The prince knocked on the door and when a poor widow opened it, he asked, “Dear lady, don't be afraid for I won't hurt you. I and my wives, Cinderella and Briar Rose, are caught in this terrible snow storm and I will pay you if you allow us to stay for the winter.” The widow quickly agreed for she was poor and life was hard for her and her daughters.
The poor widow lived in the small cottage with her two daughters; one was called Snow-White and the other Rose-Red. There was a garden in front of the cottage in which grew two rose trees. In summer, one tree would bear white roses and the other tree bear red roses. The poor widow named her two daughters after the trees.
Though they were sisters, the 2 sisters could not have looked more different. Quiet, gentle Snow-White had blond hair while Rose-Red had red hair and loved to run about the fields and meadows.
The prince and his wives found the 2 young girls to be a delight, always diligent and always cheerful. As different as they were, the two children loved each other dearly and they always walked about hand in hand whenever they went out together. Rose-Red would pick flowers and catch butterflies for her sister; while Snow-White loved to cook and read stories aloud to her sister.
When the prince marveled at how close the sisters were, Snow-White said, “We will never desert each other,” and Rose-Red answered, “No, not as long as we live.” The mother added, “Whatever one gets, she shall share with the other.”
When Briar Rose said that it must be great to be as close as they were, the sisters agreed but Snow-White said, “If only we looked similar,” and Rose-Red finished, “Yes, then everything would be perfect.” When Cinderella said she had an idea to that problem, both sisters immediately asked what it was.
When their mother saw the sisters next, both sisters were in a black niqab with their eyes showing. Both sisters were of the same height and in matching robes and gloves, they looked almost alike. The mother said, “Oh Snow-White; Oh Rose-Red; you two looked totally the same now.” A puzzled Snow-White said, “We looked alike dear mother but you could still tell us apart.” Rose-Red asked, “How did you do that?”
“Oh that’s easy,” the mother said. “Snow-White has black eyes and Rose-Red has green eyes.”
So the sisters asked Cinderella to sew something to cover the front of their niqab. When their mother saw the sisters next, both sisters were in a black niqab with a veil that hung from the top of their head down to their waist. The veil totally covered the eyes and when the widow couldn’t tell them apart, both sisters jumped in delight.
For the rest of the winter, both Snow-White and Rose-Red did their chores in their niqab with only their front veil pushed up over their head. However when they were not doing chores, both sisters had their veil covering their eyes, looking perfectly the same.
In the evenings when the snowflakes fell, the widow would say, “Snow-White, go and close the shutters.” Snow-White closed the shutters while her sister lit the fire and put on the kettle. They drew round the fire while the widow put on her spectacles and read aloud from a big book filled with stories. The Prince, his wives and the two girls would sit and listened. When the widow finished her story, the prince would take over and tell a story from his own lands. The stories captivated the sister.
It was a most wonderful winter.
One evening as they sat thus cozily together, there was a knock at the door. The widow said, “Rose-Red, open the door quickly. It must be another traveler seeking shelter.” Rose-Red unbarred the door, and into the cottage walked a bear. “Oh, Mister Bear is here!” The girls shouted as they went and hug the bear.
Seeing the prince, the bear began to speak, “Don't be afraid my prince for I am an old friend of the family and I won't hurt a guest of theirs.” “My poor bear,” said the widow. “Lie down by the fire, but take care not to burn your fur like the last time.”
Snow-White and Rose-Red beat the snow out of the bear’s fur, and as they scrubbed the bear dry, the bear told the prince his story. “I was once a rich merchant,” he said, “but was cursed by an unholy little dwarf, who wanted to steal my gold. I roamed about the woods as a wild bear hunting him, thinking that with his death I would be freed of his curse. With Snow-White’s and Rose-Red’s help, the little dwarf got his well-merited punishment and I got my gold back but alas, the curse has not broken and I am still a bear.”
Hearing the old bear’s story, the prince said, “You are a good, honest creature Mister Bear. I will ask a friend if he can help you."
Standing up, the prince clapped his hands and said, “Oh! Child of the wind, Dancer in the sky, Come aid me in my time of need!”
There was a burst of light and smoke filled the cottage. When the smoke cleared, there stood in the room a most strange man. “Mister Bear,” the prince said. “This is the Jinn. He is a magical creature and could help you on your curse.”
The bear told the jinn his story and the jinn said, “Since the one who cast the spell is dead, I can break the enchantment Mister Bear.” The jinn waved his hands and the bear’s skin suddenly fell off, and an old man all dressed in gold stood in his place.
For the rest of the winter, the old man stayed with the family and when spring was in the air, the old man proposed to the old widow. The old widow accepted and the old man promised to take care of the family with his fortune.
However Snow-White said, “You take care of our mother Mister Bear,” and Rose-Red finished, “Because the two of us are marrying the prince and returning to his homeland.”
“Why would the two of your want to marry the prince?” Mister Bear asked.
“We can always wear the niqab in his kingdom,” Snow-White said. “We can always be the same in his kingdom.” Rose-Red finished.
“You can also wear them in this cottage,” Mister Bear said.
“His stories of his homeland were wonderful,” Snow-White said. “And we want to see his kingdom for ourselves.” Rose-Red finished.
“So both of you want to marry the prince?” Mister Bear asked.
“We will never desert each other,” Snow-White said, “No, not as long as we live.” And Rose-Red added, “And whatever one gets, she shall share with the other.”
And so when spring finally came, there were 2 weddings at the small cottage. The widow married Mister Bear while her two daughters married the prince. All in the garden below the two rose trees.
And the prince and his 4 wives lived happily ever after.
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