by Liz Dejesus
“How long did it take for you to figure that one out?” Bianca muttered.
“I’ve known since kindergarten.”
“You knock,” Bianca said to the prince.
“Very well.” Ferdinand took a deep breath and puffed up his chest as he led the way to the cottage. He knocked on the door, and together, they waited.
“It’s really been two hundred years since anyone has seen the dwarves?” Bianca whispered to Terrance.
“Over two hundred years,” he replied.
“That’s a long time!” she hissed.
Terrance gently shushed her. “They are old and somewhat grouchy. They don’t like unexpected company,” he explained.
“Then they’re definitely not going to like us,” Ming said.
“How old are they?” Bianca asked.
“Last I heard, they were nine hundred and ninety-seven years old,” Terrance replied.
“What?” Bianca couldn’t believe her ears.
“Dwarves live only to a thousand years of age. Their bodies become one with the earth.”
“That’s crazy,” she whispered.
At that precise moment, the door creaked open.
“What do you want?” growled a very old dwarf. He had stark white hair that went in every direction imaginable and a pointy beard that reached his knees. His skin was very wrinkled. His eyes, what she could see that wasn’t hidden behind tiny flaps of wrinkled skin, were dark brown.
“Good day, sir. I am Prince Ferdinand, and these are my friends Ming, Terrance, and Bianca.”
“I don’t care,” he growled. He took a miniscule step back and slammed the elaborate door on their faces.
“Well…” Ferdinand was taken aback and left momentarily speechless “That certainly has never happened to me before.”
“Let me try.” Bianca stepped from behind Terrance. She quickly realized that they would never get the answers they needed if she continued to be shy around the dwarves. She got down on her knees so she could see eye to eye with the dwarf and knocked on the door. Once more, they waited. A moment later, the same dwarf swung the door open for the second time.
“I thought I told you…” he growled. The rest of his words died on his lips when he came face to face with Bianca.
“Hello,” she said with a sweet smile.
“Snow White,” he whispered.
“Ruh-roh,” Ming said.
“No, no, no. I’m not her,” Bianca explained.
Her words fell into deaf ears. It was obvious that all he could see was her pale skin, black hair, ice-blue eyes, and rosy lips.
He clapped his hands excitedly. “You came back. You said you would. Just like you promised! Here you are at last. At long last!”
Bianca turned her gaze to her friends. They appeared to be just as confused as she was. The dwarf grabbed her hand and pulled her inside the cottage.
“Come in, come in. My brothers will be so happy to see you,” he said.
The first thing she noticed when she stepped inside the cottage was a portrait of Snow White hanging above the fireplace. She frowned as she stared at the artist’s depiction of her ancestor.
Where have I seen this before? It wasn’t at the museum. Where?
She kept wondering why this painting was familiar to her. After several moments, she let out a tiny gasp. The Family Book. This was the sketch she had seen in the massive tome that her mother kept hidden inside the museum. Then her eyes wandered throughout the rest of the house. All the while, the dwarf refused to let go of her hand. She squinted at the walls. She couldn’t figure out if there were more carvings on the walls or if it was wallpaper.
Terrance quietly handed her the glasses she hated with a passion. Bianca rolled her eyes but accepted them. Once she slipped them on, she could see that there was definitely no wallpaper on the cottage walls.
“Amazing,” she whispered. There were vertical rows of vines, rosettes, and snowflakes carved into the walls of the cottage. The furniture rose up from the floor, almost as if the chairs, tables, and other pieces of furniture had sprouted from the ground.
It’s like instead of a typical tree, it decided to turn into a chair, table, trunk, and whatever the cottage needed. Crazy! This must’ve taken them forever to accomplish.
The dwarf pulled a red handkerchief out of his back pocket, dusted off the couch, and asked Bianca and her friends to have a seat. Prince Ferdinand, Ming, and Terrance followed the excited dwarf inside the house and sat down on the tiny couch. Bianca joined them and waited for the other shoe to drop. He called his brothers once more. He then muttered something about them being hard of hearing when he needed their attention the most. Bianca ran her fingers through her hair and shook her head.
