On a cold winter day, while snowflakes drifted down from the sky as softly as feathers, a queen was sitting beside a window framed with deep black ebony. She was quietly sewing and occasionally lifting her eyes to look outside. The window was slightly open, and through it she could see the white snow covering the land. As she worked, the needle suddenly slipped and pricked her finger. Three drops of bright red blood fell gently onto the pure white snow below. The queen stopped sewing and gazed at the sight. The contrast of the red blood against the white snow was so beautiful that she sighed deeply and whispered to herself, “Oh, if only I had a child with skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony.”
Before long, the queen’s wish came true. She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. The child had skin as white as snow, cheeks as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony wood. The king and queen named her Snow White. However, their happiness did not last long. Shortly after giving birth, the queen fell ill and passed away, leaving her newborn daughter without a mother.
About a year later, the king married again. His new wife was very beautiful, but she was also proud, selfish, and cruel. She could not bear the thought of anyone being more beautiful than herself. She owned a magical mirror and stood before it every single day. Looking into the mirror, she would ask, “Mirror, mirror on the wall, tell me, who is the most beautiful in this land?” The mirror always replied, “You are the most beautiful, my queen.” Hearing this answer pleased her greatly, for she trusted the mirror completely and believed that it always spoke the truth.
As time passed, Snow White grew older. Each year she became more beautiful, kinder, and more gentle. By the time she reached the age of seven, her beauty surpassed that of everyone in the kingdom, including the queen herself. One day, as usual, the queen stood before her mirror and asked her familiar question. This time, however, the mirror answered, “You are beautiful, my queen, but Snow White is a thousand times more beautiful than you.” Upon hearing these words, the queen turned pale with jealousy and rage. From that moment on, whenever she saw Snow White, her heart burned with hatred, and jealousy took deep root within her soul.
The queen could no longer sleep peacefully, neither day nor night. At last, she summoned a huntsman and commanded him, “Take the child deep into the forest. I do not wish to see her ever again. Kill her and bring me her lungs as proof.” The huntsman led Snow White into the woods. When he raised his knife to kill her, Snow White burst into tears and begged him to spare her life, promising that she would never return to the palace. Seeing her innocence and beauty, the huntsman’s heart softened. Unable to commit such a cruel act, he spared her life and told her to run away.
To deceive the queen, the huntsman killed a wild animal and brought its lungs back to her. The queen believed they belonged to Snow White and felt relieved, thinking her rival was gone forever.
Snow White wandered alone through the forest, frightened by the dark trees and strange sounds around her. She ran until evening fell and finally came upon a small cottage hidden deep among the trees. Inside, everything was tiny and very clean. On the table were seven little plates, seven small spoons, and seven cups. Hungry and exhausted, Snow White tasted a little from each plate and took a sip from every cup. Then she tried the seven beds and fell asleep in the seventh one, which fit her perfectly.
That night, the seven dwarfs who lived there returned from the mines. When they entered their home, they noticed that someone had been inside. One asked who had sat on his chair, another who had eaten from his plate, and soon each dwarf realized that his belongings had been used. In the bedroom, they found Snow White asleep. Amazed by her beauty, they decided not to wake her.
In the morning, Snow White awoke and was frightened to see the dwarfs. They spoke kindly to her, and she told them her story. After learning that her stepmother had tried to kill her, the dwarfs allowed her to stay if she would cook, clean, and take care of the house. Snow White happily agreed.
Each day, while the dwarfs worked in the mines, Snow White stayed home. They warned her repeatedly never to open the door to strangers. Meanwhile, the queen discovered through her mirror that Snow White was still alive. Furious, she disguised herself as an old woman and went to the cottage. She tricked Snow White into letting her in and tightened a colorful lace around her waist so tightly that Snow White collapsed. When the dwarfs returned, they cut the lace and saved her.
The queen tried again with a poisoned comb, and once more Snow White fell unconscious. Again, the dwarfs arrived in time to save her. Enraged beyond control, the queen prepared a poisoned apple—beautiful on the outside but deadly inside. Disguised yet again, she convinced Snow White to bite the apple. This time, Snow White fell lifeless to the ground.
When the dwarfs returned, they could not revive her. Believing her dead, they placed her in a glass coffin and watched over her. One day, a prince came through the forest, saw Snow White, and fell in love with her. As the coffin was carried away, the piece of apple fell from her throat, and she awoke.
The prince asked her to marry him, and she agreed. Their wedding was magnificent. The wicked queen attended and learned that Snow White was now the most beautiful. As punishment, she was forced to dance in red-hot iron shoes until she fell dead. Snow White and the prince lived happily ever after.
Enjoy another bedtime story: The Dream Express