She saw a long table laid for seven people. There were seven plates, seven bowls, seven forks and knives and seven drinking cups. There were seven chairs around the table. There was food and drinks in the plates and cups.
“Whoever lives here is very short!” she observed. “Everything is so small – chairs, plates, bowls, forks, knives and the drinking cups!”
Snow White was very hungry. She had been walking and running the whole day without food. She had eaten some nuts and berries that she had found in the forest. Now she ate a piece of bread from each plate and drank some milk from each cup. She sliced and ate the cheese that she found in the centre of the table.
“Now, let me see what there is upstairs,” she said, and climbed the steps. Upstairs, she found seven beds neatly made up. She sat on one and found it very comfortable. She was tired, so she put the candle on the table, lay down across the seven beds and soon fell asleep.
4
This cottage was the home of seven dwarfs. They were miners, who spent the day digging for diamonds and gems in the mountains nearby. Every morning they took their sacks, picks and shovels and set off for the mountains. There they dug for diamonds and gems that they filled into their sacks. In the evenings, they lit their lanterns and returned to their cottage, singing as they came home.
Their singing stopped that evening, when they saw a light shining through one of the windows. They were amazed and looked at one another.
“Someone is in our cottage!” they exclaimed in chorus.
They walked slowly and carefully back to their cottage. Who could be in their cottage? They were afraid and crept in, making as little noise as possible.
“Someone has eaten our food!” said one of the dwarfs.
“Some of our food,” corrected one of the others.
Then they crept upstairs, scared that they might find a robber hiding there. When they saw Snow White asleep on their beds, they exclaimed softly, “It’s a girl!” and raised their lanterns high to look at her. “She’s so beautiful!” they said.
Snow White was lying fast asleep, her curly head on one of their pillows. They all sat around her, wondering who she was.
Suddenly Snow White opened her eyes. She jumped up when she saw the seven dwarfs.
“Oh, please don’t be frightened of us,” they said hastily. “We will not harm you. We are miners who live here. Please tell us who you are and how you found our cottage.”
Snow White told them her story and explained that now she had no home. Tears rolled down her eyes. “Will you please let me stay here? Please! The Queen will kill me if I return to the palace.”
“Of course you can stay here as long as you wish.”
“Oh, thank you! I’ll keep house for you, cook your meals and wash your clothes. I’ll do everything for you, in return for your kindness.”
5
One of the dwarfs cleared his throat and said, “Let me introduce you our group. We are seven dwarfs, as you can see. My name is Happy, then there is Sneezy, Dopey, Bashful, Doc, Grumpy and Sleepy.”
Snow White shook hands with each one.
Snow White and the seven dwarfs began to live happily together. She had never been happier. She sang as she worked and kept the cottage neat and tidy.
The dwarfs enjoyed the hot meals she served them every evening. Later there was a great deal of merriment, as they sang and danced before the fireplace. When it was time to go to bed, Snow White would tuck them into their beds and tell them bedtime stories. Afterwards, she would kiss them goodnight, take the candle and go down to bed herself.
Her forest friends – the birds and the rabbits and deer – came to see her every day to keep her company, so she was never lonely.
The dwarfs were afraid to leave Snow White alone every day. They were sure that the Queen was a witch and would try to kill her. So they told her never to talk to any stranger or buy anything from one.
Snow White promised to keep the door locked till they returned. They warned her every morning before they left.
6
In the palace, the Queen had been very pleased to see the bleeding heart that the guard had shown her. How happy she was! She was now the most beautiful woman in the world! She quickly went to her magic mirror and asked:
To her great horror, the mirror replied:
She was furious. The guard had tricked her! She went down to the palace cellars to think. She needed a good plan. She decided that she would have to kill Snow White herself. She could no longer trust anybody. However, she would have to find Snow White first.
The Queen decided to poison Snow White. First she made a magic potion that would turn her, the Queen, into an ugly old pedlar woman. Then she took a red, juicy apple. She dipped half of it into a bowl of poison. She put the poisoned apple back into the basket, right on top.
Then she waved her magic wand over it and hissed, “One bite of this and Snow White will fall into a deathlike sleep! She will wake up only if a prince falls in love with her and kisses her. But that will never happen, I am sure. The dwarfs will think she is dead and will bury her. Then I will remain the most beautiful woman in the world!”
7
Dressed as an old pedlar woman, the Queen carried the basket of fresh apples and set off for the forest. Her clothes were tattered and torn. After a long walk, she found the cottage.
That morning, the dwarfs had again warned Snow White, “You must not open the door to anyone till we return. Your stepmother is a witch. We are sure of that. She will disguise herself and will try to find you. When she does, she will kill you. So be careful.”
“Please don’t worry about me. I’ll be a good girl and will do exactly as you say,” replied Snow White.
She kissed each dwarf on the forehead and bid him goodbye. Bashful was standing in a corner. He liked it when Snow White kissed him, but he felt very shy. She pulled him out of the corner and planted a kiss on his forehead, too. Grumpy was trying to go out very quickly, so that she would not see him scowling as he went.
“Oh Grumpy, you can’t go without bidding me goodbye!”
Grumpy was ready to rush out, but Snow White stopped him and planted a big kiss on his forehead. Grumpy forgot to scowl and smiled instead. Snow White clapped her hands.
“Why Grumpy, you are smiling! How nice you look!”
Grumpy hastily wiped the smile off his face and rushed off.
8
While Snow White was bidding farewell to the dwarfs, the Queen was hiding behind a tree. She watched the dwarfs leave with their sacks, picks and shovels. When they were out of sight, she went to the window and looked in. She could hear Snow White singing as she worked. She had become really beautiful. The Queen felt very jealous.
She knocked at the window. Snow White peeped out.
“What do you want?” she asked, without opening the window.
“Oh, I don’t want anything. I picked these fresh, juicy apples this morning. I was passing by and when I saw you through the window, I wanted to give one to you because you are so beautiful.”
“But I don’t want any! Please forgive me.”
“Please don’t refuse a poor pedlar woman. Also, it is very cold out here. Let me in to warm myself just for a little while. What harm can I do?”
Snow White felt sorry for her. She looked at her torn and tattered clothes. The old woman looked very poor. ‘What harm can such a woman do to me?’ she thought. So she opened the door and invited her into the cottage. She pulled a comfortable chair before the fireplace and helped her to sit down.