The Pink Fairy Book, part 8 · page 21 2101When they were in the middle of their games there drove into the square a large sledge, all white, and in it sat a figure dressed in a rough white fur pelisse with a white fur cap on.102The sledge drove twice round the square, and Kay fastened his little sledge behind it and drove off.103It went quicker and quicker into the next street.104The driver turned round, and nodded to Kay ina friendly way as if they had known each other before.105Every time that Kay tried to unfasten his sledge the driver nodded again, and Kay sat still once more.106Then they drove out of the town, and the snow began to fall so thickly that the little boy could not see his hand before him, and on and on they went.107He quickly unfastened the cord to get loose from the big sledge, but it was of no use; his little sledge hung on fast, and it went on like the wind.108Then he cried out, but nobody heard him.109He was dreadfully frightened.110The snowflakes grew larger and larger till they looked like great white birds.111All at once they flew aside, the large sledge stood still, and the figure who was driving stood up.112The fur cloak and cap were all of snow.113It was a lady, tall and slim, and glittering.114It was the Snow-queen.115‘We have come at a good rate,’ she said; ‘but you are almost frozen.116Creep in under my cloak.’117And she set him close to her in the sledge and drew the cloak over him.118He felt as though he were sinking into a snow-drift.119‘Are you cold now?’ she asked, and kissed his forehead.120The kiss was cold as ice and reached down to his heart, which was already half a lump of ice.121‘My sledge!122Don’t forget my sledge!’123He thought of that first, and it was fastened to one of the great white birds who flew behind with the sledge on its back.124The Snow-queen kissed Kay again, and then he forgot all about little Gerda, his grandmother, and everybody at home.125‘Now I must not kiss you any more,’ she said, ‘or else I should kiss you to death.’126Then away they flew over forests and lakes, over sea and land.127Round them whistled the cold wind, the wolves howled, and the snow hissed; over them flew the black shrieking crows.128But high up the moon shone large and bright, and thus Kay passed the long winter night.129In the day he slept at the Snow-queen’s feet.130But what happened to little Gerda when Kay did not come back?131What had become of him?132Nobody knew.133The other boys told how they had seen him fasten his sledge on to a large one which had driven out of the town gate.134Gerda cried a great deal.135The winter was long and dark to her.136Then the spring came with warm sunshine.137‘I will go and look for Kay,’ said Gerda.1 2← previousThe Pink Fairy Book, part 7next →The Pink Fairy Book, part 9↑ back to The Pink Fairy BookThis page in Markdown → https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/tales/pg5615/8/page/2/