Ehrhart

Snow White's Death

On Thursday afternoon, disaster struck. Anastasia and Casper were roaming the streets, when all of a sudden the baker's wife appeared in front of them, breathless.

"Have you seen it yet?"

The two exchanged a nervous glance.

"Seen what?" Casper asked.

"They say there's a dwarf, come here from the woods. He doesn't talk, doesn't-"

"Dopey," Anastasia breathed, her eyes widening.

"What?" Casper said, confused. "Stasia, wait-"

But Anastasia tore off, racing for the square, where she saw him- Dopey, looking lost and confused. He saw her and his face broke into a smile.

There was no one there except for the two of them- most likely the civilians had been too scared and had gone to hide in their homes.

"Dopey," Anastasia said, crouching down to see him better. "What are you doing here?"

Dopey began to play a game of charades at a rapid pace, first mimicking drinking something, and then sleeping.

"Dopey, I don't understand."

Urgently, Dopey repeated the motion.

"Dopey, can you..." Anastasia looked into his eyes searchingly. "Is it true that you don't talk because you can't?"

Dopey hesitated. Then he looked into Anastasia's eyes for one full minute.

"Anastasia," he said, softly. Anastasia's eyes widened and she scrambled back. Dopey smiled shyly. "I... can talk," he said, his voice coming out in a husky whisper from never using his voice.

"That's amazing!" Anastasia said. "Look at you!"

"I came here. I must find you."

"I'd say you found me," Anastasia said, still thrilled by her friend's achievement.

Dopey nodded and giggled quietly, a sound that made Anastasia's stomach do backflips.

"Dopey, why do you need me?"

"Snow White. She has dead."

"Snow White... you mean she died?!" Anastasia gasped.

She'd purposely forgotten about her friend, especially since she'd unintentionally taken away her first true love.

"What... hap?" Anastasia managed to squeak out, her heart pounding.

"Bad woman come. She give Snow White poison. Poison in apple. Snow White eat apple. Snow White dead."

Anastasia's heart pounded. "There has to be... something..."

"Dwarf blood?" Dopey suggested.

"No," Anastasia said. "If Snow White's been dead for a while now, the dwarf blood won't be able to go through her body and heal her."

Behind them, a voice: "True love's kiss. It has to be me."

Dopey and Anastasia turned to find Casper, who had tears in his eyes.