Snow
White And Seven Dwarfs
A long time
ago,and far away there lived a King and a Queen.They were very happy,except for
one thing --they both longed for a child.
One winter day,there
were snow outside in the garden,on the hill,in the lane,on the huts and on the
trees. All the things were white with snow. The queen sat by the window.There
was a piece of cloth and a needle in her hand. The cloth was as white as snow.
The Queen was making a coat for a little child. Suddenly she pricked her
finger. A drop of blood fell on the snow by the window.
“Oh,I wish I
had a daughter with skin as white as snow,hair as black as ebony and red,red
lips,”she said. Happily the Queen’s wish came true.
In the
autumn that year a baby girl was born. The child was white as snow and was
called Snow White. But the Queen was very ill. After some days,she died. Snow
White lived and she grew to be a lovely and kind-hearted girl. Everybody liked
her. And the forest animals liked her,too.
She often
played with the animals in the forest. She often brought food to them and told
them lovely stories. All the animals,such as the deer,the rabbits,the
squirrels,the blue birds,liked Snow White very much.
After many
years the King married again. His new wife was beautiful. But she was cold-blooded
and liked to use magic.She hated anyone who was more beautiful than her.
Snow White’s
father,the King died later.So she had to live with her stepmother,the evil
Queen.
Years went
by. Snow White grew up and became a lovely little girl.The Queen was very
jealous of Snow white’s beauty.She made Snow White dress poor and work hard
every day.She thought that would keep the little princess ugly.
The Queen
kept a magic mirror in her castle.She could get all answers in the mirror.Every
day she would stand before the mirror and chant, “Mirror, mirror on the
wall,who is the fairest of them all?”Every time the mirror would answer, “You,Queen,are
the fairest of the land!” Hearing it,the Queen would be very proud and content.
However,as
time went on,Snow White grew up and became a beautiful woman.
One day the
Queen asked the mirror the usual question.But she got a different answer:
“You,Queen,are
fair,but the fairest of all is Snow White!”The Queen was shocked.She was full
of jealousy and hatred towards Snow White.
“There was
no one who is more beautiful than I am.”She said as she plotted and schemed to
kill Snow White.
At that
time,Snow White was busy working.The work was hard.But Snow White did it
happily.Now she was singing softly beside the well.Suddenly,she saw a
stranger's face in the water.It was a handsome young prince.He was attracted by
Snow White's lovely song.
Snow White
was flustered and fled into the castle.She hid herself behind the curtain of
the balcony.
“Please come
back,”the Prince urged. “I must get to know you.”
Snow White
kissed one dove and bade it fly down to the prince.The dove kissed the prince
in return.
“I will
never forget you,”said the Prince fondly.
Snow White
blushed and withdrew into the castle.The Queen saw this tender scene behind the
curtain.She became more furious and jealous.One day,she send one of her
huntsmen and said to him, “I want you to take Snow White into the forest and
kill her.”
“But your
Majesty,the little princess...” said the huntsman.
“Silence!”the
Queen interrupted him and gave him a box.
“Bring back
her heart to prove she is dead.”The Queen said coldly.
The huntsman
told Snow White that the Queen wanted her to pick some wildflowers for her.
Snow White was glad to have the chance to go outside into the forest. The
huntsman followed her to find a chance to kill her.
Snow White
was picking wildflowers beside a large rock when she saw a shadow upon the
rock. She turned around in fright and saw the huntsman with a sharp knife. She
was very frightened. She pressed herself against the big rock and hold out her
hands to cover her face.
The huntsman
was about to strike Snow White but he dropped the knife at last. Snow White was
so beautiful and pure like an angel. How could he kill anangel? He knelt down
in front of her,asking for her forgiveness.
He told Snow
White that it was the Queen who ordered him to kill her. Snow White was
frightened and didn't know what to do.
“Beware of
your stepmother,”the huntsman said, “She wants you killed. Those were my
orders. But I shall not kill you. Do not go back to the King's house. If the
Queen sees you,She will make some other man kill you. Go deeper into the forest
and wait for some friends to help you. But be careful. She may find out that
you're alive.”
