The Queen’s Mistake
Glittering flakes and gleaming bubbles fell from the sky and announced the Snow Queen’s arrival that morning.
The city had lost its colour under her ruling. Everyone was gloomy, hiding under dark caps whenever they weren’t running away from the snow and the freezing cold altogether. This wouldn’t do, the Queen decided: her visit was a reason for celebration, and so she commandeered a crane and forcibly lifted everyone’s spirits.
Now her people danced, all right, and they dressed in bright colours and played the music of a cheerful heart. As they did so, their moods thawed, and they felt better and better. So good, in fact, that they retrieved their courage. Clapping their hands, stamping their feet, their dance became a march, and all of the citizens whirled towards the square where the Queen was to greet them. They demanded the right to rule themselves, and the Snow Queen saw that they were too many and too powerful. She fled, taking her clouds of snow with her, and at long last, spring returned to the city.
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[Image description: Photo of a group of dancing people in colourful costumes with purple iridescent jackets, orange waistcoats with large purple and green buttons, rainbow skirts, and gold shoes. Their orange hats have multi-coloured openings resembling horns. Some of the people are holding gold hand bells to jingle. The sky is white with falling snow and some soap bubbles floating through the air. There’s a large crane (machine) in the background.]
