As White As Snow by John Longtain

Author:John Longtain
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: John Longtain
Published: 2024-03-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 22

Controlled by someone else’s will, the raven looked upon the dwarfs’ cottage with one eye, blinked, and turned its head to look upon the house with its other eye.

The door opened, and out in a line came the dwarfs, as always. For weeks now, six of them would go to the mine, leaving behind the eldest looking one, and Snow White. This time, the eldest looking one stepped out, Snow following him. He turned around to tell her something and would probably stay with her. No, that couldn’t be it. He was carrying a shovel and pick over his shoulder. He’d leave with the others, surely.

After exchanging some words that the raven could not hear, the dwarf turned around and followed his fellows. Snow looked at them for a few seconds, closed the cottage’s door, went into the shop, and came out with tools. She sat at a nearby stump she’d appropriated, and stared down at the many pieces of wood she’d shaped and cut over the weeks. Usually, she’d start working immediately, hacking away at a branch, splitting a log, cutting the bark off the wood, or squaring or planing planks or beams.

But all she did this time was look at the wood pieces, so still that she could have been a statue. It was only her hair that betrayed the effect, as it billowed with the wind.

“Kraw,” the raven croaked.

Snow started and looked up. Her hands had shot up to cover her mouth, but stopped short from it. After seeing the source of the noise, she calmed down and decided to ignore the black bird.

“Krrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaw.”

She didn’t react.

“Krrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaw.”

Snow looked up. “What is it, bothersome bird?”

This time, the raven prolonged its croak so much that Snow had to look around. A feeling of threat slithered up her spine, which tensed her muscles, and convinced her that she was in mortal peril. Goosebumps invaded her arms, her hands covered her ears, and shivers shook her shoulders as fear possessed her legs to flee into the cottage. She bolted the door and leaned against it with her heart pounding, chest heaving.

The raven’s croak echoed through the forest, and Revna finally let go of it. She opened her eyes to find herself sitting on the chair in front of the fireplace in her chamber. It didn’t even take a second for her face to contort from a peaceful, restful state to that of wicked, cruel laughter.

“You’re alone,” she proclaimed. “Alone, vulnerable. Within my grasp, you hated thorn. Have you seen yourself clad in those drabs? Have you tried running your fingers through the tangled mess you call hair? Your hands are destroyed by work and splinters. Oh, I could forget about you.”

The evil queen stood before her mirror, ready to ask of it to answer, again, who the fairest of the land was. No doubt it would change her answer to her. Snow White was a savage looking mess now.

But she daren’t. Even wrapped in those crude and unrefined rags, Revna could see that her bane was still beautiful.

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