The Sleeper and the Spindle

The queen finds the discarded spindle and announces that it “smells of magic” (52). Suddenly, the old woman begins to regain her memories: As a young girl, she climbed to the tower and met an old woman—an enchantress in disguise—spinning at a wheel. The old woman pricked the young girl with a spindle. As the old woman speaks, the sleeping girl wakes and continues the story: she herself is the old spinning enchantress. She stole the girl’s youth and slept while everyone else in the kingdom slept. She left the young-girl-turned-old-woman awake, but placed a spell of protection on herself so that the old woman couldn’t harm her. As the enchantress slept, she stole youth and dreams from the sleeping kingdom. Looking at the girl, the queen recognizes the same creature whom her stepmother was—ruthless and cruel. The girl tells them that she has called the sleepers to the castle to help her. Suddenly, the three dwarves fall asleep. The queen confronts the princess, calling her “Your Darkness” (56), and compares her actions to her stepmother’s relentless pursuit of power. The enchantress offers the queen a chance to rule at her right hand. The queen passes