SNOWFLAKE

AND THE SEVEN LITTLE DWARFS

This ancient story has been rewritten by Lin Stone from an original piece that was first edited by Watty Piper in the year 1922 CE.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Once upon a time there was a pretty little princess with a heart so pure and sweet that everyone called her SnowFlake. She was very happy most of the time, but she had a wicked young mistress given thename Lady "Gertrude" who made her study hard in a cold little room at the top of the windy castle tower. The cold wind whistled in the windows so hard that it fairly shrieked.

Princess SnowFlake would shiver from the bitter cold of her study room, but she shivered even more because of what she fancied the wind was shrieking at her. You see, when the wind shrieked and moaned, the hardest she heard it say quite plainly: “You'll never be a queen, ooooooieehee, SNOWFLAKE WILL NEVER LIVE TO BE A QUEEN!”

One day, SnowFlake shivered from hearing these words and turned to her tutor who was shivering from the cold. “Do you hear any words in the shrieking of the wind. I hear words in the shrieking that are speaking to me. Do you think, can the wind know our futures? Can the wind tell us what woes ahead shall be?”

Her tutor was astonished by this thought but agreed to listen more closely to the next gust that whistled. She pulled her cloak up tightly around her throat, but she left one ear exposed in order to hear betterthen turned and faced the open window. Her face paled even more as she listened closely when the wind whistled with awful glee. “You'll never be a queen, ooooooieehee, SNOWFLAKE WILL NEVER LIVE TO BE A QUEEN!” The tutor shivered and ducked her head back into her wrapin order to keep warm.

“SnowFlake will never live to be a queen,” she asked. “If this is what you heard too, then yes I agree, we must be ever more mindful of our steps and preparations for the days ahead lest what the wind has whispered shall come true. Learning how to conjugate your French verbs will certainly be useful at any court you go to in the world.” She nodded towards a pile of books.

SnowFlake shivered and decided to conjugate her French verbs, just in case the shrieking wind was whispering words bode well to be untrue.

Everyone knew Lady Gertrude was the fairest woman to look upon in King Henri's court. Every time she found an excuse to appear in King Henri's court all the knights and princes would bow to her in honor of her fair beauty. But behind her winning smiles Lady Gertrude was very sad. Her heart still longed to sit beside King Henri. Her heart yearned to be his Queen, but he knew some of her cunning wiles and ways of stirring up trouble and shied away from her. It was too bad that SnowFlake and her tutor thought King Henri knew that Lady Gertrude kept them studying all by themselves up in the icy castle tower.

If he had known King Henri would have suggested that Lady Gertrude find employment in some other court, for he loved SnowFlake very much. Years ago King Henri had married Gertrude's older sister, namedLorali. Lorali had been a kind and beautiful widow, and he had appreciated how she volunteered to be the mother for tiny SnowFlake, who was just a babe when she had lost her mother back then. Lady Lorali could have no children of her own, so she was overjoyed to pick SnowFlake up and cradle her in her arms as she walked the child around. In time she came tol love SnowFlake with all her heart. In time, King Henri came to notice her beauty and soft heart enough to marry her.

Lady Gertrude could not stand to see the affection being shown to SnowFlake. She would cry out, “You are smothering the child with love, Lorali. It will not hurt her to cry a little bit. Stand back! Give her room to breathe or she will become ill.”

Alas and alack, it was Lady Lolrali who sickened one winter three yearslater when SnowFlake was but eight years of age. Thus it was that for the second time in her life SnowFlake lost a mother. for no physician could tell what ailed Lady Lolrali. Thus she fared ever sicker until she died. Of course, Lady Gertrude volunteered to take charge of SnowFlake's studies and training. “It will be no trouble at all for me to

add those light duties to my responsibilities as mistress of the castle,” she explained.

King Henri was still pondering who had made Lady Gertrude mistress of his castle when Lady Gertrude backed away, smiling.

SnowFlake's father was King over all the realm. All his subjects loved him so, it was only natural that many other kings would come to see him, asking him to help them make hard decisions on matters of state.