The huntsman
then killed a small deer and took its heart back to the Queen.
The Queen
was very happy.She was now the fairest on the land.
Meanwhile,heart-broken
and helpless,Snow White fled into the deep forest. The trees and rocks around
her took on shapes and forms she had never imagined. Suddenly she fell into a
pool.She struggled hard to free herself out of the pool. At last she did it.
She run again into the deep forest until she saw a large black tree in front of
her.The tree showed a frightening monster to catch her. Snow White was so
frightened that she fell to the ground. She kept crying until she was tired.
Then she fell asleep on the mossy ground.
The next
morning,Snow White was woken by little creatures in the forest. “Oh!”She cried
in surprise when she saw a rabbit in front of her. The forest animals were also
startled by her and went away.
“Please
don't run away.I won't hurt you.”Snow White said to them.The creatures seemed
to understand what she said and came back to surround her. She told them what
had happened to her and she needed a place to sleep.
In
answer,some birds took Snow White's cape and urged her to follow them. And all
the forest animals were following them through the woods.
They stopped
in front of a tiny house deep in the forest.The house had white walls and a
brown roof. Snow White liked the house very much.She knocked at the wooden door
politely but no one answered. Then she noticed that the door had opened a
crack.She pushed the door and entered the house.
“Hello!May I
come in?”she called but got no answer.
Snow White
went further into the tiny house and found that everything was so small.
There were
seven of everything:seven chairs,seven beds,seven cups,seven plates,seven
knives,seven forks. She thought there must be seven children in the family. The
whole cottage was full of dust and dirt. The dishes in the sink were unwashed.
There were dirty clothes everywhere in the house.
“What a
mess! Then they're orphans,”Snow White said sadly. “That's too bad.”
“We'll clean
up and surprise them!”She thought for a while and then announced. “Then when
they see how helpful I can be,maybe they'll let me stay.”
So Snow
White and all the animals began to clean the house together. The squirrels
sweep the floor and dusted off the furniture with their bushy tails. The
raccoons wahsed the clothes with their paws. The birds pulled down cobwebs and
balls of dust with their beaks. The deer and the rabbits put the tables and
chairs properly. And the tiny chipmunks carried dirty cups and dishes in the sink
to be washed.
Snow White
and the forest animals worked happlily in the tiny house. The owners of the
house were working hard,too.
They were
seven men,all dwarf. They worked in the nearby hills and they were digging
jewels in the mine. Although the work was very tough,they did it happily and
harmoniously.
Then the
clock in the mine struck five. All the seven dwarfs cheered and collected their
tools. They headed home with happy songs and whistles. They wanted to have a
good rest after a good day’s work.
Snow White
and the animals finished cleaning. They decided to go upstairs to see what was
there. Snow White led the animals upstairs. There were seven little beds. A
name was carved on each wooden bed board. They were
Doc,Happy,Sneezy,Dopey,Grumpy,Bashful and Sleepy.
Now Snow
White was very tired. She lay down on the three of the little beds and soon
fell fast asleep. The animals were also very tired themselves. They found
comfortable places separately and fell asleep,too.
Now the
seven dwarfs were closer to their home. Their sound of singing woke the
animals. They were startled and fled out of the tiny house and back into the
woods. But Snow White was too tired to wake up. She was still sleeping on the
little beds. As the dwarfs approached their home,they found something unusal
with their house. The light was lit. The door was open. The chimney was
smoking. They thought there must be something in the house and they decided to
find it out.
They walked one by one quietly into the house.
Inside the house,they also found something different.
The floor has been swept. The chairs have been
dusted. The dirty windows were now shining. The cooking was on the oven and the
table was laid. Now they were sure some creatures must have been invaded their
home. Since they found no one downstairs,they went upstairs to have a look. And
there,to their surprise,they found their unexpected visitor—a beautiful young
girl. All the dwarfs were attracted by Snow White. Now Snow White woke up. To
their surprise,she saw seven little men standing by the beds. Each little man
had a big beard.
