Once upon a time…
There was a Princess, Aurora. She had a pal called Cinders.
Who lived inside a horrid flat, where she had to clean the windows
And quite a lot of stuff, as well as doing all the cooking;
She had to sew new clothes to make her landlady good-looking.
Now that was hard, coz it was true, despite the Mirror lying,
She’d warts along her nose and two ears big enough for flying.
Aurora hated seeing Cinders work so hard she’d sob;
But she’d a wicked spell upon her so couldn’t change her job.
‘Come on’ Aurora said one day, ‘you’ve got to have a break.
We’ll go and see the kitchen cook, a picnic we will take.
We’ll go into the forest and we’ll find a pretty view;
But I’ll ask the Fairy Godmother to magic it for you
So Ugly Pants your landlady thinks that you are in the kitchen
Or she will go bananas if she thinks that you are missing!’
Dear Fairy G said ‘Very well, I’ll tell you what I’ll do.
I’ll do some magic on a mouse and make it look like you.
I’ll even magic you car, but just don’t blame on me,
The trouble that will happen if you’re not back here for tea!
This magic it is borrowed ‘coz my quota I have passed.
I’ll snip some from tomorrow but, beware! It doesn’t last.
I can’t resist a pretty face or girls who are polite;
Make sure you’re back by 5 o’clock and don’t stay out all night!
The girls went zooming off in haste, they didn’t really listen;
The message in the FG’s words they totally were missing.
They found a view, they had their lunch and Cinders felt fantastic,
With crisps and cake and lemonade all packed inside their basket.
The princess found a swinging rope and whooped aloud with glee,
“I’m going to have a go on this ‘coz Daddy cannot see!
He’d stop me if he could, he’d say ‘Hey, you’ll get in a mess!
It’s not the sort of sport, my girl, for a fairytale princess!’
But if I’m honest Cinders dear I really have to say,
I’d rather play the sort of games the boys play any day!”
As ‘Rora swung about the tree like Tarzan in a frock,
Cinders wandered off until she came up to a rock
That looked a bit unusual, not granite in a heap;
It really looked as if it was a body fast asleep.
‘Hmm,’ thought canny Cinders ‘when there’s magic all around,
You never can be sure of things in forests, I have found.
A cottage made of gingerbread will often hide a witch,
And dwarves or giant beanstalks pop up out of every ditch.
“Hey! We don’t live in ditches!” said a voice all gruff and lumpy.
Cinders looked up sharp-ish, saw a little man called Grumpy.
“Oh hello, Sir!” our Cinders said (she recognised his style).
“You’ve left Aurora far behind, you’ve almost come a mile,”
The dwarf replied, but seemed quite chuffed that Cinders wasn’t rude,
“If you get stuck remember we’ve a spare room and some food”.
Cinders smiled “You’re very kind, but isn’t space quite tight,
I thought there wouldn’t be much room because of Miss Snow White?”
“She’s moved out” grumbled Grumpy, “got a new flat in the city,
So we’re back to cooking for ourselves!” Said Cinders, “What a pity.
A shame that I can’t take her place; I’m underneath a spell.
I have to work for the Ugly One and cook and clean as well.
Until I find a handsome chap who’ll break the deep enchantment,
I cannot even think about alternative employment.”
He shrugged his humpy shoulders and he crooked a knobbled thumb,
“If you want to find a handsome chap to the right place you have come!”
“What!” said Cinders, eyebrow raised, in case the gnome was joking.
“Over there!” old Grumpy said, his little finger poking
Towards the rock that she had seen. Said Cinders with a nod;
“I can’t believe that heaps of stones could be a human bod!”
“Please yourself then!” muttered he, and stomped into the wood,
“But if you kiss the stone you’ll find you’re doing someone good!”
Cinders thought ‘It can’t be true! He’s being really silly,
You don’t go kissing piles of rock and pebbles willy-nilly!’
But since no-one was looking Cinders slipped into the shade
And touched the curves and ridges that the weathering had made,
And the stone beneath her fingers did a funny little quiver,
Like a ripple on the water when breeze blows upon the river.
‘Now that’s quite odd’ the young girl thought, and gave the rock a pat,
‘Rocks and stones and granite shouldn’t do things such as that.
I wonder, I just wonder if what Grumpy said was true?
I’ll give the rock a smacker…mwah…and see what it will do!’
She did. She kissed that sandy rock, and with a mighty wooosh,
A prince, handsome but dusty, popped up, landing in a bush.
