Once Upon A Time…

An old man lived with his two grandchildren in a cottage that resided in the heart of the forest. The children were twins, a boy and a girl, and they were goodnatured youths. The girl, Feliciana, wore a snowy white kerchief so her grandfather called her Snow White. Romano, on the other hand, had so often stained his mouth with tomato juice as a child that their grandfather had given him the pet name of Tomato Red. Feliciana was more sedate than her brother, as she prefered to paint and sing with their grandfather while Romano would explore the woods, chase birds, and (if no one was around) dance.

It came to be that one night when the twins were seventeen a knock was heard at the cottage door. The grandfather, Romulus, sat up in his armchair in interest. A tempestuous winter storm had begun an hour ago and showed no indication of abating now. Furthermore, the knock had been very deep and loud, more like a club battering against the wood than a hand. He looked at his grandchildren expectantly; Feliciana was knitting a sweater and Romano was dozing on the rug in front of the fireplace.

"Open the door, some poor traveller must be seeking shelter," Romulus urged goodnaturedly. Romano groaned and slowly stood up.

"What kind of idiot would be out here in the middle of the- cazzo!" He'd opened the door only to find a gigantic black bear waiting outside. Romano tried to slam the door shut but the bear had already stuck one paw in the doorway. It's big, black muzzle snuffled about as he peered inside at the three humans.

Feliciana screamed and hid under her bed. "What's a bear doing here?!" she wailed.

"Che ne so!" Romano yelped, backing away so quickly he nearly toppled over a chair.

The bear seemed to sigh and looked at the grandfather, who was frozen in place. "Please, I mean no harm," it said in a gravelly voice. "I simply wish to warm myself by your fire for a bit."

Romulus, upon hearing the animal speak, immediately recovered from his fright. "Of course! Come in! As our neighbors to the west say, 'mi casa es su casa'. Here, come out Snow White. It's alright mi bella." By now the bear had settled gratefully in front of the fire, but his coat was plastered with a heavy layer of snow. Romulus noticed and said, "You two help me knock the snow out of his coat."

Romano gaped at his grandfather and the bear for a moment before turning to his sister. "I knew it would happen. Our nonno is senile."

"Quickly, Tomatito!"

The boy grabbed the broom and, standing as far away from the resting beast as possible, began to dust off the snow. He managed to remove the first layer, but by then much of the snow had partially melted into the bear's thick fur. Romano could only be rid of the rest by beating at it with the broom.

Feliciana had recovered enough to watch from the top of her bed. When she noticed the bear began to wince under the blows, she told her brother to stop and rushed to grab a spare blanket. She swiftly rubbed the bear's back, removing all traces of the blizzard still howling outside. The bear grunted gratefully and swung his head around to look at her. Feliciana noticed that the bear had piercing blue eyes.

"Is your name really Snow White?" he asked quietly.

Feliciana shook her head. "Oh no, it's just a pet name. My name is Feliciana."

"Am I the only one who realizes we have a BEAR in our home?!" Romano demanded, grabbing a chair and moving to a corner far from the bear.

Romulus sighed and resumed his seat in his armchair. "You must forgive my grandson," he apologized. "He can be very suspicious from time to time, and abrasive at all times." Feliciana giggled and wrapped her arms impulsively around the bear's heavy shoulders.

"He is wise to distrust strangers," the bear murmured, his eyes growing heavy with sadness.

"Oh, what's wrong, orso?" Feliciana asked worriedly. The bear slowly shook his head and settled into a more comfortable position.

Romulus noticed. "You must be exhausted! We should all get to bed. Romanito, get another blanket for our guest."

Romano muttered under his breath but did as he was told. Feliciana took it from him and carefully spread it over the large frame. She couldn't resist leaning against the bear; his fur was so soft and warm now that it was dry. Before she knew it she had fallen asleep against him, her small frame cuddled up to his neck and shoulders. When Romulus made to pick her up the bear waved him away before falling asleep himself.

When Feliciana woke the next day, she was lying in a heap of blankets on the floor. She struggled to comprehend why she wasn't in bed, rubbing at her eyes with her sleeve. Memories of sky blue eyes and warm brown fur made her gasp and sit up straight. The bear! She looked wildly about the cottage, searching for the animal, but there was no sign of him. Had it been a wild dream then? Romulus was sleeping in his armchair; he often slept there when he had a cold. Shuffling over to her brother's bed, she shook his shoulder, gently at first before growing more insistent, before he woke up mid-snore.

"What?!" he whisper-yelled, wiping away some drool. Feliciana resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Ah, Romano, ever her charming brother.

"Where is Signore Oso?"

"Who- Dio mio!" He too bolted upright upon remembering the bear, and like his sister looked about their cottage for him. "Grazie a Dio," he huffed, looking up at the ceiling and making a quick cross. "The stupid thing must have left before dawn."

"He's not stupid! How many animals do you know that can talk?" Feliciana snapped.

Romano sneered at her and laid himself back onto his pillow. "You act like it was human or something. We're lucky it didn't tear us apart, idiota!"

Feliciana stuck her tongue out at him. "Well, I liked him. I hope he comes back!"

A/N: Whoa, how long has it been since I've posted anything? Anywho, this is chapter one of a series of lesser-known stories taken from Grimm's fairy tales. If you can't read German, then the title of this story is "Snow White and Rose Red".