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It was a cold winter’s day. A white sheet of snow lay over the palace grounds and trees and on the roofs and chimneys. The Queen sat by the window, humming a lullaby to herself as she sewed a little dress. She looked out of the window and saw a black raven, and as she looked, she suddenly pricked her finger with the needle. She looked down and saw a drop of blood fall on her gown. It was so red!
“I wish I have a daughter with skin as white and pure as snow, hair as black as a raven, and lips as red as this drop of blood on my gown,” thought the Queen.
Not long afterwards, the Queen’s wish came true. After a few months, a baby girl was born to her. The baby’s skin was really as white and pure as snow, her curly hair as black as the raven and her lips as red as blood.
She was a lovely baby.
“I shall name this beautiful child of mine Snow White,” said the Queen to her husband.
So the Princess was named Snow White. Each day saw her grow more and more beautiful. She was very kind to everyone in the palace, and they all loved her.
Sadly for Snow White, her mother died within a few years and her father married again. The new Queen was a very beautiful lady, but she was vain and proud of her beauty. She wanted to be the most beautiful woman in the world.
She had a magic mirror in her room. She would look into it every morning and ask:
“Mirror, Mirror, on the wall,
Who is the fairest one of all?”
And the mirror would reply:
“O Queen, you are the fairest one of all.”
The Queen would smile and be very happy because she knew that her magic mirror never lied. It also made her vainer. Nobody in the palace loved her; rather, they were afraid of her.
The years passed by as the Queen watched Snow White grow into a beautiful girl. This did not please her. As Snow White grew older, she became more and more beautiful. This made the Queen very jealous, because she feared that the Princess would become prettier than her.
One day, when she asked her mirror:
“Mirror, Mirror, on the wall,
Who is the fairest one of all?”
The mirror answered:
“O Queen, you are fair,
But Snow White is the fairest one of all.”
The Queen was mad with jealousy. She had to do something. Snow White had to die. She could not allow Snow White to become more beautiful than herself!
She decided to get rid of her. She would have Snow White killed!
The Queen called for a hunter and said to him, “I want you to take Snow White deep into the forest and then kill her. And to prove that you have really killed her, bring back her heart and show it to me. You are to tell no one of this plot.”
The hunter was shocked and sad to hear the Queen give such cruel orders. He, like everyone in the royal household, loved the little princess. He did not want her to die, and he did not want to be the one to kill her. He would have to think of some way to save her. However, he bowed before the Queen and promised to follow her orders.
There was a very large forest not far from the palace. Usually Snow White was allowed to go to a certain part of this forest, where there were many birds, rabbits and deer.
One morning, the Queen called Snow White and said to her, “Snow White, go with the hunter to the forest. I know that you love to go there, and play with the birds and animals. Today is such a fine day! Go and enjoy yourself.”
“Oh, thank you, Mother!” said Snow White happily, because she really loved going to the forest. She loved the birds singing and warbling upon tree trunks, the rabbits with their fluffy tails hopping in and out of holes or chasing each other, and the gentle deer with their beautiful eyes frolicking about. They loved her too, and always came to greet her and play with her whenever she visited them.
So Snow White went happily with the hunter, singing and skipping as she went along. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and white clouds were drifting about. It really was a gorgeous day. The forest creatures welcomed her and ran along with her. She played with them for many hours. They were having a wonderful time.
Snow White suddenly realised that they had gone very deep into the forest.
They walked for a long time. Still the guard walked on, taking her deeper and deeper into the forest.
“Why are we going so deep into the forest?” Snow White turned and asked the guard anxiously. “It’s time to go back to the palace. We are already late. The Queen will be very angry.”
The guard looked very sad. He did not want to kill Snow White. She was such a good and kind girl, and very beautiful, too. Everybody in the palace loved her. He told her why the Queen had sent them to the forest. He had been ordered, he said, not only to kill her, but also to carry back her heart as proof that he had really killed her.
“The Queen does not trust anybody, you know,” he said.
Snow White could not believe his words.
“How can the Queen be so cruel? What have I done?” she sobbed.
“Dear Princess, do not cry. You haven’t done anything wrong. The Queen is jealous of your beauty, so she wants you dead.”
