As we have been reading and discussing the various fairy tales, a thought has occurred to me that I have often associated with myths and legends. I believe that all myths, legends, and fairy tales began with some sort of truth. While the story of Cinderella is a work of fiction, it is possible that somewhere before recorded history, a young girl was raised from a more dreary life into the royal life by marrying a prince. I have often thought of these tales with respect to creature like the Loch Ness monster and even dragons. I don't believe that people just thought these mystical creatures up one day, but that something like them actually lived. Granted, the stories have been embellished from one telling to the next, but I think it is a viable possibility that some sort of Cinderella lived at some point in history. That would also explain why there are so many versions of the tale. If anyone has ever played the game called "gossip" as a small child, one would understand how a single statement can be confused after being told many times. The story would start out with a simple truth, and end up completely embellished to be more interesting to the listeners.