Thursday 27 October 2011

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

She left in the night. The cold door slammed closed behind her. Bang. Echo. Snow fell, attached itself to the landscape. She went on walking. The temperature dropped. She discarded her bag, the contents were too heavy. The road wound on far ahead. She passed nothingness. The path lasted for four miles. When it ended she turned off into the forest. Snow collapsed from tree branches soaking her with icy water. The temperature lowered again.
An unknown time later a lone house appeared. She approached it. Slowly. Weeds tangled through the bricks, a winged creature escaped from a gap in the roof. She held back. Then gently pushed the door. It creaked open loudly but there was nothing to hear it. She entered and glanced around hurriedly. Empty. Room by room she explored. Still devoid of life. The odd piece of crockery or material were scattered around. She picked them up.
A raised voice made her turn round. The items tumbled to the floor once more. Seven men. Short, ugly, mean. Angry. Multiple shouts. Unwilling agreements, more arguments, accusations. Finally she was allowed to stay decided to clear leader. It a poor choice but her only one. Fine, she'd stay.
Days rolled into weeks. No distractions from life, her time now spent tending the home of the odd little creatures. Vague recollections of her old life flashed through her mind. Wealth. Feasting. Dancing. But also cruelty, misery, isolation. Her.
The weather grew harsher. Winds howled, rains pelted and snow fell. Food became scarce as did company. She could not recall the last time she'd seen another living soul. Expect the seven little men.
Days, months or years later there was a knock. A bang on the door. She edged towards it. Hesitant but hopeful. A figure encased in black robes stood outside. She recoiled at the sight of the stranger. Lank, thining hair. Beady eyes that squinted despite the gloom. Hands gnarled as tree roots. A smile. Something tumbled from the folds of the stranger's cloak. Something green. Circular. Shiny. An apple. She reached for it, gripped it in her palm. The temptation was immense. She took a bite, grinned at the taste. She felt herself sway slightly. The apple was dropped. Rolled into a puddle of rainwater. She gripped teh doorframe. Sharp panic bit at her. She sensed herself falling. Her fingers felt the Earth. Blackness. There was no more.

2 comments:

  1. This will definitely feature in carpet time. Brilliant work Meg.

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  2. Have you thought about writing for fusion? You've produced a captivating tale in such a short space of time we'd like to see what you could write if you were given longer.

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