The owners of the house were not seven children
but seven dwarfs. She guessed their names one by one. Then she talked with them
in a friendly way. She told them who she was and what happened to her. All the
dwarfs felt sympathy towards Snow White and hatred to her evil queen.
“Welcome,here is your new home!”said the seven
dwarfs.
“Thank you,you’re so kind.”said Snow White. “I can
cook,wash clothes,make beds and do some cleaning. I’ll do everything I can to
pay you.”
Snow white was very happy in the forest. The
dwarfs were delighted to look after her. For many days only six dwarfs went to
work. One would stay behind with Snow White. But after a while Snow White
convinced them that she would be all right.
Back in the castle,the Queen was consulting the
magic mirror again. To her great surprise,the mirror said, “You,queen,are
fair,but Snow White is the fairest of all.”The mirror showed a picture of Snow
White deep in the forest,with the seven dwarfs.
The Queen was furious. She knew she was tricked by
the huntsman. What he brought back was not Snow White’s heart but that of an
animal. Snow White was still alive! The Queen decided to kill Snow White by
herself.
The Queen went down into her deep and black dungeon
to consult her book of black magic. In the book she found what she wanted. She
decided to disguise as a peddler. She used some mummy dust to make her look
old. To age her voice,she used a drop of crow’s blood. When she finished mixing
the liquid,she swallowedit.
As soon as she drank the liquid,something
mysterious happened. The Queen’s black hair turned dingy white,her smooth face
folded into wrinkles,her beautiful robe became a shabby rag. A perfect
disguise! The Queen laughed with an evil expression on her face. Then she
dressed herself in peasant clothes and made her way to the forest.
When the witch reached the cottage,she called out:
“Combs for sale!Combs and ribbons for sale!”
“Oh,they’re lovely,”said Snow White. “May I see
your combs?”
“Come out and have a look!”,said the peasant
woman.
“I can’t,I promised the dwarfs,”said Snow White. “Can
I look at them over the window-sill?”
“Of course,”said the old woman.
“Here’s a pretty one. It will suit your lovely
dark hair.”
“I have no mirror,”said Snow White. “Can you put
it for me?”
“Of course,”said the old woman. “Turn around.”
Snow White turned. The wicked Queen pushed the
comb hard into Snow White’s hair. It was poisoned and Snow White fell to the
floor.
The dwarfs returned home early that night to find
Snow White on the floor. She looked quite dead. They rushed to her and pulled
her upright. Fortunately,the comb had been dislodged and the poison no longer
worked. Snows White woke up. She found herself surrounded by the dwarfs.
“You must be very careful,”they said to her. “This
is the work of wicked Queen.”
Snow White promised them that she would be alert
next time.
The Queen arrived back at her dark castle and went
at once to the mirror. However,she got the answer that Snow White was the
fairest one on the land. Snow White was still alive!
The Queen was very furious. She swore to kill Snow
White. This time she decided to use the poisoned apple.
Then the Queen decided to poison Snow white with a
poisoned apple. One bite of the poisoned apple,Snow White would close her eyes
forever in the sleeping death. The Queen could not wait to put her evil project
into practice. After that,she would be the most beautiful woman in the world!
In the quiet night the Queen was busy with making
the poison apple. She dipped the apple in the brew to let the sleeping death
seep through it.
“Now turn red,”she commanded, “to tempt Snow
White,to make her hunger for a bite.”
According to the magic book,there was an antidote
to the poisoned apple. The victim of sleeping death can be revived only by love’s
first kiss.
The Queen laughed long and loud. She was sure the
dwarfs would thought Snow White was dead and buried her alive. Snow White would
have no chance to get a love’s first kiss and turn alive.
She filled the basket with other apples and gently
put the poisoned one among them. Then she left the sungeon and got into a small
boat and rowed away into the darkness.
The next morning,Snow White got up to make the
little men a hearty breakfast. After that,the dwarfs were leaving to work in
the mine. They reminded Snow White to be aware of stangers,especially the evil
Queen. Snow White promised them and kissed them goodbye one by one.
