speechless for the first time since Ella had met her.

  The King turned to face the crowd. “It has given me great joy to see you all here at the Midsummer Festival today. This is one of my favorite celebrations of the year. It fills my heart with pride to see what these children can do when they set their minds to it. Did everyone get a chance to see the puppet shows?”

  The crowd whooped and applauded in response.

  The King smiled. “I think what we’ve seen today, and especially this evening, demonstrates why our kingdom is one of the proudest and strongest in all the land. For years we’ve relied upon the talents of the cleverest and the brightest of our people. They don’t spend our wealth on outside extravagance, but instead they build upon the rich resources we have here.” The King put a hand on Val’s shoulder. “This girl is a fine example of one of those people, the kind who have made this village and this kingdom as prosperous as it is today.”

  Ella wanted to run over to Val, grab her hand, and jump in delight at the King’s praise. But she couldn’t, as the King had Val’s full attention. Ella watched Sir Edgard instead. His face turned a shade of dark crimson.

  “Young lady.” The King knelt down before Val.

  “Mademoiselle Valentine,” Val said.

  The King let out an uproarious laugh.

  Val smiled.

  “Mademoiselle Valentine. I would be very grateful, and proud, if you would let me keep your puppets in the castle. I think they’d be wonderful entertainment for visitors from other kingdoms. Not to mention, I’d like to show them what a lucky king I am to have such brilliant subjects.” The King reached into his pocket. “This would be for a small fee, of course.”