When the best crowned heads of the world came to visit King Henri it sometimes happened that tempers frayed and angry words were spoken between one king and another. When that happened they always asked for the privilege of seeing SnowFlake perform a dance. Then around and around she would spin with her white gown spinningout like a huge white fan that tilted up, then slowly drifted down, like a snow flake settling softly to the earth.

SnowFlake loved to dance for King Henri and no one could dance as smoothly on the King's marble floor, or spin around on their toes as quickly as SnowFlake could. Applause would swell and rattle the rafters. Then gold coins would ring around her feet because the crowned heads loved to see SnowFlake swirl from high to low and scoop up the gold coins, one by one, and hide them away in a special purse. When her purse was full she would ask a duchess to take her riding in the King's royal carriage. They would stop every time they sawa poor lad out tending his sheep and SnowFlake would ask the lad for a few strands of the whitest wool he had, then give him a small gold coin to seal her purchase.

Soon it was known by every poor shepherd throughout the land that Princess SnowFlake would pay dearly for pure, white wool. “SnowFlakepays a big gold coin for a shock of wool sometimes, and she doesn't even take the sheep!”

Because that was so hard to believe, they believed every word. Back then young lads would work with the sheep 30 days to earn a single copper penny. And a coin made of gold was worth a thousand pennies.Some lads labored a lifetime and never had more than a dozen pennies in their hands at once.

Therefore it came to pass that the young lads with sheep would curry their prize lambs with a fine toothed brush, and watch hopefully for SnowFlake to pass in her carriage. And the tale grew tall until they said in whispers, “They say Princess SnowFlake carries a purse full of gold and she will pay it all to find the shepherd lad with the best flock of sheep in the country.”

***

Gertrude pretended to be happy in her role as the Mistress of the King's castle. However, she was very jealous of every woman with a fairface that came to King Henri's court. Gertrude would start her jealous intrigues and they never stayed long. When her sister had married King Henri, Gertrude was almost grown already.

Most of all she loved stirring up intrigue in the court with her beauty. King Henri had been forced to curb many of her intrigue's. And so it came to pass that King Henri always frowned when he saw Gertrude smile at him because that cold, wintry smile only curled her lips, while her eyes turned frosty cold. She loved the balls where the men would line up begging for her hand in the next dance.But

Lorali had died from a strange ailment with Gertrude silently cheering because she was so sure she would become the queen in Lorali's place. But he was not at all pleased with Gertrude's ugly ambitions, nomatter how beautiful she still looked

Gertrude was very beautiful indeed, but she lacked lasting grace. On the ball room floor she often stumbled, and when she played any game with a ball, she even sprawled and tumbled. Little wonder then that Gertrude sat back into the shadows.

Gertrude had a magic mirror in her private bedroom. It could answer all her vain questions because it could see all of King Henri's realm and warn her of troubles before they got too big. When Gertrude peered into he magic mirror and asked it who was the fairest lady in all the land the mirror always clouded up for a moment, then it would say, "You are, Lady Gertrude. In all the land that I can see. the fairest lady of them all, you must be."

As little SnowFlake began tobecome a young lady themagic mirror had to cloud uplonger and longer each timeGertrude asked it that piercingquestion. But then her mirrorwould speak at last and it said"You are, Lady Gertrude. In allthe land where I see charmingheads rise and fall, you arestill the fairest lady of themall."

Therefore it was SnowFlakethat Gertrude was mostjealous of because of hergrowing youthful beauty mostof all because of the child'salmost careless grace.

Gertrude seethed because she couldn't make SnowFlake leave King Henri's court as she had done with the other women. To Gertrude's disgust, no one ever believed that SnowFlake could be guilty of such studied vice that Lady Gertrude had accused the other women of.

Those that knew her best knew these nasty thoughts never came from SnowFlake's pure heart or sweet mouth.

Gertrude was troubled because it took longer and longer each time forher magic mirror to answer her simple question. Therefore she studied each fair lady that appeared in court from a foreign land and she changed her hair styles at least twice a day while they were to be seenin King Henri's presence. Then she tried more beauty creams and sent away for gowns that were ever more costly, until her vanity had cost her whole fortune.

When her wealth had dwindled to a single purse of gold coins, there came that fateful day that her magic mirror clouded up in judgment and said, "Lady SnowFlake is the fairest lady in this land."

