It was about 50 years back, I was traveling towards North England. During the Winter season, North England faces heavy snowfall. There is a village in North England named Bibury. If we compare the villages of England, it is one of the most attractive villages in England. Even at that time a lot of tourists flocked there to see the scenic beauty of that place.
One day there was a forecast that there would be very heavy snowfall, the innkeeper, Mr Humphrey warned me not to go out, but I was young and never used to pay heed to any advisory. I wanted to explore every part of the village. Then I went alone. There was a hillock and on top of it was an old house. As I was making my way up, I encountered a big snow storm, I almost slipped and was about to fall and then I remember soft feminine hands with white gloves on, holded my hands. Next, what happened I did not remember. I woke up hours later up on the top, inside that old house, the fireplace was lit and warm. I called for anyone around, but there was no one. Not even a single soul.
I reached down, and Mr Humphrey was very happy to see me alive. He said, ‘Sir, you must be one with pure heart, else there was no chance you could have survived the storm’. I told him about what happened, he said oh so ‘Snow White’ saved you. And then he told me this story:
In that village, there lived a family of Johns. In that family only three members inhabited. Mr. John, Mrs. Nancy John and their daughter Lucy. Mrs. Nancy was the second wife of John and stepmother of Lucy. Lucy was only 12 years old. Lucy lost her mother in infancy. Lucy was the most beautiful girl of that village. Everybody in the village nicknamed her as Snow White. Her complexion was as white as snow. Her step mother used to feel jealous of her beauty. She always burdened her with odd tasks. Due to her mother’s behaviour the whole village sympathized with her. Her step mother was a tyrant. She used to send her outside to buy things from the market at odd hours.
One day during the Winter season the weather was very bad. The village Head had warned all the villagers not to go out that day as there was a likelihood of a snowstorm. At the end of the village, there was a small forest and after crossing the forest there was a market. That day Lucy’s mother told her to bring some household goods from that market. It was at about 2.00 pm. If one goes to the market and comes back it takes about 2 hours. Her mother gave her a lantern, in case of bad weather, she could use that lantern. In between, there was a small river, named the Coln river. It is a tributary of the Thames river. For crossing that river there was a wooden bridge. The moment she entered the forest the snowstorm started. The snowfall became heavier and heavier. Due to heavy snowfall and storms, it was very difficult to walk. Fearing her mother’s anger she could not dare come back. If she had come back, she would have beaten her badly. Due to heavy snowfall, she could only walk up to the river bank.
On the other hand, her father came back from work. He inquired about his daughter. She told him that she had sent her to the market. Her father became very furious after hearing that. Due to heavy snowfall and storms, her father could not move in search of her at night. The next morning he took some villagers and went to the forest. Initially, they could not find any trace of Lucy. After some trudging in the forest, they saw her footsteps. They all followed in the footsteps. The steps went up to the river bank. After that, there were no footsteps. There was no trace of her body. Some people told her father that she might have been buried under snow. Some villagers told her father that Snow God might have taken her in the land of angels. After a fanatic search, they could not find her body.
Even today whenever there is a snowstorm in the village, the villagers see her walking in between the storm. While walking she never looks back only walks ahead. If anyone gets an opportunity to visit that village they can see her only during the snowstorm. Villagers still say she has not died and she has become an angel and she helps people of pure heart if they get stuck in a snowstorm.
About the Author:
Dunija Rothschild is a writer, meditator, and philosopher. She enjoys observing herself and others in the varied colors of life. All her stories and poems take shape from the class called Life, they are inspired by real-life incidents.
Hope you enjoyed reading!!
Don’t forget to share it with your friends.
And remember to comment
your comments will keep us motivated…