At this time,the Queen was making her way through
the deep woods towards the little cottage. She knew that the little men would
be off to work and Snow White would be alone at home. She wouldn’t be alert of
a harmless peddler.
Thinking this,the wicked witch laughed cruelly.
But as soon as she saw the little cottage,she stopped laughing and became
silent.
After the dwarfs left home,Snow White began to
prepare supper for them. She tried to do her best to make the kind little men
happy. She decided to bake some goseberry pies for desert. She stood beside the
windows,making one of the pies. Suddenly,she saw an old woman outside the
window. She was a little frightened by the strange old woman.
The old woman seemed very tired. She asked Snow
White:”May I have a drink?”
“There’s no harm with an old poor woman.”thought
Snow White. “Wait there.” She handed a glass of water to the woman.
“Would you like an apple?”asked the old woman.
“No,thank you,”said Snow white.
“They’re lovely and delicious.”said the woman. “Try
one.” She cut a piece from the apple she was eating.
“It must be safe,”thought Snow White. “She’s
eating the apple too.”
The queen was very clever. She poisoned just one
half of the apple –the half she cut off for Snow White.
Snow White took a bite of the poisoned apple. As
soon as she had done so,she sank to the ground and lay as still as death. The
witch laughed long and loud.
“It’s done!”the witch cried. “Now I’ll be fairest
on the land!”
The seven dwarfs returned from the mine to find
Snow White lying lifeless on the floor. They did everything they could to save
her but in vain. Snow White was dead.
The dwarfs were very sad about Snow White’s death.
They could not bear the thought of burying Snow White in the ground. So they
made a coffin of gold and glass and placed Snow White in it.They filled it with
sweet-smelling flowers.
They carried the coffin to a peaceful and sunny
valley in the forest. And they kept vigil over it day after day.
One day the following spring,the dwarfs were
keeping their usual vigil. They were surprised to see a young handsome prince
riding on a white house towards the glade. The prince had looked for Snow White
for a long time. He heard of the beautiful maid in the glass coffin. So he came
to see if it was the girl he loved at first sight.
The prince approached the coffin and saw Snow
White. It was her!
“Poor princess,”said the prince,watching Snow
White fondly, “I wish she could come alive. Her skin is white as snow,her cheek
red as an apple. Snow White seemed to be sleeping rather than dead.”
The prince knelt by the coffin and bowed his head.
Then he bent over to give Snow White a farewell kiss.
To his and the dwarfs’ surprise and joy,Snow White’s
eyes fluttered open. Her mouth and cheek were red as before. She was alive!
The prince lifted Snow White out of the glass
coffin. The dwarfs and all the forest animals yelled and cheered for Snow White’s
rebirth.
“I love you. Will you marry me and be my Queen?”whispered
the prince after he had introduced himself.
Snow White nodded shyly.
“May I take her with me? I promise I will look
after her forever.”the prince asked the dwarfs.
The dwarfs could see that the prince really loved
Snow White. They believed that the prince would take good care of Snow White so
they agreed.
Snow White looked at each of the dwarfs with fond.
“You have been good,kind friends,”she said in a soft voice. “and I shall never
forget you.” Then she kissed them one by one and said goodbye to them.
The prince lifted Snow White onto his white horse
and they rode away. They prepared to return to his kingdom.
Meanwhile,the wicked Queen was looking in her
mirror. She was sure that she was the fairest on the land. Proudly,she asked
the mirror the usual question,waiting for the expected answer.
“You,Queen,are fair,but Snow White with her Prince
is the fairest of all.”
The mirror showed the Queen a picture of the
Prince with Snow White.
This time the Queen was so angry that she rode her
magic broom to the kingdom of the prince. She would never allow Snow White
living in the world.
When the witch was flying over the kingdom,a
sudden crack of lighting ripped across the sky and hit her. With a scream,the
witch fell from her broom onto the ground. The evil witch got the punishment of God and died.