That's one telling of the story but the Cinderella fairy tale s found in many different countries with some differences In an African version, for example, there is one stepsister, not two. In a version from the Philippines, a forest spirit helps the Cinderella character. Settareh, a Middle Eastern Cinderella, goes to a New Year's party. And Cinderella is not always a woman. In an lrish story, a young boy, Becan, marries a princess and lives happily ever after.