The Three Snake-Leaves

Brothers Grimm: The Complete Fairy Tales

Xavier and I were the early risers this morning.

Others slept.

Mary came out to tell us that the family can sleep in today, except for you two who are already up.

She cautioned us, “No lego. Playing with those blocks is too noisy.”

We curled up on the couch and defaulted to reading The Brothers Grimm: The Complete Fairy Tales.

"Physically quiet. Intellectually noisy."

That was us.

Of the 210 possible tales in the book, I began with “The Three-Snake Leaves”. 

The Brooks Snake

Being in a front room where the snake cages intertwine with the china cabinet, a tale about snakes seemed like the appropriate story to begin with. Before me, an instant visual aid should I need one.

Naomi came into the room, dragging a blanket, Rhiannon behind her, sucking Lisa-Simpson-like on her soother. 

Soon the two of them were so noisy on the other couch, I was wondering, "Shall I pick up the book and move somewhere, back to a bedroom where Xavier can hear better." Instead, I just got closer to Xavier so I didn’t lose his attention and kept pressing forward with the plot of the story – two lovers who vow if one dies the other will be buried alive with their dead spouse.

I could see Naomi putting Rhiannon on the other couch, covering her with the fuzzy blanket she had been dragging out from the bedroom, asking her if she was alright.  Then Naomi came over to us, squeezing her body into the too small space between Xavier and me. “I am going to listen too,” she said. He moved over.

My own eyes were being imaginatively opened with the Grimm’s Fairy Tales that we were reading. I could see Biblical imagery screaming out of the pages: morals, cautionary tales, parables, fables, metaphors dripping from every line.

“I may never be here when these kid are interested in fairy tales again,” I thought.

I explicated as though I might never see the little ones again, making stuff up if I had memory blocks: snakes as holders of wisdom, resurrection metaphors, leaves to cover wounds, Garden of Eden imagery, woman-as-vixen, – gotta love those Grimm brothers early in the morning.

Arta