Terrance patted her on the back and whispered, “You need to tell him.”
“I know,” she replied. Bianca cleared her throat and tapped the old dwarf on the shoulder. “Mr. Dwarf.”
When he heard her call him that, he snapped his head toward her. Now she had his attention. He furrowed his brows in confusion.
“My name is Knox. You know that,” he said.
He walked up to Bianca, extended his hand to touch her face, and then pulled it away. Bianca reached out for his hand and placed it on her cheek. His eyes became watery with the threat of tears as he gently studied her forehead, cheeks, and chin.
“You’re not her,” he whispered. His face fell and he walked away.
She let out a long, drawn-out sigh. This was what she had been afraid of. The last thing she wanted was to get the dwarves’ hopes up and then let them down by not being Snow White.
“I’m so sorry,” was the only thing she could think to say.
“It’s quite all right.” He sighed. “My eyes aren’t what they used to be.”
Two dwarves slowly climbed down the steps and froze when Bianca came into view. They seemed to be too shocked to move. One of them had a black knit cap and round glasses that rested on his wide, pink nose. His hand rested stiffly upon his hip, as if that would help keep everything else in place. The other dwarf was bald, with large ears that stuck out. He kept smacking his lips as he openly stared at Bianca. She tried not to giggle every time he opened his mouth. He had one single tooth, which she found adorable.
“What are you going on and on about?” asked the dwarf with the glasses.
“My mistake, brothers. It isn’t Snow,” Knox said.
This is awkward.
“The resemblance is uncanny.” The dwarf adjusted his round spectacles. He finally overcame his shock and climbed down the remaining steps.
“Unbelievable,” said the bald dwarf.
“Are you related?” Knox asked.
Bianca nodded. “She was my great-great-great-grandmother.”
The two dwarves stood before Bianca, wide-eyed. Nervous, she pressed her back against the couch and tensed up. She didn’t know what they would do to her. She didn’t know anything about dwarves and what magic they possessed.
Ming nibbled on her thumb and shook her head. Bianca shrugged her shoulders and mouthed the words, “I don’t know what to do.” Prince Ferdinand frowned, obviously confused.
What if I made them mad? What if they turn me into a garden gnome? God, that’ll suck.
Knox cleared his throat and asked, “What brings you to our cottage? I’m certain it isn’t a social call.”
It hurt her to see how quickly he changed from being friendly to treating her like a stranger. She very much wanted all of them to like her.
Terrance must’ve noticed her withdrawal and answered Knox’s question. “Someone has stolen Cinderella’s slipper.”
“And that concerns us because?” Knox said.
“We were wondering if you’ve heard or seen anything,” Ming said.
“I certainly haven’t. Howard? Collier?”
He gave a single nod as he spoke each brother’s name. From what Bianca noticed, Howard was the dwarf with the glasses and Collier was the bald dwarf. She hastily to
ld them what had happened so far, hoping something of the tale would jog their memories.
“I’ll go outside and listen to what the birds have to say,” said Collier.
Together, they all stepped outside and watched Collier work his magic with the animals. He rubbed the back of his head a few times. It seemed to Bianca that he was nervous. She wanted to smile and reassure him in some way that everything was going to be all right, but since they had just met, she kept her distance. After a few moments of silence, he overcame his shyness and whistled. It was unlike any whistle Bianca had ever heard before. It was as though Collier were part bird.
“Wow. That was amazing,” Ming whispered.
When he finished, he turned bright red and stepped away from the group.
“What’s wrong?” Bianca asked.
“A few birds should arrive shortly. It’s better if you keep your distance,” Howard whispered.
That was when she realized that Collier had an umbrella with him. A bird-shaped shadow flew overhead. Bianca raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Then a few birds swooped down and whizzed past her. Bianca gasped and jumped back.
“What’s that sound?” Terrance asked.
“I don’t hear anything,” Ferdinand replied. He searched the skies. Nothing.
