The Snow Queen (Dreaming of ice crystals)

'The child has too much imagination', says the mother, and the child isn't quite sure what that means. 'She doesn't understand that it's just a fairy tale, nothing more. She believes wholeheartedly in the Snow Queen.' The mother laughs, and so do the visitors. The child recognises this laughter, and doesn't like it. It sounds like the Snow Queen's icicles: softly clinking, and not at all amusing.

Of course the little girl believes in the wicked queen – who else could have caused her mum to laugh like that? Sometimes she thinks of her mum as she was before the cold witch cast her spell. Back then, she was completely different. When Anne – that's the girl's name – couldn't sleep at night or had had a bad dream, her mum would come to her bedside and protect her. Anne still remembers how her mum would hug her then – it was so tight and warm.

Her dad used to do lots of funny things for Anne, and he and her mum used to laugh a lot together. But when the Snow Queen arrived, he suddenly changed. He never sat by her bedside and told her stories again. In fact, he was hardly ever home. The Snow Queen doesn't speak when she casts her spells; she just has to reach out her hand and touch you, and all the warmth and softness disappear. Once Dad had left, the wicked queen touched Mum, too. Now, people sit there saying strange things and laughing their icicle laugh. When Anne enters the room, they send the girl away, giving her small gifts to persuade her to leave.

One night, Anne woke up after dreaming of ice crystals. She called out, but nobody came. She got up and tried to go to Mummy, but she wasn't there. It wasn't until morning that Anne heard her, along with someone else. However, that person had disappeared by the time Anne got up. This happens a lot now. The child lies under the duvet, scared. It's hot and stuffy under there, but if she sticks anything out, the Snow Queen might touch her. Then she won't be able to laugh or cry anymore, just like her mum. She used to cry when her dad was away.

Tommy's gone too – he was her little dog. Mum says he's with good people now and that he's better off. 'I didn't have any time left for Tommy anyway, so stop whingeing.' Anne thinks Mum's lying – she gave Tommy to the Snow Queen, who's holding him captive because she can't cast a spell on him. Tommy hadn't changed at all; he was the only one who'd stayed the same. Granny had come once more, just one last time. She looked really angry. Then she spoke loudly to Mum and slammed the door. She didn't say goodbye to Anne. She's Dad's mum, so Anne isn't surprised that she's been enchanted too. The Snow Queen has touched everyone, and they're all like the icicles outside the window and on the banister. It's cold, and Anne knows it hurts if you touch the ice for too long. Breathing warm air on it helps, but with the Snow Queen's wicked magic, the ice will never melt. It won't get warm again.

Children have been enchanted too. Anne's friend Helli lives one floor above her, and their mums used to laugh together a lot in the past. Anne and Helli used to play together, but now Anne isn't allowed to speak to her anymore. When they meet in the building, Helli either looks away or sticks her tongue out. Now, their mums don't speak to each other either. Once, Helli said something Anne didn't understand. It sounded nasty, just like enchanted ice. 'That brat's picked that up from her stuck-up mum', Anne's mum hissed. Anne knew why things were like that, but whenever she tried to tell her mum about the Snow Queen, her mum would get very angry. She's either angry or she forgets Anne is there. The only time she hugs Anne and laughs is when her friends are around. But it's not a mother's laugh; it's a winter laugh.

Anne is now sitting on the low stone wall outside. She's been thinking about running away, but the Snow Queen would find her anyway. Everyone belongs to the Queen now: Dad, Mum, Tommy and Helli. Yet Anne is all alone, so she decides to wait for the wicked Snow Witch. Once the witch has cast her spell, Anne won't feel a thing and will become just like the others.

It's getting dusky now. Mum has no idea that the little girl is sitting outside the house. There is a visitor, and everything in the flat feels as though it is covered in ice. Anne doesn't want to be afraid of the spell anymore. 'Maybe it won't hurt at all if the Snow Queen touches me', she thinks. Then she hears a faint tinkling, like icicles clinking together. The snow crunches softly as the footsteps Anne has been waiting for draw nearer. She doesn't look up, and when an unimaginably cold hand touches her shoulder lightly, she doesn't even flinch.

© 'The Snow Queen (Dreaming of ice crystals)': a short story by Ilona E. Schwartz (translated by Izabel Comati), 07/2026. The image shows a detail from 'The Snow Queen', an illustration by Anne Anderson (1874–1930), CC0 (Public Domain Licence).