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| abandoned gold mine |
Darkness dropped quickly, leaving a starless sky ominous with heavy silence. Anam** hovered protectively around Snow White as she paced in the dwarfs' cottage. Through a swirling mist, Anam whispered, There she be. There she waits. For you. Snow White wrapped Anam tightly about her, "Yes, Anam. Close by. Soon. Final, an end."
For the weeks Snow had dwelt in the cottage, all seven had returned at dusk from their old mine. One night ago, only six returned. Last night, only five. Now four exhausted dwarfs trudged into sight, ducking into a warm cottage.
Karl? Petra? There was no surprise. Both were unstable and filled with anger, but Gunther?
"Where's Gunther? Where?" Her frantic question vibrated in their stone cottage. Four remaining dwarfs shrugged their shoulders, but blanched and pale faces showed more. One whispered. "Couldn't see, But some'n grabbed 'im. Stole "im away."
Anam soaked into Snow White as she tore open the door and raced into a velvet night. Save, you will not. Has them all.
Flickering lamps reflected veins of gold, illuminating a path into the mine. Snow groped her way along jagged walls. Down there, she is. And deep it is. The wall had been a sealed wall of boulders which now opened with a grating groan, showering shards of granite to reveal itself.
Pebbles tumbled down a dark path leading to a cavern where shadows bounced through and off the boulders. Sobbing and groaning seeped from a far corner. Stumbling became running as Snow White emerged into a massive cavern where wall no longer glittered with gold, but were coated with blood still oozing over stone.
**Gaelic:
Aingeal (ine-gull) : spirit being
Cailleach (kile-yuh) Kylyu: witch
Anam (ahn-uhm) : immortal, non-material part of a person
Wow....a whole otdher world from the fairy tale I know. Can't wait for the next installment.
ReplyDeleteNext one is on Friday.
DeleteWell, that was a dramatic opening!
ReplyDeleteI hope so!
DeleteShe probably doesn't want to be there. Sounds like there is no saving those dwarves.
ReplyDeleteShe has been in battle for millennia with Kylyu. Saving the dwarfs? That is a big question.
DeleteReminds me, oddly enough, of a line from Star Trek, where i think it was Dr. McCoy who said that evil often defeated good unless good was very, very careful.
ReplyDeleteDr. McCoy was underrated as an actor, sadly. This was a great line.
DeleteOh boy. Many do not realize that fairy tales all were dark stories to begin with. You have heightened the darkness. I am holding my breath for the next installment.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever watched Brothers Grimm (not very good movie)? But they definitely highlighted the evil of fairy tales.
DeleteShe sure stepped into something way more than the Disney version. Dwarves may be toast.
ReplyDeleteMore like BBQ.
DeleteUh oh...
ReplyDeletethings will happen.
DeleteI LOVE seeing Snow White with some intestinal fortitude. She is so often portrayed as a delicate (but useless) beauty. Looking forward to more.
ReplyDeleteSnow has some mad skills in this story.
DeleteThis certainly is far different from the Snow White I read as a child. Very dark indeed. Excellent writing too.
ReplyDeleteShe was always insipid in the Disney version.
DeleteOh boy, blood stained walls. This is definitely more gory than a poison apple.
ReplyDeletePoisoned apple vs. gore? Gore, anytime.
DeleteSomehow, I don't think your Snow is sitting around waiting breathlessly for her prince to come. She's already shaping up to be a bad-ass. Great job!
ReplyDeleteOh, you betcha.
DeleteThanks for stopping by!
ReplyDelete