Endings & Beginnings

Snow-white married him, and Rose-red his brother, and they divided the great treasure the dwarf had collected in his cave between them. The old mother lived for many years peacefully with her children; and she carried the two rose trees with her, and they stood in front of her window, and every year they bore the finest red and white roses. - The Red Fairy Book

Snow White:

Fairy tales always end with the protagonists living happily ever after. I remember our parents reading us the 'Snow White and Rose Red' tale when we were younger -- it ended with Snow White marrying a prince and Rose Red marrying the prince's heretofore unmentioned brother. All very convenient.

Life is not convenient. Point in fact: after killing the Thistle Man, we were stuck in the flower fields. I thought about going through the veins and arteries again, but the urge told me not to.

She wouldn't survive it. She's not a vessel, like us.

"So what do we do?" Rose asked.

"I guess we just start walking," I said.

We walked for miles and miles and though the flowers changed, nothing else did. Eventually, we found ourselves near some of the trees that sprang from the earth like crooked fingers.

Don't get too close to those. The fruit isn't very pleasant.

I glanced at the fruit that grew on the trees and I could see they were covered by spines and thistles. We moved away from trees quickly.

Keep walking. When you feel tired, keep walking. Keep walking and you'll find yourself home.

And we did. We walked until our feet were bleeding and we held each others hands and walked more. The sickly sweet smell went away, as did the smell of decay, and the sky changed into a different shade of blue. The area around us seemed normal.

Eventually, we found ourselves by a highway. We hitchhiked back to town, back to our house.

We fell asleep in the same bed, like when we were younger.

Rose Red:

She's left. She packed some stuff and bought a train ticket. She didn't tell me where. "It's better if you don't know," she said. "I don't want you following me."

"But you saved me," I kept saying.

"I know," she said. "But the blood...it's stronger than me. I gave into it. Once it takes control of me, I won't care that you're my sister. I won't. So please don't follow me. Please."

"What about the Thistle Man?" I asked. "What if he comes back?"

"He won't," she said. "And if he does...I'll know."

"How?"

"Blood always knows," she said. "I don't know exactly what that means, but...it means I'll know."

"What'll I tell mom and dad?"

"Tell them I ran away," she said. "Tell them...tell them a lie they'll believe."

I hugged her and told her I loved her. She said she loved me, too, but she had to go. She had to find a way to stop the blood, the get rid of it from her body. It was too strong, she said.

After she left and after I stopped crying, I looked up what some of those flowers the Thistle Man gave me meant. Amaranths mean immortal love, jonquils mean "return my affection." The last flower he gave me, though, was a love-lies-bleeding. And that means hopelessness.

I've written down my story and she's written down hers. There's no more left for me tell.

I'm leaving now. I know I told her I wouldn't follow her. I lied. If things are hopeless, then at least we can be hopeless together.

Bye.