"Lady?" Gertrude asked inshock. "When did SnowFlakebecome a lady?" This was sohard to believe that it hadhappened without her knowingof it, that Lady Gertrude leapedfor the long stairwell that led toher ward's lonely bedroom andthere she peeped inside.SnowFlake had a sad littlefrown on her lovely face rightthen – because she wasscolding her doll for its make-believe bad manners at hermake-believe bad tea.

“No, NO!” she told her little dollwith a shake of her long thinfinger. “It is very wrong to spityour tea back into your cup andyou must not even spit your tea out onto the floor.

“You have been a very bad little girl and you must stay in your bed all morning. It is just too bad you will miss the ball.”

But Gertrude's piercing gaze looked beyond the frown and her sad eyes told her the mirror had spoken the truth; SnowFlake had indeed become a fair young lady. “So fair is this Lady that she won't need any potions to make her lips pretty, or any beauty creams to bring out her charm.” Almost as if she had heard the call, SnowFlake turned her back to the doll and upon her face trembled a smile of genuine love.

“SnowFlake is indeed blessed with the kind of beauty that needs no help from the elements to be very fair and very beautiful.” Gertrude closed her eyes in sorrow at this scary thought, and her chin did shake and tremble. "I cannot allow this to continue. SnowFlake must die before anyone else sees us standing side by side and compares her to me -- or me to her!"

After long and careful thought, Lady Gertrude ordered her huntsmasterto take SnowFlake away on a long, long ride, “-- and then you must kill her where the wolves from the black forest will devour her flesh and scatter her bones.”

It was a perfect plan and SnowFlake never would have been found again had it been followed; but when the young huntsmaster saw SnowFlake loosen her riding furs in the warmth of the day her pure beauty spilled out and his heart melted within him. Thus he shrank back from doing this dirty deed he had been given.

It was a warm wintry morning when the young huntsmaster took SnowFlake riding in the King's carriage and the dreaded miles flew swiftly beneath him until they were far, far from home. “We are near the edge of the black forest where light from the sun never comes. There we will turn back,” he told SnowFlake.

The Huntsmaster was in numb shock that the end was so near. But suddenly his way out of the deed did appear. "Oh, Look!" SnowFlake cried. "There is a poor lad tending his sheep. I must have some of his whitest wool. I spin the wool into yarn and weave the yarn into coats for many of the poor children in our realm, you know."

No, he did not know that because SnowFlake did not gol bragging to anyoe of her good deeds. The huntsmaster's heart churned within him. He could not, he swore that he would not do that dirty deed. It was toobad for him that he not know Gertrude's magic mirror could unravel the truth of his yarn. Therefore, as he looked across the meadow a cunning plan came into his mind that he truly believed would work. Hepulled the fine carriage to a stop and watched SnowFlake step out. The young lad was a ways off and the Huntsmaster saw SnowFlake almost change her mind about walking that far, so he leaned out of the carriage and said. "Send the lad back to help me with the horses while you choose his finest wool."

Therefore SnowFlake pulled her tunic closer about her as she hurried out to see the lad's sheep. When she was yet a long ways off she knewthat this lad was much more than a herdsman, for his sheep had fleece that was trimmed and combed to show off their fleece so they all appeared to be as white as snow.

"The huntsmaster wishes to speak with you while I choose your best sheep," she said. And off went the young lad.

Choosing among these many sheep was a hard decision for SnowFlaketo make because all the sheep were very young and spry with good health, and all of them had very fine wool. First she tracked this one, then she tracked that one too. "You must be a very fine shepherd," saidSnowFlake when the young lad returned. "All of your sheep show tender and loving care. But I believe I'd like to have a handful of fleecefrom that young lamb there."

The young lad groaned. "Oh, no! You have chosen the young lamb that I love most of all. But, come with me and I will let you help me shear her choicest fleece." So just then, SnowFlake glanced around to let the huntsmaster know what she would be doing. But, lo, to her surprise thecarriage was gone. "What have you done?" she demanded. "Where is my carriage?"

"I have saved your life," said the young lad. "I have promised the huntsmaster that for as long as I lived I would never let you return to the castle alive, not until Lady Gertrude is gone, he said."