That’s when Bianca finally heard the sound Terrance had mentioned. Flapping wings, tweets, squeaks, squawks mainly, and lots and lots of flapping. She gasped when she saw off-white bird poop falling from the sky. It landed with a loud splat right next to her left foot.
“Oh no, they don’t,” Ming covered her hair and ran to the cottage door.
Collier smiled and opened his blue umbrella.
Bianca giggled. Well, if I talked to birds all the time, I’d learn to prepare for these sorts of mishaps.
When the flock of birds finally landed, Bianca looked around in disbelief. Up on the trees and on the ground was every type of bird imaginable. Some of them, she was able to name: red cardinal, blue jay, mockingbird, robin, canary, eagle, raven, crow, owl, hawk, and vulture. Others? She had no idea what sort of feathered creatures they were.
Collier communicated with the birds by whistling. She was amazed to hear the birds tweet and sing back to him.
Bianca turned to Knox and asked, “Do you know what they’re saying?”
He shook his head. “Collier has always been the only one among us that could speak to animals big and small.” He patted her hand gently and said, “Patience. You’ll find out soon enough.”
He gave her a fraction of a smile. Bianca beamed. She had hopes that Knox would eventually warm up to her.
She turned her attention back to Collier. There was a hawk that had all of Collier’s attention. It appeared as though this was the feathered friend that had seen something. She waited anxiously for their conversation to end. After several minutes, the birds flew away, vacating the dwarves’ front yard. Collier sighed and closed his umbrella, which was surprisingly bird poop free.
“What did the hawk say?” Ferdinand asked.
“He said that he noticed a group of frogs and snakes surrounding a castle not far from your home. That it was a castle that was normally guarded by fairies and he thought it was strange to see so many snakes and frogs in one place.”
“Weird,” Bianca muttered.
“He also added that he ate some of the frogs, and according to him, they were quite tasty,” Collier said.
Bianca made a face and tried not to gag.
“Anything else?” Terrance asked.
“Yes, he saw them head west…toward the swamp lands.”
“Why would they do that?” Bianca asked.
“It’s where, Rebekah, the Frog Queen lives,” Prince Ferdinand explained. “The swamp land is her domain. I’m assuming they were all heading to her castle. I’m certain she has something to do with it.”
Bianca turned a questioning gaze at Terrance.
“Her great-grandfather was the Frog King,” he said.
Her response was a frown.
“You know him best as the Frog Prince.”
Her lips formed a small “o” and her eyes widened in surprise. “He’s still alive? He must be so old.”
Terrance shook his head and smirked, seemingly amused by her comment. “No, but his great-granddaughter is alive and well.”
“So, what’s her problem?” Ming asked.
“She was born part frog.”
“I thought the curse was broken with a kiss?” Bianca asked.
Prince Ferdinand put his hands on his hips and sighed in exasperation. “No. They got it all wrong. The princess threw the Frog Prince against the wall, killing him instantly. The witch’s curse was temporarily lifted, and because she regretted what she’d done, the witch brought him back to life as a man. But the spell lingered, and it skips a generation every once in a while. The Frog King’s daughter was born part frog and somehow managed to find a prince willing to marry her…even though she was part amphibian. Miraculously, her children were one hundred percent human. Rebekah wasn’t so lucky. The family has spent years trying to lift the curse. All to no avail.”
“And if Cinderella’s slipper can grant any wish, that’s what she’s going to wish for, right?”
“Right,” Terrance said.
“The Frog Queen is mad,” Knox said and tapped the side of his head. “At least, that’s the rumor.”
“Great. We’re basing this on a rumor? Does anyone know for sure whether she is crazy and not, you know…misunderstood? Nothing is ever easy in this crazy place. Elda is crazy and maybe not dead. Poor Fanny is nuts. And now this Frog Queen,” Bianca muttered.
“So what else is new?” Ming sighed.
“I suppose we’ll have to go west and get the slipper back…if she even has it.” Terrance said.
“We’d better get going then. We can travel while we have a few hours of daylight left,” Bianca said.
