第五章（371字）

Chapter 5: Preparing for the Ball

1. The night of the ball was approaching,

2. and the stepmother and stepsisters were busy dolling themselves up,

3. while Cinderella was sent to do even more chores.

4. Not wanting Cinderella to have any time to prepare a dress,

5. her stepmother and stepsisters deliberately assigned her many extra tasks.

6. The older sister kept her busy altering the fit of her gown,

7. and the younger sister kept sending her to search for misplaced ribbons and gloves.

8. The stepmother even pretended to notice that 'there was dust everywhere' in the house,

9. and ordered Cinderella to clean every room all over again.

10. Cinderella was exhausted and sweating, but she still clenched her teeth,

11. and kept going, finishing each chore one by one.

12. The entire afternoon, Cinderella was so busy that she didn’t even have a moment to catch her breath,

13. let alone any time to alter her own ball gown.

14. During this time, the stepsisters were in their room picking out jewelry and decorations,

15. being extremely picky about everything.

16. The older sister snipped off an old silk sash from her dress,

17. complaining it was outdated, and tossed it on the floor;

18. the younger sister pulled off a string of unwanted old beads and threw them aside as well.

19. The little mice saw this and quickly sneaked away with the ribbon and beads,

20. already forming a plan in their hearts.

21. By evening, the stepmother inspected Cinderella's work,

22. and, seeing that all the chores were done,

23. went off with her daughters to mind their own preparations.

24. By the time Cinderella finally finished everything, night was falling,

25. and there was little time left before the ball began.

26. She walked back to her room in exhaustion,

27. and looked at the old dress on her bed, still not altered,

28. and her heart filled with sadness.

29. As the time ticked away,

30. she felt her dream of going to the ball quietly slipping through her fingers.

31. Cinderella sighed softly,

32. thinking that there was simply no way she could get ready in time for the ball.