SnowFlake sank to the ground at his words and she cried as if her young heart had been torn from her tender breast. She wailed and wept at the betrayal for many days. But finally she began going from meadow to field with the young lad. Thus she came to know that she loved going out with the shepherd. "I think I could live here forever," she told him with both eyes sparkling; she loved the clean streams andfleecy clouds, fresh, tender grass, “And your sheep love me very much, don't you think they do?"

"They do indeed," said the young shepherd lad. Then he turned and looked away from her face because now HE was the one that wanted to wail and weep. He loved SnowFlake so very much.

Believing she was once again the fairest lady in all the realm, it was almost a year before Gertrude once more asked the magic mirror if anyone was fairer in all the land than she was. The magic mirror laughed at her. "Now there are two maidens more fair than you are. There is one living nearby and Lady SnowFlake still lives, very near the Black Forest where I cannot peer."

Lady Gertrude was so angry she pulled out huge tufts of her hair. Thenshe screamed for the huntsmaster. "Fine fellow you are. SnowFlake stilllives.” She was so angry she almost gnashed her teeth upon him. Then she managed to bring her anger under control. But her voice hissed like a snake. “You have one week to kill her or I shall kill you in a way too mean for you to know about!"

The huntsmaster wasted no time grieving for his plot uncovered. He hurried out and called up the King's finest horses. Then he hurried away to find the shepherd. "Look you out to find a safe place to hide Lady SnowFlake for Lady Gertrude now knows that she still lives.

“I shall flee to a distant land and even if she finds me I will not know where you have taken her. That is all the safety I can give you. Good Bye."

So it came to pass that the shepherd hurried SnowFlake many miles away to the house of seven dwarfs, "No one will think to look for the Princess disguised as your housekeeper." And they were so kind as to take her in and let her live with them. But they warned her not to let anyone come near her because they had heard many dark stories told of Lady Gertrude's long leaning arm of vengeance and murder. They even set traps around the house in order to frighten off any intruder.

SnowFlake was not the kind of girl that appreciated being cooped up inside with nothing to do. So, she began looking for something she could do while she was cooped up. Almost the first thing she saw was a spinning wheel. When she discovered that it still worked SnowFlake clapped her hands in glee. “Now I can make yarn – if I can find any wool. Oh – oh – “ She hated it when her plans were braked hard by real life like that.

Thus, when the seven little dwarfs returned home that evening, she mournfully asked if they could obtain some fine white wool. “Oh, we have baskets of wool hidden out back,” they told her.

And it came to pass that each of the seven little dwarfs brought in a basket for her and she thanked them, each one. Her joly knew no bolunds. Right that second she began to spin.

At first the seven little dwarfs were annoyed with the thackety-thack sound that a spinning wheel makes, but then Ephraim recognized a scattered tune in her endeavor. He hurried out and brought back a tinylittle violin. When he began to play the lonesome but happy tune Henry ran to get his tiny little hand organ and joined the play.

SnowFlake looked up, all amazed until she realized they were playing in the same tune as was her spinning. Therefore she made the tune

more lively yet. Bob and Bill curtsied to each other and began to dance and the last two ran for their instruments. Within minutes the cottage walls rang with the sounds of a bright symphony.

When the music had rang down at last, George and Frederic rushed toclasp SnowFlake's hand. “Gee,” said George. “This is the most fun I have had in years. I, well, we, like your symphony.”

Frederic agreed. “But what will you do with all this yarn that your music has reeled into life?”

SnowFlake laughed out loud. “Well, first I will make jackets for each ofyou.”

“Jackets spun to a joyous tune?” They asked each other in astonishment. “What a happy thought. Jackets made just for us to complement the music we made. SnowFlake, how wondrous that will be.”

“Yes,” SnowFlake declared. “I shall make a jacket for each of you, and each jacket shall have your name sewn right in so deep no one can rub it out.”

From that day forward it was a happy cottage that SnowFlake lived in. Every morning while the birds sang in the tree tops and little animals ran across the roof SnowFlake would make up the seven little beds, and prepare seven little meals for the seven little dwarfs, and they were all quite happy -- until Gertrude came back from her mission to destroly the other maiden that was fairer than she was. Gertrude was furious when she found out from her magic mirror that her huntsmaster had not killed SnowFlake this time either. But the magic mirror did have good news for Lady Gertrude to work from. "There is a certain young shepherd who lives on the edge of the dark forest between Henri's realm and the next. He will lead you to SnowFlake – All you must do is watch him closely; he shall lead you to her at least once a week."

