Clean Copy--On Time--Hassle Free

WrightWriter.com

After the Kiss

Snow White looked up at the Prince and caught her breath.  He was the most handsome man she had ever seen.  She felt a little frightened but then she thought it must  have been her dream. In it, she was running, as fast as she could, but she couldn't tell if she were running away from something or toward something.  All she knew was that she had to run and now his kiss had wakened her and, for just a moment, she was afraid she was still dreaming.  Then he spoke and she knew he was real.

             "I am Prince Rupert.  Come to my castle and marry me, Snow White, and you will be a princess forever."

             She looked around and saw the dwarfs standing in awe around her.  "My dear friends!" she cried and hopped down from her bier to hug each one of them.  They hugged her back, joyful at her return to life.

             "It's…it's…a dream come true," whispered Bashful as he held Snow White's hand for just a second to make sure he wasn't imagining the whole thing.

             Doc, who had heard what the Prince said, "Please don't go, Snow White.  We will miss you so much." 

             "Go?" said Sneezy wiping his nose.  "Are you going to leave us?"

             They waited for Snow White's answer.  Dopey wiped a tear away with his sleeve and Grumpy went and sulked behind a tree.

             A new voice broke the silence.  "What's going on, friends?"  A young, fair-haired man stepped through the trees and then stood still and stared at Snow White. 

             The dwarfs were silent and turned to look at Michael, the woodcutter's son.  Michael's father had told him about how he had tricked the wicked queen and saved Snow White.  Ever since then, Michael had often visited the beautiful girl and her seven friends.  He had never forgiven himself for being on the other side of the forest on the day that the witch had poisoned her.  Since then he had visited her glass coffin every day, for he had fallen in love with Snow White and knew he would love no one else.

             "Snow White is going to leave us," said Doc sadly.

             "You're alive," whispered Michael.  He walked toward Snow White as if he were in a trance.

             "Michael," said Snow White quietly, "Prince Rupert has asked me to marry him and go with him to the castle.  The dwarf's don't want me to go and I just--"

             "Of course, you must go," said Michael, hardly able to look at her.  He forced himself to smile.  "You should be a princess and live in a beautiful castle and have everything that makes you happy."

             "Thank you, Michael," said Snow White.  She impulsively gave him a hug and just as she was going to kiss him on the cheek, he turned and their lips touched.  "Oh," she breathed and took a step back.  She felt as if she was back in one of her dreams and there seemed to be a strange light in the air.

             She was startled by a cool hand on hers and then she heard the Prince's gentle voice.  "Come, Snow White.  It's time for you to leave the forest and come to the castle.   I know my parents will be so happy to meet you."  He spoke more loudly and addressed the others, "The wedding will be in three days and you all will be the special guests of the King and Queen until then."

             Happy and Doc gave half-hearted cheers and each of the dwarfs, including Grumpy, received another kiss from Snow White and a promise to see them soon.   "Will you come to my wedding?" she asked Michael. 

             "I will," he replied looking over her shoulder toward the Prince.

             Snow White turned to look, too.  She was sure she had seen the Prince's foot tapping just a little impatiently but he was smiling at her with his beautiful smile so she must have been mistaken.  Something made her take another look at his feet.  One was bigger than the other--the one she was sure had been tapping.  But one slightly biggish foot was hardly a reason to reject a handsome prince. 

* * *

             The castle that Snow White had admired so long from a distance was even more beautiful up close. Sun glinted off the crystal-embedded white walls and hundreds of pennants fluttered from the turrets like a shattered rainbow against a blue sky.  The town was bright and clean, too, and Snow White wondered why so few people had been in the streets as they rode to the castle.  She was sure she had seen two or three people actually run and hide as they approached.  The few remaining bowed low out of respect and Snow White could not see their faces.  Now through the castle gates, servants came running toward them as they approached the grand staircase leading to the castle doors.  The Prince dismounted and a servant helped Snow White to the ground.

             "Sir Henry, where are the King and Queen?" asked the Prince addressing an elaborately dressed man who bowed before them.

             "They were advised of your approach, Your Highness."

             Snow White heard a tap-tap-tap and looked around for the source of the sound.

             "Send for them; don’t' advise them," demanded the Prince.  "They should be here to meet my bride."  The Prince's foot came down on the ground with a terrible "Smack!" and Sir Henry jumped and ran up the stairs and into the castle. 

             The tapping started again and Snow White realized it was the Prince impatiently tapping his foot--his bigger foot--the one that had smacked the ground so loudly.  Snow White was thinking of something to say to the Prince when he took her hand and smiled at her.  "I just want everything perfect for you, my dearest," he said and Snow White thought he looked even more handsome than he had just moments ago.

             Just then, the King and Queen came bustling down the steps to greet their son and Snow White.  The King was nearly as handsome as his son and the Queen was beautiful with dark hair and blue eyes. In moments, Snow White was kissed, praised for her beauty, welcomed into the family, and hurried up the steps through the open doors and into a cavernous room decorated in gold and blue.  Servants scurried after them.

             Smack! The King stamped his foot and called, "Get the cook here at once so the wedding feast can be planned!"

             Smack! The Queen stamped her foot and yelled, "Call the scribes.  We need invitations, now!"

             Smack! The Prince stamped his food and demanded, "I want drink and food after my long journey!" Smack!  "Hurry!"  Three more 'smacks' and more servants were dispatched on errands.

             Snow White tried not to stare but couldn't help it.  The King and Queen each had one very big foot and she watched in wonder as they smacked the ground at every command.  When sufficient servants seemed to have been dispatched, the feet began to tap impatiently waiting for the commands to be answered.

             Snow White was getting a headache.  "Excuse me," she said quietly but she couldn't be heard over the tapping.  She tried a little louder, "Excuse me!"  No answer.  Finally, she yelled, "EXCUSE ME!" and stamped her foot has loudly as she could. 

             All three of them turned to her with their beautiful and handsome smiles, "Yes, my dear?"

             Snow White's foot tingled from hitting the floor so hard.  She looked down at it and suddenly imagined it getting bigger and bigger until she blurted out, "I can't marry you, Prince Rupert."

             Smack! "Why not?" asked the Prince astonished.

             Smack! "Why not?" asked the King frowning down at her.

             Smack! "Why not?" said the Queen glaring at her with her dark eyes.

             Tap, tap, tap.  They waited for her answer.

             Snow White took one look at the three tapping feet and ran for the door, then down the steps, across the courtyard, out the castle gate and straight into William's arms--to the astonishment of the dwarfs who were right behind him.

             Snow White looked up at William's face.  It wasn't the most handsome face in the world but from it shone something she had not noticed before.  Something she knew, for certain, had been there a long time.  "Oh," she whispered, but this time she didn't step away. 

             William wrapped her in a dream come true and sealed it with a kiss for forever.  He was, however, a bit surprised when, immediately after the kiss, she took a very good look at his shoes.  But, he was rewarded with another kiss and somehow nothing else mattered very much.   The dwarfs sang and danced as Michael and Snow White walked hand in hand back to the forest.

             And, except for two disagreements about decorating the house, and a silly argument about whether their son should study dancing or not, they lived happily ever after.

 

THE END

 

I’d love to hear your comments.

By Heather Wright