“Oh! Please don’t kill me. I will never return to the palace, but will go far away. The Queen will never see me again.”
“Run, little Princess, run. I will not kill you,” remarked the guard sympathetically.
Snow White began to run away from the guard, deeper and deeper into the forest. The guard killed a small animal and took its heart back to the Queen. She was very happy to see it, because she thought it was Snow White’s heart.
Alone in the forest, Snow White began to feel very frightened, and drew the creatures of the forest around her. The birds chirped to cheer her up.
It was now getting dark, so she began to run again. She did not know where she was. She had never come to this part of the forest before. There were tall trees and dark shadows around her. Her forest friends followed her, all very frightened. In the distance she saw a small cottage and ran towards it.
“I wonder who lives in that cottage? It must be a wood-man’s cottage,” she said.
She knocked at the door. No one answered. But the door was open, so she pushed it and went inside. It was dark inside. She found some candles and matchsticks. She lit a candle, raised it high above her head and looked around.
“What a beautiful cottage!” she exclaimed. “Everything is so neat and clean.”
She saw a long table laid for seven people. There were seven plates, seven bowls, seven forks and knives and seven drinking cups. There were seven chairs around the table. There was food and drinks in the plates and cups.
“Whoever lives here is very short!” she observed. “Everything is so small – chairs, plates, bowls, forks, knives and the drinking cups!”
Snow White was very hungry. She had been walking and running the whole day without food. She had eaten some nuts and berries that she had found in the forest. Now she ate a piece of bread from each plate and drank some milk from each cup. She sliced and ate the cheese that she found in the centre of the table.
“Now, let me see what there is upstairs,” she said, and climbed the steps. Upstairs, she found seven beds neatly made up. She sat on one and found it very comfortable. She was tired, so she put the candle on the table, lay down across the seven beds and soon fell asleep.
This cottage was the home of seven dwarfs. They were miners, who spent the day digging for diamonds and gems in the mountains nearby. Every morning they took their sacks, picks and shovels and set off for the mountains. There they dug for diamonds and gems that they filled into their sacks. In the evenings, they lit their lanterns and returned to their cottage, singing as they came home.
Their singing stopped that evening, when they saw a light shining through one of the windows. They were amazed and looked at one another.
“Someone is in our cottage!” they exclaimed in chorus.
They walked slowly and carefully back to their cottage. Who could be in their cottage? They were afraid and crept in, making as little noise as possible.
“Someone has eaten our food!” said one of the dwarfs.
“Some of our food,” corrected one of the others.
Then they crept upstairs, scared that they might find a robber hiding there. When they saw Snow White asleep on their beds, they exclaimed softly, “It’s a girl!” and raised their lanterns high to look at her. “She’s so beautiful!” they said.
Snow White was lying fast asleep, her curly head on one of their pillows. They all sat around her, wondering who she was.
Suddenly Snow White opened her eyes. She jumped up when she saw the seven dwarfs.
“Oh, please don’t be frightened of us,” they said hastily. “We will not harm you. We are miners who live here. Please tell us who you are and how you found our cottage.”
Snow White told them her story and explained that now she had no home. Tears rolled down her eyes. “Will you please let me stay here? Please! The Queen will kill me if I return to the palace.”
“Of course you can stay here as long as you wish.”
“Oh, thank you! I’ll keep house for you, cook your meals and wash your clothes. I’ll do everything for you, in return for your kindness.”
One of the dwarfs cleared his throat and said, “Let me introduce you our group. We are seven dwarfs, as you can see. My name is Happy, then there is Sneezy, Dopey, Bashful, Doc, Grumpy and Sleepy.”
Snow White shook hands with each one.
Snow White and the seven dwarfs began to live happily together. She had never been happier. She sang as she worked and kept the cottage neat and tidy.
The dwarfs enjoyed the hot meals she served them every evening. Later there was a great deal of merriment, as they sang and danced before the fireplace. When it was time to go to bed, Snow White would tuck them into their beds and tell them bedtime stories. Afterwards, she would kiss them goodnight, take the candle and go down to bed herself.
Her forest friends – the birds and the rabbits and deer – came to see her every day to keep her company, so she was never lonely.
