Chapter 7 Snow White In the middle of winter.
As giant snowflakes blew all around, a pretty queen sat sewing by the window.
The queen looked down at the sparkling snow and wished If only I had a child with skin as white as snow, hair as black as the wood of this window frame and lips as red as blood.
Not long after the queen made her wish, she had a little daughter who looked just as she wanted.
The queen named her Snow White.
Sadly, the queen died shortly after her daughter was born.
A year later, the king remarried a proud, beautiful woman.
She didn't like the thought of anyone in the kingdom being more beautiful than she was.
Whenever she stood in front of the magic mirror she owned, she would say Mirror, mirror on the wall.
Who's the fairest of them all?
The mirror always said the same thing.
You, queen, are the fairest of them all.
With each passing day, Snow White grew prettier.
The new queen was very jealous of the girl's growing beauty.
She did everything possible to make the girl appear ugly.
This did not bother Snow White, who was good and kind and friendly.
One day, when Snow White was a teenager, the queen asked the mirror who was the fairest one of all.
For the first time, it replied.
My queen, you may be the fairest here, but Snow White is the fairest in all the land.
When the queen heard this, she grew jealous and angry.
That afternoon, she called for the kingdom's best hunter.
She said to him, take Snow White out into the forest.
Make sure I never see her again.
Before you come back, you'd better have proof that she will never return.
The hunter obeyed the queen's wish and took Snow White deep into the forest.
He knew what he had to do, but the girl was so beautiful and charming that he took pity on her.
He said, hurry up and run away, you poor child.
I'll figure out what to tell the queen.
Snow White promised to run far away and never return.
Snow White had never been more frightened.
For the first time in her life, she was all alone in the forest.
She raced over jagged rocks and through sharp thorn bushes.
Wild animals stood still and watched as she ran past.
Just before the sun disappeared completely, Snow White thought, Where will I sleep?
What will I eat?
At that moment, she saw a little cottage.
Snow White came closer.
The small house looked inviting and safe.
She tried the front door.
It was unlocked.
Stepping inside, Snow White noticed everything was tiny.
In the dining room was a spotless table set with seven tiny cups plates, knives and forks, all ready for dinner.
There was not a spot of dirt anywhere.
Everything was in its correct place.
Even the seven tiny beds were perfectly made.
Snow White was hungry and thirsty.
She took a small bite from each plate and a small sip from each cup on the dining table.
She took one look at the seven tiny beds.
She was very tired, so she lay down.
Soon Snow White was fast asleep.
The people who lived in the cottage returned after dark.
There were seven dwarfs.
They worked in the mountains as miners of minerals.
Once they went inside their cottage, they lit their seven lanterns and sat down to eat dinner.
But they noticed something was strange.
Someone had been in their house.
The dwarfs began to look around.
They were shocked to find the beautiful young Snow White sleeping in one of their beds.
She looked so peaceful that the dwarfs didn't want to wake her up.
In the morning, Snow White opened her eyes.
She saw seven dwarfs staring at her.
At first, she was scared, but then they asked kindly, What is your name?
Snow White, she answered.
What are you doing in our house?
They wondered.
Snow White told them about her wicked stepmother and how the hunter had saved her life.
The dwarfs could see she was frightened, so they were kind to her.
They patted her back and said, You can stay with us as long as you help us around the house.
Oh, yes, of course, Snow White said.
Thank you so much.
I can tell you are very nice little gentlemen.
We will have a lovely time getting to know one another.
Since Snow White was by herself every day, the dwarfs warned her not to let anyone in the house.
They had a feeling that her wicked stepmother would come looking for her.
The next day, the queen asked her magic mirror if she was now the fairest one of all.
Of course, she thought that Snow White was gone forever.
The mirror said You're the fairest here, dear queen.
But little Snow White, far away with the seven dwarfs she stays, remains the fairest ever seen.
The queen grew angry.
The hunter had lied.
Snow White was alive and was still the fairest one in the land.
Now the queen had to think of another way to get rid of her.
She dressed herself up as an old woman and found the dwarfs' cottage in the woods.
Hello, the Wicked Queen called out at the front door of the cottage.
I have many nice pretty things for sale.
Snow White looked out the window and saw that it was just a harmless old woman.
She let her into the cottage.
The Wicked Queen asked Snow White if she wanted to try on a pretty lace top.
She helped Snow White put it on.