Following the directions from her magic mirror Gertrude did find the young shepherd and she hid behind a bush every day for 40 days, but it was lambing time and he was busy with his sheep from day to day.

At last she saw him talking with a tiny little dwarf. Even as she watched she saw him set off into the dark forest. She was right behindhim for several miles. Then Gertrude watched him hide behind a large tree so that he could watch SnowFlake sing and dance without letting her see him. He waited for so long that Gertrude began to wonder if this was a trick to capture her. She looked all around her, then looked back at the shepherd who was now peering through the open window.

The maiden he mooned over was in lowly dress and had no music to guide her feet. But after one second look at SnowFlake's radiant face in through the window, Lady Gertrude knew this was where SnowFlake lived. “Well, she won't live here for long!”

Back to the castle Gertrude did fly. It was sad mischief that she brewed. First, she bid her hair dressers dye her hair dark and ugly. Then she dressed up like an old pedlar, and it was in this disguise that she went back to the home of the seven dwarfs. Birds were singing every where. Little squirrels ran up and down; when they chattered Gertrude wondered if they too were joining in the joyous throng. Then she noticed that each of the squirrels wore a woolen evening jacket. When she glanced up into the trees she saw that all the nests were feathered with strings of wool that kept their eggs and babies quite warm. “Such a waste of fine effort!” she snapped.She waited until the seven little dwarfs were gone off to work, and only then did she call out, "Laces for sale. Laces for sale. Please help an old lady find her comfort; buy some lace today." SnowFlake was very frightened for she truly knew that if Lady Gertrude or any of her toady help ever found her that her life would end. So SnowFlake hid for the longest time.

Lady Gertrude pretended to grow older and feebler. She pressed her weak hand to her wet brow and said, "Oh dear. Dear me. This day shallsee the end of poor old me." SnowFlake was struck to the heart with godly sorrow. She peeped out of the window and said, "Good-day, sister; what did you say that you had for sale?"

“What?” The poor lady lifted her hand to touch her face. “Oh yes. My laces, “Good laces, fine laces, laces of every color and hue, young lady of the woods," and she held out one string of lace that was made of pure, gay silk.

SnowFlake opened the door. Shewas eager to buy the prettiestlace the old lady had. "Now I canmake curtains for the seven littledwarfs."

"Oh, my dear child," said LadyGertrude in her feeble, oldwoman's voice, "could I have asmall sip of your water?”

SnowFlake hurried to bring adrink for the old wretch, then shelistened in amazement when theold lady said, “You have savedmy life and I wish to repay you.In my pedlar's pack I have a magic apple.”

“A real magic apple?” asked Princess SnowFlake Like most of us, she was eager to find something magical to embroider her life with. She leaned forward to see it sooner. “I don't really believe in magic apples – but I really would like to see what you have, of course.”

"Oh, this apple is truly magical, my dear. Trust me in this, my dear, this truly is a magic apple,” said Lady Gertrude. “See here, this stem is seven times as long as you see on an ordinary apple. Everyone knows that seven is a magical number. You know that, don't you?” Princess SnowFlake nodded her head and leaned forward to see the magic apple up close. But it looked just like an ordinary apple. “How does it work?”

Lady Gertrude chuckled low in her throat. “Oh, HO HO, If you will just eat all of this apple – as fast as you can, my dear – Eat all of the apple, at one sitting and then you rush out to plant the seven little seeds. If you do this right, and do it before the sun sets today and – then, before noon tomorrow, you will have seven little apple trees

spring up ten feet tall. Why, before sunset tomorrow you can bake a little fruit pie from each of these seven little apple trees, then dol it all again every day. Now isn't that a magic apple you'd like to bite into?"

SnowFlake was completely bewitched with the magical idea of baking seven little fruit pies every day and she began nibbling eagerly away at the apple.

“Wait, wait!” the old pedlar woman cried. “For the magic to work you must take seven bites each time before you swallow.”