The dwarfs were afraid to leave Snow White alone every day. They were sure that the Queen was a witch and would try to kill her. So they told her never to talk to any stranger or buy anything from one.
Snow White promised to keep the door locked till they returned. They warned her every morning before they left.
In the palace, the Queen had been very pleased to see the bleeding heart that the guard had shown her. How happy she was! She was now the most beautiful woman in the world! She quickly went to her magic mirror and asked:
“Mirror, Mirror, on the wall,
Who is the fairest one of all?”
To her great horror, the mirror replied:
“O Queen, you are fair,
But Snow White is the fairest one of all.”
She was furious. The guard had tricked her! She went down to the palace cellars to think. She needed a good plan. She decided that she would have to kill Snow White herself. She could no longer trust anybody. However, she would have to find Snow White first.
The Queen decided to poison Snow White. First she made a magic potion that would turn her, the Queen, into an ugly old pedlar woman. Then she took a red, juicy apple. She dipped half of it into a bowl of poison. She put the poisoned apple back into the basket, right on top.
Then she waved her magic wand over it and hissed, “One bite of this and Snow White will fall into a deathlike sleep! She will wake up only if a prince falls in love with her and kisses her. But that will never happen, I am sure. The dwarfs will think she is dead and will bury her. Then I will remain the most beautiful woman in the world!”
Dressed as an old pedlar woman, the Queen carried the basket of fresh apples and set off for the forest. Her clothes were tattered and torn. After a long walk, she found the cottage.
That morning, the dwarfs had again warned Snow White, “You must not open the door to anyone till we return. Your stepmother is a witch. We are sure of that. She will disguise herself and will try to find you. When she does, she will kill you. So be careful.”
“Please don’t worry about me. I’ll be a good girl and will do exactly as you say,” replied Snow White.
She kissed each dwarf on the forehead and bid him goodbye. Bashful was standing in a corner. He liked it when Snow White kissed him, but he felt very shy. She pulled him out of the corner and planted a kiss on his forehead, too. Grumpy was trying to go out very quickly, so that she would not see him scowling as he went.
“Oh Grumpy, you can’t go without bidding me goodbye!”
Grumpy was ready to rush out, but Snow White stopped him and planted a big kiss on his forehead. Grumpy forgot to scowl and smiled instead. Snow White clapped her hands.
“Why Grumpy, you are smiling! How nice you look!”
Grumpy hastily wiped the smile off his face and rushed off.
While Snow White was bidding farewell to the dwarfs, the Queen was hiding behind a tree. She watched the dwarfs leave with their sacks, picks and shovels. When they were out of sight, she went to the window and looked in. She could hear Snow White singing as she worked. She had become really beautiful. The Queen felt very jealous.
She knocked at the window. Snow White peeped out.
“What do you want?” she asked, without opening the window.
“Oh, I don’t want anything. I picked these fresh, juicy apples this morning. I was passing by and when I saw you through the window, I wanted to give one to you because you are so beautiful.”
“But I don’t want any! Please forgive me.”
“Please don’t refuse a poor pedlar woman. Also, it is very cold out here. Let me in to warm myself just for a little while. What harm can I do?”
Snow White felt sorry for her. She looked at her torn and tattered clothes. The old woman looked very poor. ‘What harm can such a woman do to me?’ she thought. So she opened the door and invited her into the cottage. She pulled a comfortable chair before the fireplace and helped her to sit down.
The old pedlar woman warmed her hands in front of the fire.
“Thank you, my dear!”
Snow White looked at the basket of apples and exclaimed, “What lovely apples you have there!”
“They are delicious, dear. You must take this one. It is the juiciest one.”
“Oh no, I cannot!”
“Why?”
Then Snow White told her about the warning that the dwarfs had given her.
“You see,” she said, “they are afraid that the cruel Queen will try to kill me.”
The old woman cackled and said, “That is all rubbish! How can the Queen come here? You would recognise her, wouldn’t you?”
“But she’s a witch! She can change herself and then I will not recognise her.”
“Say what you will, but I’m certainly not the Queen. Me, an old pedlar woman, a Queen!” exclaimed the woman, and cackled loud and long. “Look, child, I’ll take a bite from this apple, the juiciest one. If nothing happens to me, you can surely eat the rest. You have been so kind to me. I will not harm you.”
