A World of Another Kind

Chapter 5 A True Friend

Narrated by Aubrey

     We were immediately surrounded by guards then taken to the dungeon underneath the castle where it was cold and dark. The cell we were thrown into was full of flea-infested straw and mice. We shivered, huddled in a corner of our cell, and began to sob. This was the worst place to be, a lot worse than Rumpelstiltskin's place. Wiping my tears away, I gathered myself and stood up. "We can't just sit here and feel sorry for ourselves." I spoke. "Unless we choose to rot in here, we need to think of a way out. Just one more minute here, and I think I'll go crazy." I began to frantically pace in deep thought. "I don't see any guards around, so there's still a chance."

     "Easier said than done," Kaylee said negatively.

     "Yeah, good luck with getting out," came a deep, gruff voice from the cell next to ours.

     We quickly turned toward the voice, startled. "Who's there?" I demanded nervously.

     Suddenly, a figure was revealed from the light of a torch from our side of the cell. The figure was an odd sort of man; for he was very short and stalky in physique and about four and a half feet in height. The top of his head was bald, his ears and nose were abnormally large, and he had a black, scruffy beard. "My name is Grumpy," replied the stranger. "And who are you? I see you are only children, so why are you here?"

     Kaylee and I glanced at each other with surprise since we knew that he was probably the dwarf from the story, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He did look like a dwarf after all, and because we had just discovered that Snow White existed, we were not surprised if the seven dwarfs existed too. "I'm Aubrey and this is my twin sister, Kaylee," I responded. Then we told Grumpy part of the story of how we ended up into this dungeon. But we did not bring up that the dangerous potion we had been tricked into getting was really intended for Snow White since we felt guilty about it, and we were sure Grumpy knew her. I was afraid of what he'd say.

     "That heartless monster!" Grumpy exclaimed, shaking his fist in a fit of rage. "How she preys on the innocent and finds pleasure in it! She doesn't care about nobody but making lives miserable only because she's miserable herself!"

     "Well now we see her true colors," I said with a deep sigh. "We just had to learn it the hard way. But being new to this land and all, it was easy to be naïve."

     "At least now you know the truth," Grumpy replied.

     "Now, how did you get here?" Kaylee curiously inquired.

     "I was accused of stealing from the queen," he replied gravely. "It's a long story, but now I'm stuck here rotting, not being able to sleep in days, while worrying about my brothers and especially my dear friend, Snow White. The queen won't stop until Snow White is dead even if she is innocent! I need to get out of this place now!"

     "Wait," I said, my voice swelling with emotion. Because I could not bear keeping the full truth from Grumpy anymore since he deserved the truth, I cried out in tears, "There's something we have to tell you. We didn't mean it!"

     "Settle down," Grumpy said soothingly. "Take a deep breath. Now what were you saying?"

     "It's Snow White," I replied, sniffling, "and she's in danger." Then taking a deep breath, trying to relax my nerves, I told him about how the dangerous potion was actually intended for her. "We are so sorry we didn't tell you before."

     "I need to go warn her now!" he exclaimed with fear in his face and voice.

     "Are you angry with us?" Kaylee sadly asked.