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Everybody believes that the Wicked Witch from Snow White 

was always evil, but that simply isn't the case.   There was a 

time when the only creatures that thought her wicked were 

rabbits, for they liked to nibble at her garden, and she always 

chased them away with a broom whenever they did.

On some nights, a traveler passing by her cottage might have 

thought that a real witch lived there, for haunting melodies 

often drifted from the cottage windows.   But these were only 

lullabies sung to her daughter, whose name was Rose Red.

Rose Red was cheerful and pretty and everything that a 

mother could hope for in a daughter.   When she laughed, the 

birds stopped singing to listen.   When she sighed, the trees 

stopped creaking just to hear her next breath.  

Every night when she fell asleep, her mother would sit at the 

bedside and watch her.   "I love you more than I've loved 

anything in my entire life," she would say.   "I'd do anything to 

protect you.   I'd even become a witch."

And she really could become a witch if she wanted because 

her own mother had been a famous Wicked Witch, as had 

been her grandmother, her great grandmother, and her 

great-great grandmother.   She should have been the next 

Wicked Witch, but she'd decided instead to concentrate on 

being a good mother.

Even so, she kept the family book of spells in their cottage, 

for there might come a day when a spell would be needed to 

help Rose Red.

One day, as Rose Red was playing in her mother's garden, she 

found a lone white rose growing in-between two violets.  

Whenever a breeze danced over the rose's petals, it hummed a 

lovely melody that made Rose Red think of summer hills.   The 

petals were so shiny and pure that she could see her reflection 

in their gentle curves.   She'd never looked so pretty as she did 

in those petals!

She decided to call the rose Snow White.   She plucked it and 

carried it with her everywhere, loving it as she would a sister.  

Because she loved it so much, it never wilted.

Rose Red's mother warned her to always keep the rose hidden 

from sight, because there was talk of a certain rose-loving 

dwarf who lived in the woods.   The dwarf was sneaky and 

dishonest and would do anything to get his hands on a rose.  

Rose Red should have listened to her mother, but she was far 

too captivated by Snow White to think about being careful.

One afternoon, as Rose Red was returning home from playing 

in the forest, she met a dwarf hurrying in the other direction.  

The dwarf very nearly told her to get out of his way, but then 

he noticed the perfect white rose in her hands and his eyes lit 

up.

This dwarf's name was Thistlebeard, and he loved roses.   He 

loved staring at them, he loved smelling them, he loved 

collecting them.   He believed that somebody as ugly as 

himself deserved roses more than anybody else in the world.  

They were so beautiful that they made him feel beautiful, and 

for that reason, he would do anything to get his hands on a 

rose whenever he saw one.

Any other person would have been charmed by the sight of 

Rose Red, but not Thistlebeard.   He only saw the rose in her 

hand, and could only think about how he was going to trick it 

away from her.   He walked right up to her, and, with as much 

politeness as he could muster, said, “Good afternoon, lovely 

girl.   My name is Thistlebeard.   I must say, you are extremely 

pretty.   So pretty that I'd like to give you a present.”   He dug 

into his pocket and pulled out something that looked like a 

little ball of glass.   “This,” he said proudly, “is a wish.   I found 

it sitting in a cemetery, and for that reason I am afraid to use 

it.   But might you be braver than I? Might you be willing to 

use this wish?"

Normally, Thistlebeard wouldn't dare give away something as 

valuable as a wish, but he was confident that Rose Red would 

trade him her rose for it.   If he'd stopped to think for a little 

bit, he would have realized that with a wish he could conjure 

up as many roses as he pleased! 

"Really?" said Rose Red in disbelief.   "A wish...for me?" She 

knew how valuable wishes were and couldn't understand why 

anybody would simply give one away.   She remembered her 

mother's warning, and was about to walk away.   But then she 

realized that a wish could give her what she desired most, 

and all thoughts of caution left her head.

"Well?" Thistlebeard said impatiently.   "Do you want this wish 

or not?"

"I do!" cried Rose Red, snatching it out of his hand.   "And I 

know exactly how to use it! I wish that Snow White was really 

my sister instead of just a rose!"

Horrified, Thistlebeard tried to grab the wish back, but it was 

too late.   The rose was no more, and in its place stood the girl 

Snow White.

Thistlebeard began to cry miserably, but Rose Red paid him 

no mind.   She had a real sister now and that was all that 

mattered.

Snow White was the best sister that any little girl could hope 

for.   She loved Rose Red and Rose Red's mother with all of 

her heart.   Soon enough, neither Rose Red nor her mother 

could remember what life had been like without their darling 

Snow White.

Life was perfect in their little cottage and everybody was 

happy.

However, if any of them had known anything about wishes, 

they would have all been more worried than happy.

Wishes found in cemeteries should never be trusted.   When 

they sit amongst the gravestones they soak up all of the 

sorrow floating about; they become depressed and confused, 

and can't be expected to work properly.

And so, one day Rose Red was surprised to find that her neck 

looked a little green.   The next day, she found little brown 

roots growing all along the soles of her feet.   The day after 

that, her hair had become unusually soft—almost as soft as 

flower petals!

Before the week was even finished, she had become as much 

of a rose as her sister had once been, only red instead of 

white.

When Rose Red's mother discovered what had happened, she 

immediately turned to her book of spells.   She spent countless 

days researching spells, but none of them ever worked.

Changing a rose back into a little girl is one of the hardest 

things for a witch to get right.   If Rose Red's mother had 

spent her entire life studying witchcraft, as she'd been meant 

to do, perhaps she could have saved her daughter.   But she'd 

chosen to be a good mother instead of a witch, and therefore 

could only keep failing at her spells.

The rose became more frayed and worn with each of her 

efforts, and Snow White feared that it would eventually be 

destroyed by accident.   So, one night when Rose Red's 

mother was too exhausted to do anything besides sleep, she 

stole the rose and ran away.

She fled into the woods and wandered around for a while, 

unsure of where to go next.   Before long she was lost.   She 

sighed miserably, and suddenly a bush next to her began to 

rustle and shake.  

Snow White feared that a vicious beast would jump out and 

eat her, but what stepped out from the bush wasn't a beast.  

It was Thistlebeard, the sneaky dwarf who had given Rose 

Red the wish.   He had been searching for more wishes inside 

of the bush and had come out to see who was sighing.   When 

he saw Snow White he became very angry and was about to 

tell her to leave him alone.   But then he saw the red rose in 

her hand and immediately brightened.

In that part of the world red roses are rarer than fairies, and 

Thistlebeard would have traded a hundred wishes for a single 

one.   He didn't have a hundred wishes, of course, so he 

decided he would find a way to steal that which he wanted.

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