His looked a bit embarrassed as his clothes were torn and tattered,
But as he was really handsome Cinders didn’t think it mattered.
“A Prince I am, sent fast asleep by a rotten little elf!”
Said Cinders “Get up, lazibones!” (she couldn’t stop herself)
She giggled and the Prince did too, “Now, what’s your name?” said he.
“It’s Cinders!” said our heroine “Now, will you come with me?
I’ve got to tell Aurora just how happy I now am.
Are you hungry? We have sandwiches and some of them are jam.”
So they hurried through the woods to where the Princess was still
swinging:
She heard the pair a-coming as the two of them were singing!
The Prince described how he had been so recently re-knighted;
It took a little doing, but Aurora was delighted.
“Just one more swing!” she begged, then glanced up at a clock,
“Oh heck” she cried “ Look at the time! Oh dear! Oh what a shock!
It’s five-to-five! We have to go or, Prince dear, you will see
Us get in deep, deep trouble as we must be home for tea!
It’s not because we’re hungry-such a motive would be tragic,
It’s because of FG’s kindness and her special, borrowed magic!”
“Let’s go!” the Prince cried, grabbed their hands and took off at a run,
“Hey this is fast!” said Cinders, “Cor! I think it’s really fun!”
“My magic boots will get us there, so nobody can tell
That you and Cinders weren’t at home in time for supper’s bell!”
Aurora cried “Our little car!” but just as FG feared,
When she looked back at 5 o’clock the car had disappeared.
They got back just as tea was served, the Princess looking shifty;
‘It’s just as well’ she thought ‘the Prince’s boot s were really nifty!’
Cinders travelled homewards thinking hard about her fate.
How could she tell her Landlady about her handsome mate?
But what on earth d’you think she found out when she reached her
home?
That twisty- turning magic had turned the Ugly one to stone!
No more sewing, no more pots or cleaning up her messes,
No ugly tempers, tantrums, no more sewing up her dresses!
Aurora’s Dad had wondered if the Prince was on a mission
To wed his only daughter, thought he’d give him his permission;
But as Princess Aurora had no wedding on her mind,
The Prince could marry Cinders; she’s the nicest one he’d find.
They married in the castle, had a party full of laughter,
And the Prince and his dear Cinders lived on happily ever after.
By Steph Haxton 12th Jan 2014
There was a Princess, Aurora. She had a pal called Cinders.
Who lived inside a horrid flat, where she had to clean the windows
And quite a lot of stuff, as well as doing all the cooking;
She had to sew new clothes to make her landlady good-looking.
Now that was hard, coz it was true, despite the Mirror lying,
She’d warts along her nose and two ears big enough for flying.
Aurora hated seeing Cinders work so hard she’d sob;
But she’d a wicked spell upon her so couldn’t change her job.
‘Come on’ Aurora said one day, ‘you’ve got to have a break.
We’ll go and see the kitchen cook, a picnic we will take.
We’ll go into the forest and we’ll find a pretty view;
But I’ll ask the Fairy Godmother to magic it for you
So Ugly Pants your landlady thinks that you are in the kitchen
Or she will go bananas if she thinks that you are missing!’
Dear Fairy G said ‘Very well, I’ll tell you what I’ll do.
I’ll do some magic on a mouse and make it look like you.
I’ll even magic you car, but just don’t blame on me,
The trouble that will happen if you’re not back here for tea!
This magic it is borrowed ‘coz my quota I have passed.
I’ll snip some from tomorrow but, beware! It doesn’t last.
I can’t resist a pretty face or girls who are polite;
Make sure you’re back by 5 o’clock and don’t stay out all night!
The girls went zooming off in haste, they didn’t really listen;
The message in the FG’s words they totally were missing.
They found a view, they had their lunch and Cinders felt fantastic,
With crisps and cake and lemonade all packed inside their basket.
The princess found a swinging rope and whooped aloud with glee,
“I’m going to have a go on this ‘coz Daddy cannot see!
He’d stop me if he could, he’d say ‘Hey, you’ll get in a mess!
It’s not the sort of sport, my girl, for a fairytale princess!’
But if I’m honest Cinders dear I really have to say,
I’d rather play the sort of games the boys play any day!”
As ‘Rora swung about the tree like Tarzan in a frock,
Cinders wandered off until she came up to a rock
That looked a bit unusual, not granite in a heap;
It really looked as if it was a body fast asleep.
‘Hmm,’ thought canny Cinders ‘when there’s magic all around,
You never can be sure of things in forests, I have found.
