"Circle round and I'll tell you a story for the longest winter's night.
ONce there were two sisters we'll call them Johanna and Zelda although they lived so long ago no one remembers their names. Zelda, the elder sister was very beautiful to look at, but she wasn't kind. In fact, because she was so beautiful she went through life expecting everyone to do favors for her and let her have her own way. And often enough, they did.
Johanna, the younger sister was different. She was kind to everyone she met, and helpful, especially to the elderly in her village. She was always doing favors for the, and she tried to make sure they were comfortable and had enough to eat. Johanna was plain to look at, not ugly, but no beauty. Only those who were wise enough to look beneath the surface saw her true beauty.
One day Johanna and Zelda were spinning beside the well outside their cottage when Johanna spun the spindle to tie off the thread when it broke off and fell into the well. "Now Look was you've done," cried Zelda. "You better climb right down there and get that spindle, we cannot afford to lose it."
Johanna was afraid, but she knew Zelda was right. They did not have the money for new spindle. So, she lowered herself carefully into the well and began to climb down the rough stones. She climbed and climbed downward until the circle of light at the top of the well became a tiny star and then disappeared altogether! But, still she climbed. She had to find that spindle!
After a long, long time she finally felt ground beneath her feet. In surprise she let go of the stones and the well disappeared! She was standing in the middle of a broad field of silvery snow. She could see no sign of either sun nor moon, but the sky around her seemed to glow with a silvery light. In the distance she saw a grove of trees whose white bark seemed to shine from within.
Johanna began to walk toward the trees, keeping a sharp eye out for the spindle. Soon she found herself on a path the led beneath them which led to a clearing.
In the center of the clearing was a huge old apple tree whose boughs were covered with snow and weighed down with apples of a silvery red skin. "Pick me, pick me!" the apple tree said. "My limbs are going to break under all of this fruit! Harvest me please!"
Johanna looked around and saw a fruit basket at her feet. "I'll help you." she said to the apple tree, and she got right to work. She picked all she could reach, and then she climbed high into the tree to get all of the fruit that grew on the upper branches. As she picked, she began to feel strange and dreamy, to remember things she thought long forgotten, as if the apples were her own memories she was gathering. She grew very tired, but she did not stop until she had picked the last one. Then she climbed down, thanked the tree for its fruit, shouldered her basket and started off again, still keeping a sharp eye out for her spindle.
The path led her back into the forest of silvery trees where silver birds called from high above her, and silvery squirrels ran along the snow clad branches. She was tired and the basket was heavy, but still she continued on looking for her spindle. At last she came to another clearing.
In this clearing stood a big old fashioned brick oven. In front of the oven was a long wooden table, and on it were trays of unbaked loaves of bread, all nicely risen.
"Bake us! Bake us!" cried out the loaves. "We will spoil if we are not baked right away and for just the right amount of time!"
"Of course I will help you" Johanna said. "I know how to bake bread." She set down her basket, put the trays of bread in the oven and sat down to watch them while they baked. Again, she felt sleepy and dreamy, but this time she thought about all of the things she wished for and dreamed of for her life, as if the loaves of bread were her own hopes and dreams baking. Tired as she was, she did not let herself fall asleep, but kept checking the bread until it was all golden brown and crusty. She took it out of the oven, let it cool and added it to the apples in her basket. She thanked the oven for its bread and went on.
She walked on through the forest, where silver foxes darted through the trees and white hares left tracks in the snow. At last she came to another clearing and there she saw a house like no house she had ever seen.
The house was made of every manner of things good to eat that she could imagine! The walls were made of honey cake and ginger bread and the roof was tiled with white icing. The steps were hard candy and the railings were made of candy canes. The eaves were made of gum drops and chocolate drops.
Johanna was very hungry, but she knew it would not be polite to eat some one's house! So she went to the door, which was made of a big cookie, and knocked politely.
The door opened and Johanna saw a woman. At first the woman looked very old. But, when Johanna looked again she looked quite young. Her face was as dark as old polished wood, or the young night sky; but then it was as pale and silvery as a new moon shining on the new fallen snow. One minute Johanna wanted to jump into the woman's welcoming arms and cuddle there. The next she was afraid to speak to the bright, fierce eyes in the woman's face.
"I am Mother Winter. Who comes knocking at my door?"
"If you please, Mother, I am Johanna. I have come looking for my spindle and I bring you a basket of apples I have harvested and bread I baked."
"You have come to the right place." Mother Winter smiled. "All lost spindles come to me. And you have brought good offerings. I will help you, but first you must work for me. You must chop wood to keep me warm, clean my house and make my bed."
"Gladly, Mother." said Johanna. And she got right to work.
Because she had always worked, she knew how to split wood and wash dishes, and clean tables. Mother watched her work and was pleased with her.
"Now you must shake out my featherbed. Be sure to shake it out the window and shake it hard; for I am Mother Winter and when you shake my featherbed you bring snow to places that get snow and rain to places that get rain."
So Johanna went upstairs and shook the featherbed out the window and shook it hard. And in the upper world it rained and snowed upon the earth.
"You must be tired and hungry." said Mother Winter. "Come and have a drink of my soup and eat some supper."
On the hearth Mother Winter had a big cauldron full of steaming soup. She handed Johanna a dipper and for one moment Johanna could see the dark of the night sky and swirling falling snowflakes.
"In my cauldron you can see all of your dreams and possibilities." Mother Winter said. "All that is and all that was and all that has yet to be is all brewed together here. Have a drink."
Johanna drank and the soup tasted better than anything she had ever tasted. It was nourishing and refreshing and exciting all at once and yet that one sip satisfied all of her hunger.
"Here is your spindle." Mother said. She handed the spindle back to Johanna and when Johanna took it into her hand it felt very heavy. When she looked at it she saw that her spindle had turned to gold. Mother and Johanna feasted then on apples and warm bread.
"You have done well," MOther said when it was time for Johanna to leave. "YOu have brought me good offerings. You fed my fire and cleaned my house and shook out my feather bed good and hard! When you return to your world you will find that you bring gifts with you. For I am the Giver of Gifts and the Teacher of Lessons."
So Johanna returned all through the silvery woods, past the big brick oven, past the apple tree, out to the open field where a dark circle hung in the sky like an open mouth. Johanna raised her golden spindle and a silver thread of light beamed up into the darkness. Then, as if something above was reeling it in, Johanna was lifted up and up until she found the rough stones under her hands and feet. She climbed up and up until at last she climbed out of the well.
Zelda was waiting for her impatiently. "Where have you been!" she asked indignantly. "What took you so long? And what has happened to you?"
For Johanna looked quite different from the girl who had gone into the well. Her features had not changed, but now her plain kind face seemed to glow with a light of its own, and the goodness of her heart made her look quite beautiful. She opened her mouth to tell her sister all that had happened to her but as she spoke gold, silver and precious jewels fell from her mouth!
OK That is part one. I'll type in part two later when I have time again - now I am not Mother Winter and my children need real food!!