So Snow White watched the pedlar woman take a bite of the apple and eat it up. She watched and waited. The woman smiled a toothless smile and said, “See, dear, no harm has come to me, so now you can eat the rest of the apple. It’s really sweet and juicy.”
Snow White’s forest friends had been anxiously watching. They did not like the old woman. Was she really a pedlar woman or was she the wicked Queen, they wondered. The birds chirped loudly and fluttered at her face, but she beat them away.
“Off with you, you stupid birds!” she cried at them.
When Snow White stretched out her hand and took the apple, her forest friends were terrified. The birds tried to stop her from eating the apple. They fluttered on her hands and face, but the old woman drove them away. They flew back to the trees. They had failed!
The apple looked so delicious that Snow White ate it. The next moment, before she could even finish eating the apple, she fell down as though dead.
Her forest friends watched in horror. They were very frightened and went off to the mountains. When they found the dwarfs, the birds chirped loudly and fluttered their wings, making a great deal of noise. The animals tried to pull and push the dwarfs.
“Something must have happened to Snow White,” said Bashful.
“It must be the wicked stepmother,” said Sleepy. “She really is a witch. She must have disguised herself and harmed Snow White. I wonder what she has done.”
They picked up their sacks, picks and shovels and hurried back to their cottage.
The Queen cackled in glee when she saw that her plan had worked. She picked up her basket of apples and began to leave. Suddenly, she heard loud thunder and saw a flash of lightning light up the sky. Black clouds filled the sky and heavy rain began to fall.
“I must leave before the dwarfs come back,” she said to herself, and set off as fast as she could. But the dwarfs had seen her and screamed, “There she is! Let’s go after her!”
They chased her through the forest for a long distance. The rain was falling heavily, but they did not slow down. They ran on till they came to a rocky place. There were large boulders everywhere, scattered all over a steep slope.
The frightened pedlar woman leaped up the boulders and reached the top. She watched the dwarfs climbing up after her. She was at the top of the hill. Suddenly, she lost her footing and slipped on one of the boulders. She went tumbling down the hillside. The boulders rolled over her and crushed her to death.
The dwarfs rushed home. They were horrified to find Snow White on the floor. They gathered around her. Doc got some water and sprinkled it on her face. They all tried to revive her but she lay still, her eyes closed. The dwarfs wept bitterly.
“She’s dead,” Doc told them.
“She looks so beautiful,” said Sneezy, “we will not bury her. We will place her in a glass coffin and carry it to the forest, so that anyone who passes can see her and admire her beautiful face.”
So they placed her in a glass coffin, put many flowers around her and carried the coffin into the forest. They put it under a large tree and kept watch over it by turns, day and night.
One day, a handsome young Prince came riding through the forest. He stopped when he saw the glass coffin and got off his horse to look at the beautiful girl inside. He knelt down and lifted the lid of the coffin. He had never seen such a lovely girl before. He fell in love with her instantly.
“Can I take her to my castle?” he asked the dwarfs.
“No, we cannot allow you to do that,” replied the dwarfs. They loved Snow White dearly and did not want her to be carried away.
“Can I at least kiss her? Please!”
The dwarfs liked the young Prince, so they agreed to let him kiss her.
He bent down and kissed her. At once, Snow White opened her eyes and stretched herself, as if she had merely been sleeping all this while.
“She’s alive! She’s alive!” shouted the dwarfs in joy.
Snow White looked at the Prince and smiled at him. The dwarfs cheered and danced in delight.
The Prince gently lifted her out of the coffin. Snow White was overjoyed to see the seven dwarfs around her. Their faces lit up with happiness. Even Grumpy was smiling!
She told them about the old pedlar woman and the apple. They told her how they had chased the old woman up a slope of boulders. They did not tell her that she was dead.
Snow White kissed each one of the dwarfs on his forehead and said, “Goodbye, my dears. I go with the Prince to his castle, but I shall never forget you.”
The Prince put her on his horse and climbed up after her. Then he galloped away.
The dwarfs returned to their cottage, happy that Snow White was alive and that she had found her Prince and happiness at last.
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