Free Through the Mirror and Into Snow by Ann T. Bugg

wandered over to join the conversation at the table. Samantha took care of introductions. Again they tried to stick with small talk; they didn’t want to be caught in any lies. Dorothea sensed she shouldn’t pry and make them uncomfortable. She wanted them to feel as if they were in a home away from home. As she cooked, she kept to safer subjects like the weather and pets.

    Wilhelm came walking through the door, smiling at his guests. He chuckled as he watched Valerie give Samantha the whites of her eggs and Samantha returning the trade with her yolks.
    “Good morning, little ladies. Did everyone sleep okay?”
    “Like rocks. Thank you. I guess I didn’t realize how exhausted the trip had made us,” replied Snow.
    “Well then, it’s a good thing we don’t have far to go today. Sequoia Kingdom is less than a half a day’s ride. I have the wagon loaded up and ready to go to market. When you darlings are done with breakfast, we can get on our way.”
    They finished eating and asked Dorothea if they could help clean up when they took their dishes to the washbasin.
    “I’ll have none of that. Thank you, but you are guests here. I hope you can stop again on your way back.”
    “We’d like that very much, thank you,” said Snow as she went in for a strong hug. Even though they had just met, she felt a tender bond with the kind woman.
    The other two said their goodbyes and climbed in the wagon. With a click of Wilhelm’s tongue as a signal to the horses, they were once again on their way.

    Snow looked back at the small cottage that was her new friends’ home. She was suddenly sad thinking about what wonderful people they were and what a shame it was that they had no children to share all that love. Life could be so cruel sometimes. She once had the love of a wonderful mother and now she was gone. Her stepmother deserved no more than to rot away in a dark, cold, lonely dungeon let alone be responsible for a child. Snow watched Dorothea walk outside with a laundry basket, then stop at a tree stump. Could it be? Snow thought. Dorothea was squatting down next to a stump. On the stump was a frog. Was she talking to the frog?
    As the wagon went around the corner, Dorothea and the frog gradually disappeared from her sight. A slight smile returned to Snow’s face. She recalled the story her father had told about her aunt, the Queen, claiming a frog had told her not to be sad anymore, that she was with child.
    How wonderful! She didn’t say anything to the other two girls; she did not want to appear silly. Snow remembered how she felt when her father first told her the story. Fairy godmothers and spells were one thing, talking frogs were something else altogether. She should have told them. The talking frog thing would come in handy later on when…how about I just wait and let you find out for yourself. That’s for another story altogether.
    After a few hours, they stopped for a quick picnic lunch that Dorothea had packed for them. They also took the opportunity to stretch their legs. Otter used her time wisely and enjoyed a nap in the sun. Apparently she couldn’t decide whether it was more fun to ride in the cart or run around after it while stealing chances to chase an occasional squirrel up a tree along the way. She did a little of both during the entire ride and was rightfully tired when the wagon finally came to a stop.
    They were soon on their way again and entered the kingdom before long. Unlike when they first entered Snow’s aunt’s kingdom, the feeling here was a lot less joyful. There was no celebration about to take place; instead there was a heavy sadness about everyone.

    Wilhelm tied his horse and wagon up next to an empty wooden stand that belonged to him. It was easier for him to build a few stands and leave them in the towns he frequented, rather than haul one back and forth between towns. It was much easier on his horse as well, even though you’d never hear her complain. “Something feels