Snow White and Rose Red
Once upon a time, in a small village near a small town, there lived a woman with her two daughters. Their names were Snow White and Rose Red.
Snow White was a shy and generous person. Rose Red was energetic and playful, always up to mischief, ready for some prank.
— Be careful, please, don't run like that! — I'm fine, Mom, I can't break anything! — I told you so!
Snow White and Rose Red helped their mother with daily chores. At the end of the day, their mother would tell them stories. They had a normal, ordinary life, until the beginning of winter, when things started to get interesting.
An Unexpected Visit
One evening, their mother was reading a story to her daughters. They heard a knock at the door. All three jumped. They looked at the door with unease, wondering who could be beyond it.
— Don't worry, my dears. It must be some traveler who needs information. I'll go see. — No, Mom, I'll go! — Ah! — No! Oh dear! What is it? — No! Oh dear, what is it? — Please, stop screaming! I'm just a bear. Be quiet, please, my ears hurt. I need help. I'm cold and hungry.
All three stopped screaming when they heard the bear speak. He wasn't like other bears. He had a gentle voice.
— We're sorry. Please, come in.
The three looked at him and let him in.
— You're covered in snow. Let me help you. — Oh, no, please, don't! Oh, oh, no! You two are awful! No! No! No! — Alright, that's enough, girls. Let him drink something warm. Bring him a blanket, Rose.
An Unusual Friendship
That evening, a friendship began. One that lasted all winter. Every day, the bear came home bringing gifts. The girls shared the warmth of the fireplace with him, read him stories. Both of them enjoyed his company.
Then, time passed and winter came to an end. It was time for the bear to leave.
— If it weren't for this spell, I wouldn't have known either of you. — What do you mean? What spell? You don't have to leave, you can stay with us! — I must leave. Thank you for everything you've done. But now that winter is over, I must go.
And then he left, leaving behind the friends he loved so much.
The Wicked Dwarf
A few days later, Snow White and Rose Red were walking through the forest, gathering fruits and vegetables. Suddenly, they heard some strange shouts coming from ahead of them. They followed the sounds and saw something peculiar. A dwarf who had caught his long beard under a fallen tree. He was jumping up and down and screaming in frustration.
— Stupid beard! Nasty tree! Stop staring at me like that! Come quickly and help me! Hurry!
The girls put down their baskets and together tried to lift the tree, pulling and lifting as much as they could. They tried with all their might. Then, both gave up. Suddenly, Rose Red had an idea. The dwarf continued to jump up and down, until he saw what was in Rose Red's hands.
— No, wait! Hey! What do you think you're doing? No! Stop! No! My precious beard!
The girls were amused by the dwarf's behavior. They had helped him, and yet he was angry with them. He continued to shout at them and left. He went into the forest without even thanking them for their help.
A New Encounter
The next day, the girls decided to walk by the river. Once again, they heard the shouts and screams of the dwarf they had met. The girls again ran to help him. This time, his beard was caught in the mouth of a large fish.
— Nasty fish! How dare you? — Now you've really gotten yourself into trouble! — Don't you see this terrible fish wants to drag me into the water? Help me!
Snow White and Rose Red decided to help him again.
— We won't succeed! All three of us will drown! But I can't hold him anymore! I'm going to cut your beard! — Why? Why? Why do you want my beard? How will I appear before my friends? Silly girls!
The two sisters were amused and started to laugh. But then they heard... On a large boulder behind them, a young man was lying. He had a bruise on his forehead.
— Hey! Who are you? And what are you doing here? — I am Prince Adam. I'm looking for my brother, Joseph. He's been missing since winter. — Oh! I'm Snow White, and she's my sister, Rose Red. Can we help you find him? — He went for a walk in the forest with a bag of jewels. But on the way, he disappeared. I saw a creature carrying a similar bag of jewels. When I tried to stop him, he cast a spell on me, and I couldn't see where I was going anymore. I fell and hit my head on this rock. — I'm sorry to hear that. We can help you.
The girls promised to help the prince, and he calmed down. But at that moment, all three heard a loud sound. It came from deep within the forest behind them.
— Help!
All three mounted the horse and hurried in the direction from which the screams were heard. They saw the dwarf running out of a cave, being chased by a bear.
— Leave me alone! Help! — Oh, it's our friend, the bear! Why is he chasing the dwarf?
The prince drew his sword and began to walk towards the dwarf and the bear.
— Girls, wait here! This is the creature I saw with my brother's bag of jewels! He must pay for what he's done! — Be careful! — Leave me alone! Take everything! Take all the treasure if you want! — Look what your spell turned me into! I don't want to be just the jewel! — Leave him to me, my friend! The dwarf is mine! — Enough of this nonsense! It's time to show my true form! Don't you think you can defeat me? Now you will all pay the price! — Oh dear! — Quick! My sword! Throw me my sword! — His beard! Cut his beard! All his power lies in it! Cut it now!
The True Form
While the dwarf was in his monstrous form, Snow White ran with scissors in hand, and Rose Red ran after the bag.
— You silly little girl, did you think I would spare you? — No! Snow White! Prince! Here! — No!
Prince Adam threw his sword with precision and completely cut off the dwarf's beard. Separated from his face, the beard fell to the ground, and the dwarf began to shrink. Suddenly, the bear transformed into a handsome prince. Prince Joseph, Prince Adam's brother. Prince Adam looked at his brother and ran towards him, then hugged him tightly.
— I've missed you, brother! It's been too long! — I've missed you too. The wicked dwarf stole my jewels and cast a spell on me. And I cannot thank the girls enough for everything they've done for me.
Prince Joseph spoke of the generosity the girls had shown him. So did Prince Adam. Both fell in love with the two sisters, and the sisters, in turn, fell in love with the two princes.
At the wedding, which was the grandest in the kingdom, Snow White married Prince Adam and Rose Red married Prince Joseph.
Snow White and Rose Red were scared of the bear at first. Then, they looked beyond the bear's appearance. This shows us that a person's true nature is in their soul, and that love and kindness can break any spell the world might cast upon you.
