Snow White and the Seven Good Friends

Once upon a time, in a castle perched high on a snowy mountain, a queen sat sewing by an ebony window. She pricked her finger, and three drops of blood fell onto the white snow below.

"I wish for a daughter with skin as white as snow, hair as black as ebony, and lips as red as blood," she whispered.

Her wish came true. The queen had a beautiful baby girl and named her Snow White. But sadly, the queen died, and Snow White's father married again.

The new queen was stunning—and she knew it. Every morning, she asked her magic mirror the same question: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"

"You are, Your Majesty," the mirror always replied.

But on Snow White's eighth birthday, everything changed.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"

The mirror shimmered. "Snow White is the fairest of them all."

The queen's face turned purple with rage. She summoned her huntsman immediately.

"Take Snow White into the forest," she hissed, "and make sure she never returns."

The huntsman led Snow White deep into the dark woods. But when he looked into her kind, trusting eyes, he couldn't do it.

"Run, Princess!" he cried. "Run and never come back! The queen wants to harm you!"

Snow White ran. She ran past twisted trees and over bubbling streams. Branches scratched her arms. Thorns tore her dress. Finally, exhausted and terrified, she stumbled into a clearing.

There stood the tiniest, coziest cottage she'd ever seen.

[ILLUSTRATION MOMENT: Snow White discovering a miniature cottage with a thatched roof, surrounded by wildflowers and mushrooms in a sun-dappled forest clearing]

Snow White knocked. No answer. She pushed open the door.

Inside, everything was small. Seven little chairs surrounded a table set with seven little plates, seven little cups, and seven little forks. Upstairs, she found seven little beds in a row.

Snow White was so tired. She lay across three of the beds and fell fast asleep.

As the sun set, seven dwarfs came marching home from the diamond mines, singing their work song. But when they opened their door, they stopped short.

"Someone's been sitting in my chair!" cried the first dwarf.

"Someone's been eating from my plate!" cried the second.

"Someone's been drinking from my cup!" cried the third.

"Someone's sleeping in our beds!" they all cried together.

Snow White woke with a start, surrounded by seven bearded faces staring at her in wonder.

"Please don't be frightened," said the kindest-looking dwarf. "I'm Doc. Who are you?"

Snow White told them everything—about the magic mirror, the jealous queen, and the huntsman's warning.

"You can stay with us!" declared Doc. The others nodded eagerly. "But you must promise never to open the door to strangers. The queen has powerful magic."

Snow White promised.

Back at the castle, the queen asked her mirror again: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?"

"Snow White, living with seven dwarfs beyond the mountains, is still the fairest of them all."

The queen shrieked with fury. The huntsman had betrayed her! She would handle this herself.

She disguised herself as an old peddler woman and filled a basket with beautiful hair ribbons—one of them laced with sleeping poison.

The next day, when the dwarfs were at work, someone knocked on the cottage door.

"Pretty ribbons for sale!" called a croaky voice.

Snow White peeked out the window. Just a harmless old woman. Surely there was no danger in looking at ribbons?

She opened the door.

"Oh, how lovely you are!" the old woman croaked. "But your hair is so messy. Let me tie this ribbon for you."

As soon as the poisoned ribbon touched Snow White's hair, she collapsed.

When the dwarfs came home, they found her lying motionless on the floor. Doc spotted the ribbon immediately and tore it away. Snow White gasped and opened her eyes.

"The queen found you!" Doc cried. "You must be more careful!"

But the queen wasn't finished. When her mirror told her Snow White still lived, she created something more powerful—a poisoned comb. Disguised as a different old woman, she returned to the cottage.

This time, Snow White was more cautious. "I can't let anyone in," she called through the window.

"Of course not, dear," the woman said sweetly. "Just let me pass this beautiful comb through the window. You can put it in yourself."

The comb looked so pretty. Snow White reached for it, and the moment she placed it in her hair, she fell down unconscious.

Again, the dwarfs saved her, pulling out the poisoned comb just in time.

"No more opening doors! No more taking gifts!" they pleaded.

Snow White promised. She really, truly promised this time.

The queen raged when her mirror revealed Snow White lived still. She would create something irresistible—something Snow White wouldn't need to open a door for.

She made a special apple, red and shiny and perfect. One side was poisoned; one side was safe. She would take a bite of the safe side to prove it was harmless.

Disguised as a farmer's wife, she appeared outside the cottage, taking a loud, crunchy bite of the apple.

"Delicious!" she called out. "I grew these myself. Would you like one, dear?"

Snow White looked out. "I can't accept anything from strangers."

"Smart girl! But look—I'll take a bite first." The woman bit the safe side. "See? Perfectly safe. I'll just leave it on the windowsill for you."

[ILLUSTRATION MOMENT: Snow White reaching for the beautiful red apple on the windowsill while the disguised queen watches with wicked glee from outside]

The apple looked so delicious. And the woman had eaten from it herself. Snow White reasoned it couldn't be dangerous if she didn't actually take it from the stranger's hand.

She picked up the apple and took one small bite.

Snow White fell down as if dead.

This time, when the dwarfs came home, they couldn't wake her. They removed her shoes, loosened her dress, combed her hair—nothing worked. The poison was too strong.

The dwarfs wept. They couldn't bear to bury someone so beautiful, so they built a glass case and placed her inside, surrounded by flowers. They took turns keeping watch, day and night.

One spring day, a prince was riding through the forest when he saw the glass case gleaming in the sunshine. He dismounted and gazed at Snow White in wonder.

"She's the most beautiful person I've ever seen," he whispered. "May I take the case to my castle? I promise to honor her always."

The dwarfs, seeing his genuine kindness, agreed.

As the prince's servants lifted the glass case, one of them stumbled. The case jolted, and the piece of poisoned apple flew from Snow White's throat.

Her eyes fluttered open.

"Where am I?" she asked.

The dwarfs shouted with joy! They danced and hugged and cried happy tears. The prince helped Snow White from the case, and she thanked him for his kindness.

When the magic mirror told the queen that Snow White lived and would marry the prince, the queen's jealousy finally consumed her. She fled the kingdom and was never seen again.

Snow White married the prince, but she visited the seven dwarfs every week, because true friends are treasures more precious than any magic mirror could ever show.

And they all lived happily ever after.