The Snow Queen- Story Two

Lewis

Rhiannon

In a large town, where there are so many houses, and so many houses, that there is no roof left for everybody to have a little garden; and where on this account. Most people are obliged to content themselves with flowers in pots; there lived two little children, who had a garden somewhat larger than a flower-pot. They were not brother and sister; but cared for each other as much as if they were. Their parents lived exactly opposite.

His name was Kay, hers was Gerda. In summer with one jump they could get to each other; but in winter they were obliged first to go down the long stairs, and then up the longs stairs again. Outdoors there was quite a snow storm.

A few snow-flakes were falling, and one, the largest of all remained lying on the edge of a flower-pot.

The flake of snow grew larger and larger; and at last it was like a young lady, dressed in the finest white gauze, made of a million little flakes like stars. She was so beautiful and delicate but she was of ice of dazzling sparkling ice; yet she lived; her eyes fixedly like to stars; but there was neither quiet response nor response in them. She nodded towards the window, and beckoned with her hand. The little boy was frightened.

Then spring came; the sun shone, green leaves appeared, the swallows built their nests.

Kay looked at the picture book full of beasts and of birds “Oh! I feel such a sharp pain in my heart; and now something has got into my eye!”

It was one of those pieces of glass from the magic mirror that had got into his eye; and poor Kay had another piece right in his heart. It will soon become like ice. It did not hurt any longer, but there it was.

When he looked at the picture books again he asked “what horrid beasts have you there?” And if his grandmother told those stories, he always interrupted her; besides, if he could manage it. He would get behind her, put on her spectacles, and imitate her way of speaking; he copied all her ways, and then everybody laughed at him. But it was the glass he had got in his eye; the glass that was sticking in his heart, which made him tease even little Gerda, whose whole soul was devoted to him.

A large sledge passed by; it was painted quite white, and there was someone in it wrapped up in a rough white mantle of fur, with a rough white fur cap on his head. The sledge drove round the square twice, and Kay ran after the sledge as quickly as he could, off he ran with it. On they went quicker and quicker into the next street; and the person who drove turned to Kay, and nodded to him in a friendly manner, just as they as if they knew each other. Every time he was going to jump on the sledge, the person nodded to him, and then Kay sat quiet; and so on they went till they came outside the gates of the town. Then the snow began fall so thickly that the little boy could not see an arms lengths before him, but still on they went; when suddenly he let go the string he held in his hand in order to get loose from the sledge, but it was of no use, still the little vehicle rushed on with quickness of the wind. He then cried out as loud as he could, but no one heard him; the snow drifted and the sledge flew on, and sometimes it gave a jerk as though they were driving over hedges and ditches. He was quite frightened, and he tried to repeat the Lord’s Prayer.

The large sledge stopped, and the person who drove rose-up. It was a lady; her cloak and cap were of snow. She was tall and of slender figure, and of a dazzling whiteness. It was the Snow Queen.

 “Are you still cold?” asked she; and then she kissed his forehead. Ah! It was colder than ice; it penetrated to his very heart, which was already almost a frozen lump; it seemed to him as if he were about to die – but a moment later he did not notice the cold that was around him.

The Snow Queen kissed Kay once more, and then he forgot little Gerda, grandmother, and all whom he had left at his home.

“Now you will have no more kisses” said she,” or else I should kiss you to death!”

She was very beautiful; and no longer appeared of ice as before, when she sat outside the window and he looked upwards in the large huge empty space above him, and on she flew with him; flew high over, the black clouds, while the storm moaned and whistled as though it were singing some old tune. On they flew over woods and lakes, overseas, and many lands; and beneath them the chilling storm rushed fast, the wolves howled, the snow crackled; above them flew large screaming crows, but higher up appeared the moon, quite large and bright; and it was on it that Kay gazed during the long long winters night; while by day he slept at the feet of the Snow Queen.