“Nonsense. No family member of our dear Snow White is going out on a quest without staying for supper and a night’s rest.” Knox turned his dark brown eyes at Bianca. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears.
Do I remind him of her that much?
She smiled and thanked him for the offer. She kindly accepted their hospitality on behalf of Ming, Ferdinand, and Terrance. They could whine about losing a day of travel later; there was no way she was going to hurt Knox’s feelings by rejecting his kindness.
“Howard will show you where to keep your horses,” Knox said. Then he opened the cottage door and ushered Bianca and Ming inside. They followed him to the kitchen.
“Anything we can do to help?” Bianca asked.
“No. Just sit down and keep me company. I’ll make you and your friends some tea. Collier is the one who cooks nowadays. He’ll fix us up something good for supper.”
Ming explored the living room walls and the intricate carvings and designs. Reluctantly, Bianca sat down on a nearby stool; the chairs were so small that she worried she would break them. Luckily for her, they were quite sturdy. Bianca took a seat next to Terrance. Ming eventually joined them and sat beside the prince. Bianca noticed the awestruck look on Prince Ferdinand’s face as he ran his hands along the table.
“Are you okay?” Bianca asked.
He lifted his gaze at her. “Incredible, isn’t it?”
Bianca grinned and nodded. When she closed her eyes, she could easily imagine a young Snow White living here. A beautiful little girl, scared, with nowhere else to go. Probably relieved to have found a safe place to call home. Someplace where she wouldn’t be abused, threatened, or killed. A steady energy seemed to run through the cottage. It hummed with warmth and love.
The three dwarves joined them in the dining room, where they all sat and drank herbal tea. Bianca breathed in the warm and aromatic fragrance of the cloves and cinnamon.
“This cottage was half the size when Snow lived with us,” Collier said.
“Really?”
“Snow didn’t care, though. She loved i
t here,” Howard said. “She helped rebuild the kitchen and planted a vegetable and rose garden beside the cottage. It hasn’t been touched since she passed away, but every year, there is a fresh crop of vegetables ripe for the pickin’. I swear, every year, the roses smell sweeter and sweeter.”
Bianca imagined Snow White helping them build the kitchen and the other rooms in the house. She could picture her with silver-colored nails glinting on the corner of her mouth and a hammer in her hand, ready to do anything to help. Bianca wondered if she helped carve the designs on the walls, and if so, which ones was she responsible for.
“She loved you,” Bianca said.
“Aye, she did,” Knox said. All three brothers nodded in agreement.
“Were you angry with her when she left?” Terrance asked.
“No. Not at all. This wasn’t a place for a beautiful princess. We were sad to see her go, but never angry,” Knox explained.
Bianca was happy to hear that. Did Snow White know how they felt? She liked to think so.
Knox finished his tea and set his mug down on the table.
“Come…follow me,” he said. He grunted as he got out of his chair. “You’ll have to forgive my slowness…these old bones aren’t what they used to be. I am nine hundred and ninety-seven years old after all.”
Bianca set her tea aside and followed Knox as he led her up the steps.
“Is it true?” Bianca asked.
“Is what true?”
“That dwarves live until they are a thousand years old.”
“Yes, it’s true.” Knox gave her a single nod.
“Doesn’t it scare you? Knowing that you only have three years left?”
“Death doesn’t frighten me, child. I’m looking forward to being finished with this life. I’ll see my brothers again. I’ll see Snow White once more. I won’t be so tired anymore.”
Bianca had a hard time believing what Knox just said. She had never met anyone that was looking forward to dying. In all honesty, she had never thought about what she would be like twenty years down the road. As far ahead as she was thinking at the moment was her senior year in high school and her eighteenth birthday. But other than that? She had no clue.
Bianca continued to follow Knox up the lopsided stairs. She had to bend a little so her head wouldn’t touch the ceiling. Once they reached the hallway, she studied her surroundings. There were four rooms. Three of them she could peek into, but all she could see was the foot of their beds. The door to the fourth bedroom was closed. That was the room he led her to.
