Snow-White and Rose-Red

Two sisters lived with their mother beside a white rosebush and a red one. Quiet Snow-White loved reading. Lively Rose-Red loved exploring. They shared everything, from berries to the last warm blanket.

One snowy evening, a black bear knocked at their door. Their mother welcomed the gentle visitor. The sisters brushed snow from his thick coat and made space near the comfortable, glowing hearth.

Throughout winter, the bear visited each evening. He listened to stories and rested without frightening anyone. In spring he said goodbye: he must guard a treasure hidden somewhere deep inside the forest.

Later, the sisters found a little man whose long beard was trapped in a fallen trunk. They freed it carefully. He grumbled about the delay and hurried away with a heavy bag.

At the stream, they met him again. His beard was tangled in his fishing line. The sisters untied the knot before he slipped, but he complained instead of thanking them for their help.

A strong gust later caught his coat against a thorny bush. Once more they stopped to help. Rose-Red sighed at his grumbling, but Snow-White said being unkind would not improve anything.

That evening, they saw the little man spreading jewels on a flat rock. Their familiar bear appeared nearby. The treasure belonged to him, and the little man had taken it without asking.

The sisters asked him to return what was not his. At last he gathered the jewels and gave them back. A golden light surrounded the bear, and his enchanted shape began to change.

A young prince stood where the bear had been. The stolen treasure had held him under a spell. He thanked the sisters for winter shelter and for helping solve the trouble without harm.

They invited everyone back to the rose cottage for tea. Even the little man managed a shy thank-you. Outside, white and red roses bloomed together, just as the sisters continued to share.