“Seven bites?” Snow Flake asked. “Isn't that a lot of apple to swallow at one time?”

“Yes, yes it is,” admitted the old woman. “But, seven bites are the magic number, and you can make each of your bites tiny and small.”

It wasn't long before SnowFlake tried to swallow seven bites of apple at once. The apple slices stuck in her throat and choked her until she fell. The last thing she saw was the old woman grinning wide and wickedly. “I'll bet that old apple isn't one bit magic,” SnowFlake thought. But, here I am, caught. In a dirty trap of greed am I undone.”

The apple in her mouth got bigger and bigger until her whole throat was clogged shut. There was so little air coming in that SnowFlake wassuddenly very desperate. But with every gasp for air that she took, more magic apple fed into her throat. Bravely, she pulled her lower jaw down as far as it would go, then she stretched her fingers on her other hand out as far as they would go and she tried to dig that magicapple out. She couldn't reach in far enough though. “I'm going to die!” she thought, and that was when she gave up on trying to live.

The seven little dwarfs found her stretched out on the kitchen floor when they came home from their work. Bless their sad little hearts; they tried everything they could think of to revive her. One patted her hand. Another patted her cheek. A third flung icy-cold water from the

brook upon her brow. And the rest did moan aloud. Thus it came to pass that the little Princess did not revive, or even stir. The seven little dwarfs mourned for her all day as they made a fine and tidy coffin from spun glass. All too soon this was done and they knew they must put SnowFlake into it.

The dwarfs sat up with her all night long.One after the other they took their turnand each of them yearned to be the onethat saw her wake up and sing her song.

As was the custom back then they put a bell near the top of her coffin and tied a string to her finger from it. The slightest tug would ring the little bell. All that night long they sat up with her in an anxious vigil, hoping that somehow she would ring the bell and revive.

By morning's sun rise every creature in the forest knew that SnowFlake was gone. No longer were their calls bright and cheerful, but every trillbecame mournful and tearful. Two of the saddest Nightingales clung to the kitchen window sill, where they wailed as if their hearts were breaking on every note.

Back at the king's castle the old pedlar woman became the happy, bold and charming Lady of the house. She was just as bright and cheerful enough to dance a jig.

If wicked people ever could be happy, Gertrud must have been very happy. She was so happy that people began to look at her suspiciously.“She has never been this happy before; what is she up to?” Gertrude saw their sideways looks, and left.

Soon, she was back in her own room, but she truly needed someone toshare her good fortune with. She thought and thought, but nobody came to mind. Oh, she knew a good many people that would leap to come at her call and even rejoice with her and drink her fancy wine. But, you know, wicked people can never trust the kind of friends they make, friends that only come for the wine.

Gertrude plumped down on her bed and clasped a pillow over her head so no one could hear her bright, exultant laughter. But, one little parlour maid did hear the struggling sounds Gertrude made, and hurried to tell her head parlour maid.

“What does it sound like?” she was asked.

The little parlour maid paused and thought back. “She sounded like a Nightingale being strangled.”

“Oh? That's her laugh all right. Well never mind about her then. Change all the sheets in room number three.”

Do you know if you ask all the Gertrudes in the world none of them never have a friend on their household staff, do they?

An hour later Gertrude could quit laughing at the surprise trick she had played on SnowFlake. She sat up and chuckled again. “Why the silly fool believed me when I said my apple was magic. I sure fooled her. Even while she thought I was honest and could be trusted, I was plotting for her to die.”

With just one more chuckle, Gertrude leaped to her feet and ran to gaze into her magic mirror. Her own image on the mirror faded away and the tragic face of the magic mirror host appeared in its place. “Good evening, Lady Gertrude. Let me guess what question you want to ask.” Gertrude wanted to slap him, but no, that blow might damage her mirror. “Let me ask it myself, Gertrude suggested. “It might save us some time.” The old mirror chuckled at the thought. “Go ahead then,” he invited.

“Well,” said Gertrude. “Let me know if I am once again the fairest ladyof them all.”

The mirror clouded up a bit, but the face in the mirror was perplexed when he returned. He was perplexed because the answer was not the one he had expected. “This will not do,” the mirror warned her. “We shall have to go through the whole user name and password we have chosen – and don't forget to start your request with..”

