Snow White's Coffin

A while back, I started a rewrite of the Grimm fairy tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It was set in a traditional, magical medieval kingdom, but there were multiple plot twists. Most of us are familiar with the Disney version of Snow White, but in the original tale, the evil queen tried unsuccessfully to kill Snow White twice before resorting to a poisoned apple. One of my favorite parts about the fairy tale is when the dwarves finally realize they can't bring Snow White 'back to life' again, they make her a coffin made of glass and gold.
Here is an excerpt from my unfinished, un-edited Snow White story, depicting this scene. All of the dwarves are based off of the seven original Disney characters, but I gave them their own names. You'll probably be able to tell who is who! Enjoy~

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Snow was dressed in her finest gown and laid in her bed to repose while preparations were made for her funeral. She was as lovely as ever, and the feeling of death about her made her seem even more beautiful, in a tragic way. Everyone was grieving, each in their own way.

Percy was at Snow’s side whenever he could be, weeping and stroking her hand and murmuring sounds to her. He was very deeply cut by her death. He loved her with all his heart. She was his. He’d found her.  She had to stay. So sneaky, he thought to himself. She found a way to stay and go at the same time! And he loved her all the more for it.

Tim couldn’t bear to see Snow White’s dead body. The very thought both nauseated and terrified him. What if she should come back to life while he watched her!? But he grieved deeply. He wept openly and talked about Snow, all the things she’d done and all the things he loved about her.

Casper grew so depressed, he just sat and stared off into nothingness, snoozing occasionally, but always still and sad. He visited Snow once, and stayed by her bed for nearly a day he was so miserable.

Will blubbered and sobbed his way through the first week after her death, beside himself with grief. He felt like his whole life had been smashed. His heart, his dreams, his future…all died with Snow White. He visited her once a day, pouring out his heartsick emotions to her unhearing ears, begging her to come back, longing for her to live again.

Josh, for the first time in his life, wept. Tears of bitter sorrow and anguish fell from his eyes, and he neither laughed nor smiled. He was heartbroken. The glorious ray of sunshine, who had become as dear and natural as life itself to him, was gone.

George couldn’t bear to hear anyone even say Snow White’s name. He was angry and volatile and…and vulnerable. He’d felt heartbreak before, and he couldn’t stand to feel it again. So he fought it tooth and nail and grew even more broken inside than ever before. Finally, he broke down and went to visit Snow, and just cried and cried. He had never come to grips with his past, and the heartbreak he’d experienced then. He couldn’t now. But he couldn’t let this anguish destroy him even more. He remained bitter and unstable, but, at least, he let himself grieve.

No one took it harder than Prof. He grieved like all the others combined; distraught, angry, emotional, nostalgic, gloomy…and worst of all, he blamed himself. His dear, sweet, beautiful girl had died. He had let her go unprotected, and she’d been killed. She’d died all alone, and he hadn’t had the chance to say goodbye. Worsening his heartache was his sense of duty. Rather than going off into a hole and letting his broken heart knit itself back together, he ignored it, and threw himself with a will into preparing for Snow’s funeral and helping his brothers. He vowed, in his heart of hearts, that if he could ever go back, no matter what, he would sacrifice all else, just so that Snow would be safe. So this would never have happened.

Knowing it had to be done, Prof went out behind the garden with a shovel and took one shovelful of dirt from the ground. He stared down at the hole in the grass, at the dirt so dark and so swallowing, and stopped.

No. Snow White would never go down into that black earth. Never. Not his precious girl. No.

He proposed the idea first to Josh, who broke down into tears and agreed wholeheartedly. Prof expected everyone but George to agree. To his great surprise, George agreed, and Casper was against it.

“How can she rest in peace like that?” he asked, his voice echoing with, deep, unwept sorrow.

“How can we rest in peace otherwise?” Prof replied.

Casper sadly nodded, and so it was done.

Every scrap of gold they had was gathered and melted and molded. They were making a resting place for Snow White. A golden and glass coffin, so she could repose safely, but they would never have to give her up to the gray earth. It took weeks, and Snow White lay in her bed, her body incorrupt. The villagers knew the date and all prepared to come to the forest and mourn the beautiful princess.

The day before the funeral, when only Prof and Tim were working on the coffin, polishing it and putting the finishing touches on, Tim looked up at Prof and said, “How will we do it, Prof? How can we go on without Snow? How did we ever get on without her?”

Prof was quiet for a very long time. Finally, he looked at Tim. “God willing, we’ll find a way.”

Tim sighed sadly. “Oh, Prof. I miss her. I hate being afraid of her now that she’s dead. I hate being afraid. Snow made me feel brave. I love being brave, Prof,”

“I know, Tim,” Prof replied. “And I love Snow White.”