The Ice Maiden
Do you know the story "The Ice Maiden"? It was not found in an old book of folk tales.
A man named Hans Christian Andersen wrote it himself. He lived in Denmark long ago.
He took a trip to Switzerland and saw big snowy mountains. He loved them so much he put them in his story.
In his tale, a cold and shiny Ice Maiden lives high up in the ice. She is not the Snow Queen. She is her own special character!
Andersen wrote this story in 1861. It is longer and a little sadder than his other tales. That is why you may not have heard it before.
In a small Swiss town under tall snowy mountains, a boy named Rudy plays by the bright blue lake.
The sun shines on the water. Rudy laughs and skips stones across the lake.
He loves the cold, clean air. The mountains watch over him like quiet giants.
A kind old man tells Rudy about the Ice Maiden. She is a beautiful cold lady who lives high up in the ice and snow.
"She watches from the peaks," the old man says. "Her touch is icy, but her eyes shine like stars."
Rudy listens with wide eyes and wonders.
Rudy grows up strong and brave. He climbs steep rocks and helps travelers cross the high mountain paths.
His hands are sure, and his heart is kind. People smile when they see him coming.
The mountains feel like home to him.
One sunny day Rudy meets sweet Babette. They laugh together among the wild mountain flowers.
Her smile is warm, and her voice is like a song. Rudy forgets the cold wind for a while.
They pick flowers and talk about small, happy things.
Rudy and Babette promise to be true to each other. Their families smile at the happy young pair.
Under the wide sky, they hold hands. The village bells ring softly in the distance.
Everyone hopes for a bright tomorrow for them.
Rudy must travel far away to work. He waves goodbye and promises Babette he will come home soon.
Babette watches him go, holding back her tears. "Hurry back to me," she whispers.
Rudy turns once and smiles, then walks down the long mountain road.
High on the frozen mountain, the Ice Maiden sat on her throne of clear blue ice. She looked down and saw Rudy walking on the steep path below.
She smiled a cold, quiet smile. Then she reached out her long, shiny hands toward him. Her fingers glittered like frost in the pale light.
Suddenly Rudy felt a strange chill on his neck. It was cold, like winter breath. He heard a soft, soft voice calling his name.
He stopped and looked around, but no one was there. Then he thought of Babette's warm smile. "I must go home," he said. So he hurried down the path, step by step.
The Ice Maiden did not chase him. She only watched, calm and still. She knew he would come back to the high mountains one day.
For all the ice and all the snow were hers. The cold peaks, the deep blue glaciers, the silent frozen lakes — they all belonged to her alone. She could wait. She had all the time in the world.
At last Rudy came home. Babette ran to meet him, and her eyes were bright with joy. Soon the two were married in a warm little church.
The church was full of friends and family. Flowers were everywhere — on the walls, on the seats, in Babette's soft brown hair. Everyone laughed and sang, and the bells rang out.
The next day was bright and sunny. Rudy and Babette went for a boat ride on the deep blue lake. The water sparkled like a thousand tiny stars.
Rudy laughed out loud. He held Babette's hand in the warm sun. "What a beautiful day!" he said. Babette smiled and leaned close to him. Everything felt safe and happy.
Then, all at once, a cold wind blew across the lake. The sky grew dark. The little boat began to rock on the water.
Babette held on tight. Rudy looked up, and his heart went cold. Out of the icy deep, slowly rising, came the Ice Maiden. Her hands were open. She was reaching for him.
Splash! The cold water pulled Rudy down, down, down. His hand slipped away from Babette's.
"Rudy!" Babette cried. But the waves closed over him, and the lake grew still and gray.
The Ice Maiden's cold arms held him, and the deep water carried him far below.
Babette waited by the shore all day. She watched the water and called Rudy's name.
But Rudy did not come back. The kind old man came and sat beside her. "Be brave, dear child," he said softly.
Babette cried, and the old man held her hand. Overhead, the mountains were very still.
High above, the mountain ice shone cold and quiet. It sparkled in the sun like glass.
Deep inside the ice, the Ice Maiden kept Rudy in her still, cold home. He stayed there forever, far from the warm little church and the bright blue lake.
