A naughty sprite once made a magic mirror. It showed an ugly reflection of good things always. Anyone who looked into it could see only evil or bad reflections. Unluckily, the mirror broke and its splinters were scattered wide.
One day, a little boy named Kay was reading a book with his friend Gerda. One of the splinters from the mirror got into his eye. Gerda was surprised when she found that Kay suddenly started disliking her. He changed into a nasty and cruel person.
One day, she saw him go to the market square to play with other boys. While they were playing, a sleigh drawn by horses came there. It was driven by the wicked Snow Queen wearing a coat with white fur on it. She persuaded Kay to come into the sleigh and as soon as he got in, he forgot his home and family and Gerda. She flew off with him to her palace in the cold, frozen north.
Kay’s family looked for him and waited for weeks. Finally they gave up, thinking that he had been drowned in the river. But Gerda decided to search for him. She went to the river and asked it where Kay was. Then she thought that perhaps the river would take her to Kay. She saw a boat on the bank, and got into it. It took her to a cottage that had a large garden behind it. In the garden, she saw a rusty gate near which sat a pigeon.
When she went through the gate, the pigeon told her that the Snow Queen had taken Kay to Lapland. She asked a reindeer the way.
“Come with me,” said the reindeer. “I’ll take you.” He flew with her on his back to the Snow Queen’s frosty crystal palace.
She reached the palace and went in. The Snow Queen had gone out. She walked through the palace looking for Kay and found him drawing patterns in the snow with an icicle. He could not recognise her, as he was still under the Snow Queen’s spell. She hugged him and cried and cried. Her tears fell on his face and washed the splinter out of his eye.
As soon as the splinter fell out, the spell broke. Gerda explained to him all about the Snow Queen and the spell she had cast. She said they must escape before the wicked queen returned. Holding hands they ran through the palace till they reached where the reindeer was waiting for them.
He took them on his back and they flew back home. Kay was once again the happy and loving boy that he had been earlier. Kay and Gerda remained friends and grew to love each other always.