Gertrude stamped her foot, but in the end she told the mirror her user name and password. It came out in a sharp whisper. “Ger-trude1, and the last password I gave you was PickleJuice.”

“PickleJuice?” asked the face in the mirror. “Why, my dearie, that fits you to a tea.”

“Now get with it. My request is next,” Gertrude was so angry she stamped her foot. When the face in the mirror quit chuckling Gertrude said, “Mirror, Mirror, on the wall. Who is it in this land that is the fairestone of them all?”

“Hmm,” said the mirror reflectively. “You know what? A lot of people ask that same question of their mirrors. Let's see now, you wanted to know who in this land was the fairest of them all, didn't you? Hmm, well that is interesting. I've never seen an answer like this one is. Here, I'll quote it out for you.. Dame Gertrude almost is, and may be again, real soon. But, right now, Princess SnowFlake is.”

“That's not true!” Gertrude shouted. “I watched her die just a little bit at a time.”

“I'm sorry,” said the mirror. “But you asked me a direct question and I gave you an honest answer as soon as I could. You are the fairest one of them all but only after Princess SnowFlake is completely dead. Why don't you wait an hour or so and ask your question once more. From what I saw, SnowFlake shall not linger much longer.”

“This will never do,” said Lady Gertrude. “I must go out there and finish her off with an ax. Only when I have cut off her lovely head will Ionce more be the fairest dame of them all.

“Let me call out my hounds and off I go. They will find her for me and then Off With Her Head, I will crow, and I'll stand there and watch her head come off real slow.”

This is the very kind of surprise gifts that wicked people are glad to give when their pills and their magic chants over potions won't do the dirty trick asked of them.

Thus we now see Gertrude and her trembling horde of hounds rise to the occasion and dash off into the night without skies.

Limbs slapped her face and her blood ran cold down her cheeks. “This cannot go on,” Gertrude screamed in pain.

Over her head she heard giant wings rustling through the tree tops. A giant white owl, on her left shoulder did light. The wings pounded harder and Gertrude nearly tumbled from her saddled mount, but another giant owl was right there, before she could count. Together they lifted Gertrude above the forest trees that only owls could see in the pinched shut shadows of night. Gertrude felt safe enough to lean her head back in their tender grasp. At first she only saw one star, but next she counted two. Oh, it was dark. Why is it I can't count three?

They were carrying her low enough for Gertrude to hear her eager hounds bay. She crooned back to them in their own silver-throated tune. “Find her, kill her; this kill I must face. Don't leave a bone unchewed, and of her fair face, don't leave a single trace.”

Just when everything seemed to be going her way, the two Nightingales heard the hounds give their killing howl. “It's the hounds from Lady Gertrude that we hear. Soon they will be near.”

Little dwarfs in the forest have this ancient fear of the hounds gone wild. Their first thought was to dash for the thickets and hollow where big hounds cannot follow. “But what of the Princess. Can we carry her with us until daylight is rent?”

The question zipped from lip to lip, and their fears were calmed enough for them to be angry at Lady Gertrude for making such a charge. “Well, if she thinks we will run away from a duty we have oncebegun, she shall have another thought coming. Dwarfs, go grab your bows and arrows, bring out your handy spears too. We will end this battle if we pierce Lady Gertrude through and through.”

A determined little rush they made, but not one of them raced off to hide. “Just let me hear the brute and you will see how fair I shoot.”

They knew it was only bravado they felt inside, but they vowed that each of them would bring home a hound's old tough hide.”

There came a crashing through the wood, and the dwarfs all stood firm. Death might strike them a thousand dirty blows but they stood firm and their courage earned all of them medals. But it was only the little shepherd boy that came out grieving. With tears streaming down his cheeks he had came from the meadow, through the darkened wood, to bid his love goodbye.

The dwarfs were touched to their core. Without a word they beckoned him to follow them to her coffin. It was too much for him to see. The love of his life lay so lifelike that his spirit broke. It was sobbing he was when the little shepherd boy fell to his knees. His tears rattled likerain on the glass door of the coffin like angry bees and the dwarfs cried another thousand tears too.