A cottage made of gingerbread will often hide a witch,
And dwarves or giant beanstalks pop up out of every ditch.
“Hey! We don’t live in ditches!” said a voice all gruff and lumpy.
Cinders looked up sharp-ish, saw a little man called Grumpy.
“Oh hello, Sir!” our Cinders said (she recognised his style).
“You’ve left Aurora far behind, you’ve almost come a mile,”
The dwarf replied, but seemed quite chuffed that Cinders wasn’t rude,
“If you get stuck remember we’ve a spare room and some food”.
Cinders smiled “You’re very kind, but isn’t space quite tight,
I thought there wouldn’t be much room because of Miss Snow White?”
“She’s moved out” grumbled Grumpy, “got a new flat in the city,
So we’re back to cooking for ourselves!” Said Cinders, “What a pity.
A shame that I can’t take her place; I’m underneath a spell.
I have to work for the Ugly One and cook and clean as well.
Until I find a handsome chap who’ll break the deep enchantment,
I cannot even think about alternative employment.”
He shrugged his humpy shoulders and he crooked a knobbled thumb,
“If you want to find a handsome chap to the right place you have come!”
“What!” said Cinders, eyebrow raised, in case the gnome was joking.
“Over there!” old Grumpy said, his little finger poking
Towards the rock that she had seen. Said Cinders with a nod;
“I can’t believe that heaps of stones could be a human bod!”
“Please yourself then!” muttered he, and stomped into the wood,
“But if you kiss the stone you’ll find you’re doing someone good!”
Cinders thought ‘It can’t be true! He’s being really silly,
You don’t go kissing piles of rock and pebbles willy-nilly!’
But since no-one was looking Cinders slipped into the shade
And touched the curves and ridges that the weathering had made,
And the stone beneath her fingers did a funny little quiver,
Like a ripple on the water when breeze blows upon the river.
‘Now that’s quite odd’ the young girl thought, and gave the rock a pat,
‘Rocks and stones and granite shouldn’t do things such as that.
I wonder, I just wonder if what Grumpy said was true?
I’ll give the rock a smacker…mwah…and see what it will do!’
She did. She kissed that sandy rock, and with a mighty wooosh,
A prince, handsome but dusty, popped up, landing in a bush.
His looked a bit embarrassed as his clothes were torn and tattered,
But as he was really handsome Cinders didn’t think it mattered.
“A Prince I am, sent fast asleep by a rotten little elf!”
Said Cinders “Get up, lazibones!” (she couldn’t stop herself)
She giggled and the Prince did too, “Now, what’s your name?” said he.
“It’s Cinders!” said our heroine “Now, will you come with me?
I’ve got to tell Aurora just how happy I now am.
Are you hungry? We have sandwiches and some of them are jam.”
So they hurried through the woods to where the Princess was still
swinging:
She heard the pair a-coming as the two of them were singing!
The Prince described how he had been so recently re-knighted;
It took a little doing, but Aurora was delighted.
“Just one more swing!” she begged, then glanced up at a clock,
“Oh heck” she cried “ Look at the time! Oh dear! Oh what a shock!
It’s five-to-five! We have to go or, Prince dear, you will see
Us get in deep, deep trouble as we must be home for tea!
It’s not because we’re hungry-such a motive would be tragic,
It’s because of FG’s kindness and her special, borrowed magic!”
“Let’s go!” the Prince cried, grabbed their hands and took off at a run,
“Hey this is fast!” said Cinders, “Cor! I think it’s really fun!”
“My magic boots will get us there, so nobody can tell
That you and Cinders weren’t at home in time for supper’s bell!”
Aurora cried “Our little car!” but just as FG feared,
When she looked back at 5 o’clock the car had disappeared.
They got back just as tea was served, the Princess looking shifty;
‘It’s just as well’ she thought ‘the Prince’s boot s were really nifty!’
Cinders travelled homewards thinking hard about her fate.
How could she tell her Landlady about her handsome mate?
But what on earth d’you think she found out when she reached her
home?
That twisty- turning magic had turned the Ugly one to stone!
No more sewing, no more pots or cleaning up her messes,
No ugly tempers, tantrums, no more sewing up her dresses!
Aurora’s Dad had wondered if the Prince was on a mission
To wed his only daughter, thought he’d give him his permission;
But as Princess Aurora had no wedding on her mind,
The Prince could marry Cinders; she’s the nicest one he’d find.
They married in the castle, had a party full of laughter,
And the Prince and his dear Cinders lived on happily ever after.
By Steph Haxton 12th Jan 2014