When the wicked queen pulled the strings to lace it up the back, she tied them too tight.
So tight, in fact, that Snow White couldn't breathe.
She dropped to the floor instantly.
There, thought the evil queen.
Now I'm the fairest in the land.
When the seven dwarves came home after work, they found Snow White on the floor.
They noticed that she wasn't breathing and pulled her free from the lacing.
Little by little she came back to life.
Snow White told them what had happened to her that afternoon.
They said, That old woman was your wicked stepmother in disguise.
Don't let anyone in unless we are at home.
That night, when she got home, the queen went right to her mirror and asked Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?
The mirror replied, You're the fairest here, dear queen.
But little Snow White, far away with the seven dwarfs she stays, remains the fairest ever seen.
The queen was outraged.
She hid in a secret part of the castle and spent hours creating a magic apple.
The apple looked perfect on the outside, crispy and red.
But if anyone took even one bite, that person would die.
The queen put the apple away in a basket and turned herself into a poor peasant woman to fool Snow White.
Then she set off again to the home of the dwarfs.
Snow White heard the knock at the door.
She popped her head out the window and said, I'm not allowed to let anyone in.
The woman said, I want to give away my delicious apples.
Here, let me give you one.
That's very kind, but no, Snow White said.
I'm not supposed to take anything from strangers.
It's my best apple, the woman said.
She held the shiny, delicious red apple up to the window.
Snow White could not take her eyes away.
The apple's spell made it impossible to say no.
Without even realizing how dangerous it was, Snow White put her hand out and grabbed the fruit.
All she did was take one small bite and she fell down as if she were dead.
The witch cackled.
She said, skin white as snow, lips as red as blood, hair the color of dark wood.
This time those dwarfs will not be able to bring you back to life.
That night she asked the mirror again who was the fairest in the land.
It replied.
Oh, queen, you are the fairest in the land.
When the dwarfs returned from work, they found Snow White lying on the floor.
They unlaced the ties of her shirt, just in case, but it was no use.
The poor girl was dead.
They wept and wept.
The dwarfs missed their friend so much.
She looked so beautiful, even in death, that they could not bring themselves to bury her.
Her cheeks were still rosy and red.
She even looked like she was still alive.
Instead, they made a glass coffin so that they could always look at her.
They wrote her name in gold on the side.
On a sign, they described her as the daughter of a king.
The dwarfs took the coffin up to the top of a mountain and placed it in a lovely wooded area.
They took turns staying there so Snow White would never be alone.
Once a week, the dwarfs would all gather beside the coffin to spend time together with Snow White.
Snow White lay in her glass coffin for years.
One day, a prince was traveling through the mountains.
He came upon the glass coffin that held the beautiful girl.
He could not believe how lovely she was with her black hair, red lips, and white skin.
He saw the dwarves gathered around her.
He asked why this beautiful girl was lying here in the glass coffin.
They told him the story of Snow White.
The prince's heart ached for the poor girl.
Let me take the coffin, he said to the dwarves.
I will give you whatever you want.
The dwarves replied we wouldn't sell it for all the gold in the world.
I cannot live without being able to see this beautiful girl.
Please, I will love and cherish her as if she were my beloved.
The dwarves saw that the prince was a good and honest man, so they agreed.
The prince ordered some of his men to carry the coffin back to his castle.
On the way down the mountain, the men stumbled over some rocks.
This bump freed the piece of apple from Snow White's throat.
The beautiful girl suddenly came back to life.
She knocked on the glass case and waited patiently for the prince to open it.
She sat up and said, Good heavens, where am I?
How did I get here?
Where are the kind seven dwarves?
The prince was shocked.
Your friends, the Seven Dwarves, thought you were dead.
They put you in this glass coffin on a mountaintop and guarded it with their lives.
I was carrying you down from this mountain because I am in love with you.
I decided I must be with you always, he explained to her.
The prince was so happy Snow White was awake.
He helped her out of the glass coffin.
They walked together the rest of the way down the mountain.
The prince took Snow White back to the home of the dwarves.
They too were excited and happy to see her alive and safe.
The prince said to Snow White, You must come and stay with me.
I love you more than anything on earth.
Please marry me.
It would make me the happiest man on earth.
Snow White happily agreed to marry him.
He promised the dwarfs he would always keep her safe from harm.
They lived together happily ever after, far, far away from the wicked queen.
