Wicked Stepmother

Sunrise in the forest.

I really couldn't put into words the hours I must have spent wandering, battling through the thickets. I wasn't sure if I would be caught in the forest for days or weeks or maybe forever. There were no friendly bands of gypsies or troubadours of course- why would there be? This was not the road to any great city or even decent-sized village. This was the great forest, the stuff of nightmares, but our best defence against neighbouring nations because it was rumoured to be impassable (and it felt like it).

I know I am a girl, an attractive girl and a princess at that but I have never been the sort to give up or to wait for things to happen to me, I am one who makes things happen. Nevertheless, by the time the sun rose I was so cold and tired and discouraged and (let's face it) weepy that I sat down in the hollow next to the truck of a crumbly old tree. Next minute it started to rain, and my stomach rumbled and it was just too much. I decided I would faint from exhaustion and hunger and threw myself down. Unfortunately I remained conscious and feeling the full extent of my discomfort. As far as throwing tantrums goes, Mother Nature really is implacable and not worth trying to manipulate.

I curled into a ball and decided it really was time to try to sleep, but sleep of course wouldn't come with the damp and hunger and cold wind and sharp bits sticking into me from the tree that seemed to be better than no shelter at all (but barely). I am not sure how long I was there, too discouraged and miserable to do anything proactive but not really enjoying anything I would describe as "rest", it may not have been long but it felt like an eternity or so.

After a while I heard a sort of snuffling sound and I jumped with fright. I was surprised how few animal noises I had heard, not the wolves and bears I had been dreading but not even the squirrels I would have expected though the birds were certainly noisy enough (if invisible). From the snuffling and the fact the animal was not making a beeline for me (it was certainly something quite big) I guessed it was most likely a wild hog, which was a terrifying thought.

Suddenly I wished Bennett was there to do his huntsman thing, didn't he kill hogs to provide pork to my father?

But then I heard something odd, more like an almost tuneful noise, was it singing? Childish but in an animal voice, the syllables guttural even more so than the peasants who lived far from the castle and visited us rarely when they needed something (such as pleading for a relative's pardon). I wondered if I was going mad, mad with terror maybe because this strange singer that was a giant child or some such thing was bound to be dangerous. He stepped closer.

"Red like strawberries" he said to himself, with a horrible thick accent. He seemed to be staring at me.

"Please don't hurt me!" I gasped.

"Gentle with the smaller people" the giant boy answered solemnly, "no hurting or pushing" he smiled a smile of complete simplicity.

"Hello" he said, his smile childish but his height and voice adult, "You're pretty. You must be a forest fairy."

"I'm not..." I started then paused. What should I tell him about myself

"I am Clover" I said, "Like the grass."

"You are very pretty in your red dress" he said. His admiration was not threatening, nor was his smile.

"Thank you" I said, "do you live nearby?"

"Oh yes" he told me, "all the other dwarves have gone off to the diggings." he giggled, "it's my turn to do the jobs at home but if I burn dinner or forget anything then Marsha will wallop me."

"Your mother?" I asked

"She's not my mother silly" he laughed, "but she sure is grumpy. Come on! You can help me remember what to do and then you can meet them when they come home."

"Can I have some breakfast?" I asked cautiously

"If you want breakfast, then we will have to break a few eggs" he said and laughed as if it was the wittiest thing anyone had ever said.

"Not so very many for me" I pointed out

"Help me carry the water" he said, and though he was bigger and surely stronger than me, I obliged.