It was the middle of November. The road leading to the University of North Carolina was colored with autumn-orange shades. The falling leaves signaled the soon-approaching winter. Despite the thrilling beauty of nature, everyone’s attention was occupied by someone else. A girl in her early twenties was going up the stairs towards the university entrance. Her light blue eyes, long brown hair breezing in the air, and skin as white as snow seemed so perfect; so elegant. But if you listened carefully to three boys walking behind her you would get to know the other side of the coin.
“Look at her. So gorgeous, so adorable, and exquisite,” said one of the boys.
“But yet, a devil inside,” continued his friend.
“Can you guys tell me what’s so bad about this girl Snow?” asked the third one.
“Haven’t you heard about all the bad things that she has done?”
“Leaving one of her classmates on the ground with broken legs after an accident is enough to describe her.”
“That is nothing compared to what she has done to her mother. Knowing her mother had a serious illness, Snow treated her like a burden and left her alone when she needed Snow’s help the most.”
After a long and exhausting day of classes, Snow finally arrived home. Her mother had spent hours baking Snow’s favorite cake before her arrival. However, she didn’t even thank her mother for all the hard work that she put in and didn’t bother to answer the questions about her day.
“How can a daughter be so arrogant and indifferent towards her mother?” Said the mother, wiping away her tears.
“Don’t you have anything else to do?”
“How could I have let you grow to be so self-centered?”
“I am fed up with you complaining about my behaviour all day long. I am done with this. I am leaving!”
“Snow!”
Snow took her jacket and slammed the door with such power that birds momentarily flew away from the nearby trees out of fear. Mother burst into tears, but could not change anything. Her daughter left her alone.
Snow had no friends who she could ask to stay with. The only option she had was to go to her Aunt Jenny. She was a joyful and sympathetic person with seven children. All of the children were boys – strong, friendly and always ready to help each other. But their most prominent feature was their height, all of them were at most one meter tall.
Jenny knew the personality of Snow very well but still welcomed her with open arms. The first few days were calm until Snow decided to make fun of the heights of the brothers.
“How can you live being so short? And what do you do when something is needed from the upper shelves? Climb on each other?” Asked Snow, a sneer on her face.
“Yes, our height may not be our greatest feature. Our power is not embodied in our height. Our power is in our unity.” Said one of the brothers, jumping to his feet. “Don’t you understand that your attitude will bring you nowhere and you will be left completely alone?”
These words did not mean anything to Snow. She was always acting on her own without listening to anyone. What could the word unity even mean for such a person?
One day she was looking at herself in the mirror. Everything about her seemed so perfect, so magnificent, so graceful. Nobody could have noticed even a single flaw. While she was looking at herself she did not seem to realize what made her so difficult to get along with. But that was understandable as the mirror that she looked into was not magical. It was not Snow White’s wicked stepmother’s magical mirror that could tell an answer to any question. It was just an ordinary mirror that showed only her appearance, not what was hidden inside of her.
Three months passed since Snow came to her aunt’s house. Most days Snow spend teasing her brothers and afterwards being lectured about unity and teamwork which she never paid attention to. This may have continued her whole life if she didn’t become ill. Snow had a severe fever, and could not get up from bed or even eat by herself. Despite the arguments and fights that her brothers had with her, they could not leave her alone in such a condition. They helped her with everything. They made her meals, fed her, helped her go to the toilet and take a shower. This treatment that Snow received was completely strange to her. Receiving help from her brothers despite all the arguments that they had absolutely turned her mind upside down. It was the first time in her whole life that she understood the true meaning of having someone nearby. Someone who would be there for her during hardships and struggles. This was a turning point in her life.
After fully recovering, Snow thanked her aunt and brothers for the hospitality that they showed her. Afterwards, she headed towards her own home, to her mother whom she hadn’t seen for months. When she got to her house, she hesitated to knock on the door for a few minutes. The feelings of shame and guilt were eating her from the inside. When Snow finally entered the house, her mother hugged her immediately.
“Mom,” whispered Snow.
“Say nothing, my little girl. Welcome back home!”
Davit chose to retell “Snow White” by the Grimm Brothers. After noticing that many versions of the tale revolved around Snow White’s external beauty, Davit wrote a story that reflected the importance of how beauty has many layers that move beyond appearance alone.