Fairy Tales and Bedtime Stories: The Snow Queen

Once upon a time there was a sprite that loved to cause trouble. He wasn't evil, exactly. He just liked to have fun like these creatures often do in fairy tales. One of his tricks involved a mirror. Anyone who looked into would look ugly. Beautiful landscapes were turned into spinach and any flaw a person had was made to look bigger than it was.

 

 

"That's glorious fun!" said the sprite. The trick soon caught on and other sprites did the same thing, transforming almost everyone and everything. They flew high into the sky with the mirror, laughing at the sights they saw. Finally, the mirror shook so hard it fell, smashing on the ground below. Some of these pieces were so tiny they actually got into people's eyes. For these unlucky people the world was changed into something not even creatures from fairy tales would believe.

 

Once, there lived two children who were lucky enough to have a garden, something many in their town could not have. Once the winter came, and everything was frozen, they had to turn their attention to the falling snow. The girl's grandmother told them it was swarming white bees and these bees picked a snow queen that went around the town, looking in windows and making them freeze. The kids loved the story, but quickly forgot about it once the spring came again, and with it, the flowers.

 

They were out one day looking at the flowers when, all of a sudden, the boy felt a sharp pain in his eye. It was one of the pieces of glass! His friend looked on in shock as he said how ugly the flowers were and began to kick the boxes. Later on, when the grandmother was telling bedtime stories, the boy went on about the horrible beasts in them. The next winter, he was sledding with some friends when he ran into the snow queen herself!

 

"We have traveled fast," said the Snow Queen; "but it is freezing cold. Come under my bearskin." She held him for a while and he felt as though he were wrapped in ice. She kissed his forehead, sending a wave of cold right into his heart. A second kiss made him forget everyone he loved and he left with her, sleeping at her feet each day.

 

Time went by with no one knowing where Kay had gone to. Little Gerda was miserable, missing her friend very much. Those first days after the Snow Queen took him dragged on for her. Finally, the spring came again and she had accepted that the boy who had been like a brother to her was dead. That is, until the Swallows and Sunshine caused doubts to form. Gerda put on her red shoes and went down to the river, hoping to find some answers.

 

Gerda spent much time asking around, even offering her red shoes as a reward if someone could tell her where Kay was. Still, Gerda learned nothing of the Snow Queen and what she had done. Gerda stopped to ask the river if it knew anything and thought it said yes, so she threw her shoes to it. The river didn't, though, so it refused the shoes. Confused, the girl climbed into a boat and threw them in again. The boat wasn't secured, though, and she ended up traveling through the water.

 

Before long, a nice lady heard Gerda's cries and came out to help her. She and the woman became friends and Gerda visited her often and slowly began to forget her lost friend. One day, while playing in the garden, the flowers brought her memories of Kay back. How could she have wasted so much time here instead of looking for him? She asked the roses if they knew anything about Kay and they told her he was still alive. Thrilled, she continued her search, none the wiser about the Snow Queen.

 

On and on, she traveled, asking everyone she could find about Kay while her grandmother waited at home, missing both the children terribly. Gerda kept going through the fall, determined to have a happy ending like she heard about in bedtime stories. Her feet soon grew tired again and she had to rest some more. This time, she came across a large raven hopping over the snow that had just fallen. He had seen Kay and his sledge! She questioned the Raven and was soon on her way to finding him.

 

She traveled a long way, coming across many different creatures in her search for Kay, even staying with a Prince and Princess. She even hitched a ride with some robbers who scared her, but didn't do her any real harm. She was sitting with the robbers the night some wood pigeons came along and told her about Kay and the Snow Queen. The robber maiden decided to be very nice and let a reindeer go free if it would agree to take Gerda to the Snow Queen. The reindeer said yes and off she was to Finland! One of the people she meets during the journey knows exactly what happened to Kay and tells her about the piece of glass in his eye. Only the power in Gerda's heart can save him from this spell.

 

Finally, Gerda made it to the home of the Snow Queen. She just might get Kay back now! She hurried into the palace, searching high and low for him. Finally, she spotted Kay and ran over to him, giving him a big hug. "Kay, sweet little Kay! Have I then found you at last?"

 

At first, he did not recognize her and this upset Gerda. She sobbed as she hugged Kay, her tears running down her cheeks and falling onto Kay. To her surprise, her tears melted the cold ice of his heart and brought back all the memories the Snow Queen had stolen. Happy to be back together, they hurried home and lived happily ever after.