The warm sun shone down on Cinderella and Gus as they walked along the road to the village. It was a beautiful day.

“Luckily, I ran out of silver polish just the other day,” Cinderella was telling Gus. “That’s why Lady Tremaine is letting me go to the village before my chores are finished.”

But as Cinderella chatted, Gus could hardly pay any attention. He was too excited. What would the village look like? What kinds of things would he see? And most importantly, would there be yummy foods to eat there? He sure hoped so. Even though he had had breakfast earlier, he was starving again!

Fortunately, Gus didn’t have to wait long to find out. Soon the buildings of the village appeared. Gus poked his head out of the basket as he tried to get a better view.

Everything looked amazing! Gus hadn’t expected to see colorful banners fluttering in the breeze. He also was surprised by the jolly sounds of trumpets and drums. The little mouse smiled. This was even better than he had imagined!

“Look, Gus!” Cinderella exclaimed. “I forgot that the annual village fair is today. Oh, it’s so much fun! There are games and music and a big parade and lots of delicious food. Even the Prince and the rest of the royal family come to the fair. Oh, it’s just absolutely wonderful!”

Then Cinderella paused. “Gus, the village can be a very busy place,” she warned him. “Especially when the fair comes to town. So I think it might be best if you stay tucked in the basket, all right? You can still see everything that happens—just peek out the slats of the basket.”

“Okay,” Gus promised, nodding his head eagerly. He didn’t want to cause any more trouble for Cinderella.

“First stop, Madame Gilmore’s flower shop!” Cinderella announced. She walked over to a small building that was covered in dark green vines. When she opened the door, a little bell rang.

Inside, the shop was quiet and dim and filled with all sorts of beautiful plants and flowers. Gus peeked his head out of the basket and cautiously looked around. “Cinderelly!” he squeaked. “These flowers are beautiful!” Gus took a deep breath as he smelled all the wonderful fragrances from the blooms.

“I know!” Cinderella cried. “Isn’t it lovely?”

Just then, a woman walked in carrying a large bouquet of daffodils. “Ah! Welcome,” she said, wiping dirt off her hands as she greeted Cinderella. Gus quickly dove back into the basket.

“Hello, Madame Gilmore,” Cinderella said. “How are you today?”

“Very well indeed, especially now that you’ve come to my shop,” Madame Gilmore replied. “Are you looking for something special today? Perhaps an orange tree for the orchard? A flowering shrub for a hedge? Or how about some plants or flowerpots for the terrace?”

“I would like to buy a pink pearl rosebush, please,” Cinderella replied politely.

“But of course,” Madame Gilmore said. “I just received a pink pearl rosebush last week. Look how magnificent it is!” she exclaimed, pointing to it.

“It’s perfect!” cried Cinderella. “Stepmother will be absolutely delighted!” Cinderella smiled happily.

“Ah, yes,” agreed Madame Gilmore. “This is her favorite flower, correct?”

“It is,” Cinderella responded. “And I need it right away. Could you please deliver it to the château this afternoon?”

“Of course,” Madame Gilmore said. “It will be my pleasure.”

Cinderella reached into the basket for a gold coin to pay for the rosebush. Gus found one and handed it to her. Madame Gilmore never suspected that the little mouse was in the basket!

“Thank you so much,” Cinderella said as she handed over the coin.

“Thank you, my dear,” Madame Gilmore answered. “I will deliver the rosebush this afternoon.”

With a little wave good-bye, Cinderella turned and left the flower shop. The village streets seemed to be even noisier and more crowded than when they had arrived. Everyone was thrilled about the fair!

Cinderella opened the lid of the basket and peeked in at Gus. “How are you doing in there, little Gus?” she asked.

“Very good, Cinderelly,” the mouse said. “I love the village!”

“So do I,” Cinderella said. “But I really should hurry home and get back to my chores. Although the village fair does only come once a year . . . I suppose it wouldn’t do any harm to walk around for a little while. There are so many lovely things to see. Would you like that?”

“Oh, yes!” Gus exclaimed.

“Okay!” Cinderella laughed. Then she turned serious. “Now remember, Gus, stay in your basket and keep out of sight when there are people around. We’ve had quite enough trouble for one day, I think!”

Gus jumped up and gave Cinderella a kiss on the cheek. Then he ducked back into the basket. He peeked through a crack so he could see what was happening.

And what a lot there was to see! There were giant floats for the parade, and stands selling beautiful jewelry, fresh flowers, and brightly colored dresses.

But Gus wasn’t interested in the fancy fabrics or sparkly jewels. He was interested in something else—something that made his nose twitch happily.

Gus smelled his favorite food: cake! The sweet scent of vanilla and sugar drifted by in the breeze. His mouth started to water. What he wouldn’t do for just a bite—one little delicious bite!

Forgetting his promise to Cinderella, Gus poked his head out of the basket. And then he spotted it: the biggest cake he had ever seen! Across the street, the town baker was proudly putting the finishing touches on a twelve-layer vanilla cake. It was covered with beautiful flowers made out of icing. The King had specifically requested that he make it for the royal family. The baker was very pleased with the way it had turned out. He had worked very hard on it.

Gus couldn’t resist. He had to have at least a tiny nibble of the tasty-looking dessert. He leaped out of the basket and landed on the cobblestoned street. Cinderella was so busy admiring a pretty blue dress that she didn’t even notice Gus had left.

The mouse raced across the street and climbed up a rack filled with plates and cups. Gus didn’t realize how shaky the rack was as he climbed up it. All he could think about was tasting that cake!

Back across the street, Cinderella sighed happily. “A dress made of pale blue satin would be so elegant,” she said to herself. “Maybe someday I’ll get to wear a gown like this. After all, one can always dream. Right, Gus?”

But there was no answer.

“Gus?” Cinderella asked again. With a little frown, she peeked into the basket—and realized that Gus was gone!

“Oh, dear!” Cinderella cried. Her voice was filled with worry. “Where did he go?” She bent down to look for Gus under the long tables.

Then Cinderella heard someone scream. “Look out!” they cried. Cinderella stood up and quickly spun around.

The rack of dishes was wobbling back and forth, and everything was about to fall! At the very top stood Gus. He was absolutely terrified.

Cinderella raced across the street. “Jump down, Gus,” she whispered, looking around nervously. “Don’t worry, I’ll catch you!”

Gus squeezed his eyes shut and jumped off the top of the rack.

Thump! He landed safely on the soft pillow Cinderella had put in the basket.

“Are you okay?” Cinderella asked him.

Gus nodded. But before he could say anything, a man suddenly yelled, “The rack is going to fall! Everyone get out of the way! Hurry!”

Cinderella jumped back just in time. The rack crashed to the ground, sending dishes everywhere. The ones that didn’t break on the street landed right on the beautiful layer cake, smashing it instantly. It was clear that the lovely cake was ruined.

Gus peeked out the side of the basket at the broken dishes and the flattened cake. He knew that he’d now caused a much, much bigger problem than taking Lady Tremaine’s roses.

Oh, no, Gus thought. What did I do now? It seems all I’ve been doing today is making more and more trouble!