Both Snow Whites joined hands and walked down the steps inside the tree. As Snow White looked back at the sparkling snow outside, the door on the tree slammed shut. The steps led them deep into the earth. Limestone formations dropped down from the ceiling of the cave like breasts, in all shapes and sizes. Water dripped from limestone breasts like milk and drummed on the floor. The beat of that drumming matched every breath they took.

They walked for a long long long time. Cool and moist air gave way to heat and steam when they reached a precipice. Below the precipice was boiling molten lave which gurgled and bubbled and blasted red droplets high into the air. One of those droplets touched one Snow White and turned her into steam.

As Snow White was about to sprint, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Froddo standing there with a golden ring hanging on a string around his neck. He said, “Follow me.” He then led her to a swing bridge through which they crossed the boiling lava ocean. They walked for days and days and days on the swing bridge, and continued for days and days and days beyond the bridge. One day, they reached a series of steps that rose high up and disappeared beyond view. Froddo said, “This is the end of my journey. I have to stay, to guard Lord of the Ring.”

Snow White walked up the steps. At the end of it was a door. When she opened it, bright light flooded and blinded her eyes, but just for a moment. Once her sight came back, she realized that she had taken the wrong path up, or Froddo had made a mistake, for there was no shire or hobbits, but instead a solitary lake whose water was clear as a mirror and whose walls were high mountains with jagged peaks. There was one consolation however. Surrounding her was snow, snow everywhere, and it covered the ground, the trees, and the mountains.

Upon seeing her, the lake exclaimed, “Oh beautiful, the fairest maiden of all, thank you, thank you, thank you for coming. We dearly need you, here in Lake Tekapo of New Zealand, where only but a few souls ever come.”