Snow White

He saw her in the park. It was a regular November evening, cold and brisk, and he was running his normal route. He enjoyed this particular route, for it went through the entire park, thus there was plenty to keep him occupied. First, there was the butterfly gardens, then the duck lake, and the final destination was the copse of trees near the exit of the park. He ran it every night, and was quite fit from it. He was not extraordinary looking - you wouldn’t be able to pick his face from a crowd - but he had a certain aura about him that made you look twice.

She was beautiful in an unconventional way. He first noticed her standing by a lone, stone bench in the middle of the miniature forest. She wore a long, dark trench coat, skinny jeans, and big, black boots. The ebony colour of her hair brought out the deep, mysterious grey of her eyes, and her carmine lipstick was the only colour on her. She held a cigarette between two long fingers, smoke curling from her mouth. Momentarily distracted, he stopped in his tracks to stare at her.

“I didn’t see anything worth noting in these trees. I’m sure that I saw a squirrel, but it could’ve just been the leaves moving.” she peered around her, looking for anything that could hold a man’s stare. He licked his lips, looking her up and down, not noticing the entertained glint in her eye. She had a beautiful voice, both husky and smooth, and it was absolutely perfect to his ears.

“I didn’t expect to see a beautiful girl like you on my nightly run. We’re not accustomed to gorgeous women in our parks.” He was almost salivating over her, like she was a juicy steak and he was a ravenous mutt. She curled a lip in distaste, though this escaped him.

“I didn’t expect to see a handsome man and to hear him call me beautiful. You honestly flatter me too much.” She finished off her cigarette and threw it to the ground, crushing it under her big boot. He watched her every action, marvelling at the way she seemed to do absolutely everything gracefully. Stepping towards him, she bit her lip coyly, looking at him from under her thick lashes.

“I didn’t expect to meet and be attracted to such a beautiful, mysterious man on a small nature trail in the middle of a small park in a small town, but stranger things have happened.” She dragged a hand down his chest, the black painted nails standing out starkly against his light blue running shirt. Fixated, he watched her hand’s actions, tilting his head in fascination as it slipped down towards the waistband of his shorts.

“I didn’t expect to feel like this for a man I just met.” She stared into his eyes. At first, she thought that they were blue, but, upon closer inspection, they were flecked with hazel and green. She leaned in close to him, breathing in his scent. “Are you my biggest dream?”

His gaze focused on her red lips. “I didn’t expect to be, but I hope so.”

She laughed loudly and stabbed him in the gut with her dagger. She held it in the opposite hand to the one on his chest, though he was too preoccupied to notice. He stared into her grey eyes, and he could’ve sworn that they turned red for a brief second. Blood poured from his mouth in a cascade of scarlet, and he let out a pained groan as he slumped to the ground. She kept her hand on his chest as he fell, before removing it and kicking him to the ground. She put one knee on either side of his torso and whispered to a single statement to him.

“Well honey, I’m your biggest nightmare.” She kissed him on the cheek, twisted the dagger once more, and left him, cackling wildly.

The woman grinned to herself. Killing was much more enjoyable than living in that hellhole that the dwarves called home. She lit another cigarette, and realised that she rather liked this world. Snow White was here to stay.