Fairy Tale Friday

A fellow writer on my favourite blog set a challenge last Friday in her usual Fairy Tale Friday slot. After guessing that the riddle in her post was referring to Snow White and Rose Red I dug out my copy of Grimm's Fairy Tales and re-read the tale, which I enjoyed greatly. Following further procrastination I decided to give the challenge a go and see what I could come up with but I was stuck. I couldn't think of a way to re-write a classic. I found myself wondering what came before? Who was the girls Father, how did he die? And I just started to type. Before I new it I had some idea down on paper what life before the daughters was like and the magic of their birth, albeit slightly modernised in places and it is the Father who ends up as a widower. Any way, have a read and see what you think. May be you can come up with an alternative ending to this story of trust and longing.

Snow White and Rose Red

There was a man and woman who lived on the outskirts of a vast forest. They lived a simple life in a small cottage; grew vegetables in their garden, collected fruit from the trees around their house and kept chickens which dutifully gave them eggs for breakfast every morning.  The woman loved nothing more than to tend flower garden, especially in summer, when she would hum along with the bees as they skipped from flower to flower. Her favourite amongst them all were the roses that guarded the front door. One a deep ruby red and the other the purest white rose that ever there was. These roses produced beautiful blooms from the passing of the first frost until the first nip of Jack in the winter.

 Every day she would cut one bloom from each rose and place them in a vase, taking a moment to say her silent prayer wishing for a child whom they could shower with love. Her husband felt the same and wondered year after year why they had yet to be blessed.

A few years later, when they thought that all hope was lost, the woman gave birth to beautiful twin girls. But tragedy struck and she only survived long enough to name her daughters; Snow White, for she had the palest skin anyone had ever seen and Rose Red, for she had lips as red as the rose at her door. The man grieved for his soul mate but adapted to his new role as sole parent well. Every day he continued the tradition of placing to roses, one white one red, in the vase at the window; saying his silent prayer to his wife and expressing his gratitude for the girls they had longed to raise together. Life continued, but from the day of her death the little cottage was never without roses in the window. They continued to bloom throughout the winter, defying Jack Frost and his reaches and bringing a smile to the widowers face, letting him know he was never alone.

His daughters grew to be just as beautiful and gracious as his wife. Rose Red became a passionate young woman, head strong in her ways, even in her childhood exploring the forest with reckless abandon. Snow White was her opposite in almost every way, the quiet and watchful of the sisters. During their childhood the sisters complimented each other, doting on their Father and always ensuring their chores were completed before going into the forest to explore, sharing everything together; they were the dream come to life.

One evening, as the girls sang in poetic harmony to their Father, there came a knock at the door. Raising calmly Snow opened the door to the icy air and was faced with a tall and dark man wearing a brooding expression.

“May I enter to warm by your fire, the night is so cold and I will not make it to where I am safe”

“Of course, please sit, I will fetch a blanket” came Snow’s compassionate response to the figure before her. He was a tall and well built figure with long dark hair pulled into a leather thong at the nape of his neck. He stood there in just jeans and shirt sleeves, with ice crystals in his hair trying fight the convulsions that came with being so cold. As Snow returned with a thick crocheted blanket Rose moved from her customary spot in front of the fire to let their mysterious guest sit. Although they were all curious as to the predicament the stranger found himself in none drew attention to it, they simply whiled the evening away with anecdotes, laughter and tea. Eventually came the time when they were all ready to retire to bed, even give his concerns for his daughter’s safety the Father could not bear to see this man turned out into the cold and dark of the forest.

As the man rose to bid the family farewell the Father, placing his hand on the man’s shoulder, said “Please, we have little, but feel free to sleep by the fire and remain safe and warm for the evening”

The man was rendered speechless by the family’s kindness and could simply nod in appreciation.

The following day the sun was shining and it was beginning to feel like spring was in the air. After spending time helping the family with the daily chores, the stranger bid the family farewell.

“Will we ever see you again?” Snow asked as they parted at the garden gate. She was quite taken with this lost soul who had wandered into their lives.

“May be some day, when you need me, maybe” and with that he was gone.

view original here

I am off now to read some of the other fairy tales that have missed the popular culture make over, do you know was talking to a friend about the post and the fairy tale and they didn't even know it existed. Convinced I had lost my marbles and was talking about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, I despaired. I will never profess to being an expert on fairy tale, or anything for that matter, so I was quite impressed with myself for knowing the answer when they didn't :-) This is a good rendition of the tale that I found online, enjoy