III. The grimmest fairy tale

Finally, we had the story of the 8 little children who lived on the edge of the cold North Sea. The oldest girl was the leader, and the children took care of one another. They lived by their wits, gathering sea shells in the summer to sell in the village so that they could survive the cold of winter all together in their snug little house.

But there were trolls in the mountains, and the trolls hated the sounds of happy laughter. Of course they wanted to make the children miserable. They planted a sea shell made of ice from the heart of the troll King on the beach, and the oldest sister picked up the shell.

The cold went right up through her fingers and into her heart and the laughter stopped. Before long she left the beach and the sunshine and went to live with the trolls.

Her brothers and sisters looked everywhere for her. When they discovered that she had been captured by the trolls they pooled their money, bought a mirror and climbed the high mountain. They slept in the pine needles under a tall tree outside the entrance to the dark cave the trolls called home.

With the first light of dawn, the little brother held the mirror so that the rays of the sun shone down into the cave, melting the trolls into puddles of dirty water and freeing the beloved big sister.

My oldest daughter hated that story. I didn't get it. I kept telling it.

I thought the story was about good and brave children who would do anything for one another. I think for me the meta message was that even the biggest, the strongest, the leader could by vulnerable and that only by working together could everyone be safe and saved. Or maybe, that by working together even the smallest and weakest could overcome obstacles as dangerous and treacherous as the trolls, bringing everyone back home.

So, after all these years, I want to say that the story showed how good and brave all 8 of the children were and how much they loved each other.

And there are still 8.. . And there are still trolls that hate the laughter of happy people, which is why we have to pool our resources, climb the steep mountains, sleep under pine needles--whatever it takes--to make sure that every one of you knows without a doubt that they belong to this group that will not abandon them in the cold and dark.

Come out into the light.

It isn't easy to do alone, but you aren't alone.

And no. This story was never about a bad big sister. She was the best and the brightest--her brothers and sisters gave everything they had because they needed her with them.

So much for fairy tales.

Good night.