Snow-White and Rose-Red

Snow-White and Rose-Red

At the edge of a forest stood a little cottage. In front of it grew two rose bushes. One bloomed white each summer, the other red.

A mother lived there with her two daughters. The quieter girl was called Snow-White, and the lively, adventurous one was Rose-Red.

The sisters were very different.

Snow-White loved reading by the window, helping their mother, and listening to rain tapping on the roof.

Rose-Red ran through the meadows, gathered flowers, climbed low trees, and was always the first to notice when wild strawberries ripened in the forest.

But wherever one went, the other was never far away.

“What I have, I’ll share with you,” Snow-White often said.

“And I with you,” Rose-Red replied.

In summer they wandered through the woods. In winter they sat beside the fire with their mother. Their home held few possessions, but it was always clean, warm, and welcoming.

One winter evening, a snowstorm covered the forest with a thick white curtain.

Suddenly someone knocked.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Perhaps a traveler needs shelter,” said their mother. “Rose-Red, open the door.”

Rose-Red slid back the bolt and jumped away.

A huge black bear stood outside.

Snow-White hid behind her mother. Rose-Red almost shut the door, but the bear spoke in a deep, gentle voice.

“Do not be afraid. I will not harm you. The forest is bitterly cold. Please let me warm myself beside your fire.”

Their mother studied him carefully.

“If you come in peace, come inside.”

The bear lay beside the stove. Snowflakes melted in his fur.

“Will you help brush off the snow?” he asked.

At first the girls touched his fur very cautiously. Soon they understood that their guest was kind, and they laughed when the bear snorted because their brushing tickled.

In the morning, he thanked them and returned to the forest.

The next evening, he came again.

And the evening after that.

Soon the sisters waited for him like an old friend. The bear lay by the fire while Mother read aloud, Snow-White brushed his thick fur, and Rose-Red told him every piece of news from the day.

When spring came, the bear said:

“Now I must go deep into the forest. When the ground thaws, a greedy dwarf leaves his cave and searches for hidden treasure. I must stop him from taking what does not belong to him.”

“Will you come back?” Snow-White asked.

“When the time is right.”

The bear left. As he passed through the doorway, a small patch of fur caught on a hook, and beneath the black coat the girls thought they saw a flash of gold.

Summer arrived.

One day, while gathering sticks, the sisters heard angry muttering.

Beside a fallen tree, a tiny dwarf with a very long white beard was jumping up and down. His beard was trapped between two pieces of wood.

“Why are you staring? Help me!” he shouted.

The girls tried to free the beard, but it was firmly stuck.

“Don’t pull! This is the finest beard in the forest!”

Snow-White took out small scissors and carefully cut only a few hairs caught in the crack.

The dwarf was free.

“You ruined my beautiful beard!” he complained.

He grabbed a bag of gold coins from behind the tree and hurried away without thanking them.

“What a strange little man,” said Rose-Red.

Several days later, they met him beside a stream. This time his beard was tangled in a fishing line while a large fish pulled him toward the water.

Again, the sisters helped.

“You touched my beard again!” he grumbled, although without them he would already have been waist-deep in the stream.

He collected a bag of pearls from beneath a stone and disappeared.

The third time they saw the dwarf, he was in a clearing with precious stones glittering blue, green, and pink in the sunlight.

“How beautiful,” said Rose-Red.

“Don’t look! Mine!” cried the dwarf, hurriedly sweeping the stones into a bag.

Then a familiar voice came from the forest.

“Actually, they are not yours.”

The black bear stepped into the clearing.

The dwarf went pale.

“Oh, honored Bear! I was only... guarding the treasure.”

“You stole it years ago,” said the bear. “And because of it, you placed a spell on me. Return everything and go your way.”

“I won’t!”

The dwarf grabbed the bag and tried to run. It was so heavy that after three steps he sat down on the ground.

Rose-Red could not help laughing.

“Perhaps greed has weight too?”

The dwarf huffed angrily. He realized he could not carry the gold, pearls, and jewels all at once.

At last he dropped the bags.

“Take them! I’ll find other treasure!”

And he vanished into the forest as quickly as his short legs allowed.

The moment the last bag touched the ground, golden light flashed around the bear.

His black fur seemed to melt away.

A young man in a simple traveling cloak stood before the sisters.

“Our bear!” cried Rose-Red.

He smiled.

“The dwarf’s spell is broken. I am a prince from a neighboring land, but I would rather you remember me as the bear who shared your winter evenings.”

The sisters laughed.

The recovered treasure was returned to the families and villages from which it had been taken. The prince continued to visit the little cottage, this time without fur and paws.

Years passed. The sisters grew older, but remained as close as ever. The two rose bushes still bloomed in front of the cottage, one white and one red.

And whenever anyone asked which sister was kinder or braver, their mother always answered:

“Why choose? They are different flowers from the same garden, and each makes it more beautiful.”

May this story leave a little light in your heart ✨