The Snow Lay on the Ground

By Anne B. Walsh

How far would you go to save a friend? Johanna has journeyed for a year and a day to find her friend Karl, who was taken by the Mother of the Snows. Her acts of kindness bring her help and more knowledge about her enemy, who is also called the Queen of Winter or the Maiden of Ice. Maiden, Mother, or Queen, Johanna is determined to defeat her, and bring Karl home in time for Christmas. But first she must battle against her own fears and uncertainties, win through the Mother's tricks and traps, and conquer the final hurdle of an opponent she never expected...

The eighth entry in the Holidays with Anne series is a cheerful Christmastime retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's "The Snow Queen", combined with the Grimm Brothers' "Mother Holle" and a similar tale from Scandinavia called "The Two Stepsisters".

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anne B. Walsh
• Release date: Dec 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463784952

Anne B. Walsh

Anne B. Walsh was telling stories about magic and intrigue from the time she could talk, but it took her twenty years to realize she could make a living at it. Her first novel, historical fantasy "A Widow in Waiting", has its origins in a PBS special which changed her life; her second, family-focused fantasy "Homecoming", takes its inspiration from some of her other writing; and her third, soft science fiction "Killdeer", stems from her constant interest in the ways in which the future and the past coincide. Anne lives east of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with one roommate (Krystal), two black Labs (Buddy and Brando), and two black cats (Starsky and Hutch). Sadly, their Cane Corso mastiff, Bruce, passed away in mid-August 2013, and their first cats, Poppy and Sesame, who helped inform Anne's first collection of short stories, "Cat Tales", passed out of their lives after an accident on Christmas Day 2013. No one ever said life was fair. Anne's parents and siblings live two hours north of her, otherwise known as just far enough away. She has also been writing Harry Potter fan fiction for more than ten years and is known best in that genre as the creator of the "Dangerverse" alternate universe (which inspired "Homecoming"). Beyond writing fiction, Anne's preoccupations include reading fiction; singing anywhere that will have her, including her church and local galas; theatre, especially musicals; all forms of cooking; and her family and friends. Within writing fiction, her preoccupations are much the same, meaning most of her stories involve loving families, delicious food, and good music. Consider yourself warned. A number of projects continue to need Anne's attention as she writes her original novels. Among these are her ongoing fanfiction works in various fandoms such as Harry Potter and Frozen, and the themed fantasy anthologies she co-authors with her friend and fellow author Elizabeth Conall.

Book preview

The Snow Lay on the Ground

A Christmas fairy tale:

Holidays with Anne, Volume 8

Anne B. Walsh

Copyright 2019

Table of Contents

Dedication

Foreword

The Snow Lay on the Ground

Author’s Note

Also by Anne B. Walsh

About the Author

Dedication

For all those whose lives take unexpected turns.

Good luck, and try to enjoy the ride!

Foreword

I’m starting to think I should stop trying to plan my holiday specials, because they always seem to sneak up on me. This one was very unexpected, appearing halfway through the month of December, after I had given up on a much longer and more complicated project. The writing itself took place over the course of only four days, so I hope you will forgive any tiny errors which may have slipped past me.

This special is also shorter than many of my previous ones have been, which is possible because I am only releasing these in e-format at the moment. I always tried to shoot for around 25K words in any year when I wanted to put it out as a printed book, since anything shorter made me feel that I was not giving value for the price I had to charge. Since I am now presenting these to you for free, I don’t feel quite so obligated in terms of wordcount.

If you would care for a printed version of these specials, O readers, please do let me know! I would certainly consider putting together the last three years’ worth in print format if there was any demand for it. Wherever you fall on that spectrum, I hope you enjoy this year’s Christmas special, The Snow Lay on the Ground!

Anne B. Walsh

December 20, 2019

The snow lay on the ground, the stars shone bright,

When Christ our Lord was born on Christmas night…

Traditional English carol

Johanna walked down the road, her feet sore and weary, her heart sad and cold. She had traveled, and searched, all around the year since that fateful day in December when she had lost her dearest friend, but no one she had met along her journey could tell her anything at all, and now it was December once again.

Soon it will be Christmas, she said with a sigh, looking up at the clouds, which were fat and looming with the signs of snow. Karl always loved Christmas when we were young, but as we grew older, he became so impressed with his own cleverness that he despised everything he could not control. She laughed softly. He could be hard to live with, that much is true. But so is it hard to live with the heavy snows or the winter winds, and still people remain in our land, for it is their home and they will not abandon it. In the same way, Karl is my friend and I will not abandon him. Instead I will keep searching, and praying, and walking, until I find someone who can tell me more about him, or about the beautiful lady who took him away.

The words were brave and defiant, but Johanna could feel her spirits falter, for a year is a long, long time to travel by oneself. To bolster her strength and remind her of happier times, she began to sing a little song, one her grandmother had taught her long ago. She and Karl had often sung it together, as the candles were lit week by week to show the approach of the Holy Child.

"Where roses bloom and children sing,

We greet you, Jesus, newborn king…

Then she stopped in surprise, for stretching out in front of her, blocking her path, was a great rosebush, its thorny vines twisted and tangled around one another. Good day, Sir Rosebush, she said, curtsying politely, for she had been brought up well.

"Good