Snow White: Act III All-Seeing Mirror

  As the moon slipped into her place in the sky, the queen awaited her time to escape to the deepest, darkest bowls of her little castle. Hidden away there was the woman’s most treasured possession: her Magic Mirror. Long ago Victoria had been known as the most beautiful in the land. Her hair was long and red as flames. Her eyes were dark and deep as onyx. Her skin was so very milky and smooth. However one day there came about a beauty much more than her own.

The girl’s hair was as golden as the sun and her eyes as bright and deep as the seas. Her skin was flawless and looked smoother than Victoria’s own. Men swooned for her. Victoria’s suitors left her side to find themselves at the other woman’s feet. Finally there came a day when the red-head could take it no longer. She studied and studied until her skills had been perfected. In the night, she stole the other away and slashed at her beautiful face until it was in tatters. Out of ‘kindness’ she offered the woman before her a mask. With that mask, she sealed away the woman’s soul inside of a large mirror for all of eternity.

Inside the mirror she could see all. She could peer into people’s lives using the mirrors in their homes, and ALL homes had mirrors. There was one at the entry of every house, used as a charm to keep away all evil. Anyone who was rich had larger mirrors in their home, often with elaborate designs as a symbol of their wealth. They even had one in every bedroom. With this new mirror at Victoria’s side, she could look into the lives of all those around her. She used it to rule as if she were queen, as well as to make sure no beauty ever surpassed her own again.

“Mirror, Mirror on the wall,

Who is the fairest of us all?”

She would ask every evening. The form of the poor girl she had wronged appeared in the mirror; the mask half-grinning and half-frowning in the reflection. Every night the answer was the same:

“You are the fairest, My Lady.”

Every night save for this night. Instead the mirror answered:

“You were the fairest, My Lady.

Snow White is fairest now.”

Victoria’s eyes flew wide with anger. The form in the mirror shuddered. That was not unlike the look the flame-haired woman had given her before her brutal punishment. Her breathing was heavy, and it looked as though she were about to smash something.

“That little…,” the woman started with a growl. “I should have gotten rid of her the instant I learned of my husband’s death.”

“It would have been wise of you,” the mirror agreed.

“Silence! I wont hear any back-talk from you,” Victoria snapped. “You who only exist to serve me. Should I shatter you?”

Could the woman have seen the mirror’s eyes, she would have seen them widen. “No, My Lady! Please, forgive me!” If the glass of her mirror was broken, the girl’s soul would be lost. It would float alone in the darkness of oblivion.

“Fine. I shall for now.” Now there was the issue of Snow White to be dealt with. How to get rid of her? Deforming her sounded like more fun. “I will work her to the bone. She will not sleep. She will not eat. Her beauty will melt away painfully.” Snow White would clean and scrub until her hands were stained and wrinkled. The lack of sleep would make her completion fail, and the lack of food would make her empty skin sag against her bones. Perhaps the stress would even cause her hair to fall out or become gray! Victoria couldn’t wait.