Into The Woods

In the dream, Snow White tiptoes through the woods with Rose Red. Their mother has sent them to pick berries in the forest.

Hush, says Rose Red, or the bear will come and find us.

Rose Red has scarlet lips the same colour as the berries. She presses a berry against her white teeth and it bursts, bright as blood.

Snow White turns. Her sleeve swings out. Whiteness veils the woods.

---

This is the path through the woods.

There are foxes in the woods. They smile with white white teeth and they laugh from the shadows and they run alongside and twine themselves between her legs and when she falls to the ground, they are warm fur beside her and they reach up with hands that touch her face and they smile and put a collar around her throat.

To catch a fox and put him in a box and never let him go. The path through the woods goes to the white tower and nobody ever leaves the white tower.

Put the collar on, the fox says. It's just for you. Nobody else ever deserved such a collar.

Snow White turns. Her sleeve swings out. Whiteness veils the woods.

---

The moon above breaks into snowflakes that come scattering down.

Her feet are so cold.

Shiba Kaien is standing beneath the tree to her left. He reaches up to shake the branches and snow falls over him and drifts away and is gone, and he is gone with the snow, and his wife too, and she never had the chance to say I love you.

Captain Ukitake, why did you tell me not to help him? You let it kill him and he let it kill him and pride let it kill him and I am a Kuchiki and some day it is going to kill me too.

Snow White turns. Her sleeve swings out. Whiteness veils the woods.

---

Moon on the river and fires on the riverbank. The flowers come floating down the river.

Renji is catching fish. He reaches his hands into the water and brings out her heart and laughs.

She would say, Renji, why do you have my heart, but perhaps he will not notice if she does not tell him.

He throws it into the river and it floats downstream. She tries to catch it, but it sinks faster than the flowers do.

She weeps ice. He does not notice.

Snow White turns. Her sleeve swings out. Whiteness veils the woods.

---

Rose Red and Snow White walk through the woods together.

I am sorry, sister, says Rose Red. I have to leave you now.

A bird lies in the snow, its heart pierced by a thorn. Black as ebony, white as snow, red as blood.

You are my sister now, says the thorn.

Of course I am, says Snow White.

Snow White turns. Her sleeve swings out. Whiteness veils the woods.

---

I don't remember where I am going, says Snow White.

I will look after you, the snow says, but you must go barefoot.

Snow White takes off her shoes and her feet are as white as the snow.

And you must go naked, the snow says.

Snow White takes off her dress and is clad in the snow.

I will be your heart's desire now, the snow says, until the day that you can master me.

I don't know what my heart's desire is, Snow White says.

Don't worry, the snow says. Come into the woods with me.

Snow White turns. Her sleeve swings out. Whiteness veils the woods.