SnowFlake's spirit heard the sound of rain and it sighed within her. Shesat up, rapping her brow sharply against the glass door. "Oh!" but the shepherd and the seven little dwarfs had turned as one to face the baying hounds, and thus they did not hear her calling through their tears. Then the little bell began to ring and a cheerful tune sprang up from the tree boughs outside. Birds began singing in the trees and all the little animals of the forest inched closer to welcome SnowFlake home again.

Just then the hounds crashed through the forest glen and raised happy howls to the empty night above. “Build a fire, right here,” cried the little shepherd boy. “We will fight them with our arrows streaming fire brands raining down their throats. If any of them come this close I shall turn them around and around until they roast.”

In the silence his words had earned, they clearly heard the bell ringing. Oh, what could it mean? They turned as one and faced the ringing bier. The shepherd boy hurried forward first in line. He peered down through the glass and said, "OH!" for he saw her face was with smiling lips pursed and fine.

The dwarfs helped him yank off the bier's top and Princess SnowFlake stood up with the firelight flickering over her face and breast. And then they all heard a tumbling crash through the treetop brew. Down came Lady Gertrude to claim her share of the loot. One look told her that the number of her foes was big enough and mad enough to bloody her nose. So she stepped towards them with arms outstretched.“I'm so glad to see you all safe and secure. My conscience would have killed me if a single one of you had been bit. My little tray of hounds must have slipped off on a different track than I set them on. I hurried to head them, as fast as I could. Now you see them grinning so innocently. Why, would you look at that? There is the little Princess Snowflake and all of you gathered around. This must be a party; let me bring each of you a sip of fine wine!"

Everyone was stunned by her gracious behavior. They almost believed every word she had said. Then Princess SnowFlake stretched out her arm and cried, “Didn't I see you with a poison apple in your hand, not so long ago? Come forward because I will know you by the lines and curls of your hands.”

Dame Gertrude could not take a chance with that. She turned herself around and headed for home with all her hounds strung out behind her.

Of course SnowFlake married the shepherd, and they lived happily ever after in a home he built for them, near to the seven little dwarfs and near the meadow. Their little lambs and kids ran and played therethroughout the live long day.

King Henri took the magic mirror away from Lady Gertrude and solld itin a yard sale as a novelty. Then he sent her out into the forest to serveas mistress housekeeper for the seven little dwarfs. No one at his courteven felt sorry for her. No one at court was sorry to see her go.

In fact, once they were sure that Gertrude would never return to court the ladies in waiting began whispering ugly tales of her ugly potions and wicked ways. That is the way it always is in the courts of kings andtyrants too. SnowFlake was very glad that she was brought to court only to show off King Henri's grand children. And she got a kick out of dancing for the visiting heads of state while she was lingering there.

One day as she emerged from the castle she heard the wind shrieking,at her again. “You'll never be a queen, ooooooieehee, SNOWFLAKE WILL NEVER LIVE TO BE A QUEEN!”

SnowFlake laughed out loud at the windy challenge. “YES! And I thank God that you were so right. I shall never be a queen. SnowFlake will never live to be a queen. How free that makes me!

“Shriek your message again, wind. Howl, storm, and please make it sure. I'll never be a queen, that was your chant, but know ye this and howl some more. I love the man I married, and he loves me back again. A prince my shepherd may never be, but there is no station on earth or call from heaven bound that is greater than this; to be a happy husband and a loving father too.

“So, Howl your message again, O wind for I beg to know it will always be true. Clench my true love safely to my side and bring my children home before the black wood of forest is dark. YES, shriek with all your might, this grand old story of pure, white love and pulsing light.”

The end?

Well, no, not quite.

For when SnowFlake went home that night their little cottage was fuller than the finest castle on earth. It was flooded with music led by a spinning loom. Those that could not sing that song, fell back a shadow, and hummed the tune along. Every live creature from the forest and glen, came to join the party, save Gertrude, my dears, she was the only one not invited in, and with that thought carved in her bitter heart she bawled a flood of bitter tears.

No one wanted to touch the food she made; no one wanted to savor one of her toxic tonics. So, soon it was; two giant owls caught her in their claws and raked her across the new moon, and she was never seen again, for that was too soon.

And now, this is Lin Stone signing off until next time.

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