The Snow Woman

Long ago, in a small village in a cold northern country, there lived a woodcutter named Mosaku with his son Minokichi. One cold winter morning, when the snow was too deep to chop trees, Mosaku and Minokichi went hunting. They spent the whole day in the forest, struggling through the snow, but didn’t even catch a rabbit. It was well past noon when the sky suddenly darkened with black clouds, and snow began to fall heavily, covering their tracks. With great difficulty, they managed to reach the woodcutter’s hut.

"We’ll wait out the storm here," said Mosaku, throwing branches into the hearth.
"I’m afraid we have no other choice," replied his son. The men sat and warmed themselves by the cheerful fire while the cold wind howled outside. Time passed unnoticed as they talked heartily. It was already quite late when Mosaku began to feel sleepy.

"You know, son," said Mosaku, "when a man reaches my age, he wants grandchildren. Isn’t it time for you to think about marriage?"

Minokichi blushed and thoughtfully gazed at the fire. They were very tired from the day and soon fell asleep. Outside, a snowstorm raged, and it was well past midnight when a strong gust of wind suddenly flung the door open. Snow blew inside, extinguishing the fire. It became very cold. Minokichi woke up, sat up, and suddenly saw a woman standing at the threshold of the hut.

"Who’s there?" exclaimed Minokichi.

Out of the shadows stepped a beautiful woman dressed in flowing white silk. Her hair was long and black, and her skin was so pale and smooth that it reminded Minokichi of ivory. But when he looked into her cold, deep eyes, he felt a shiver run down his spine. The woman, paying no attention to him, slowly approached his sleeping father. Minokichi watched helplessly as she leaned over him and exhaled a white cloud that enveloped the old man like a ghost.

"Father!" Minokichi cried, trembling all over. "Father!" But there was no response. The woman turned and moved toward him.

"Help!" shouted Minokichi, jumping up to flee, but the woman blocked his path.

She stared intently into his eyes, and suddenly her harsh gaze softened, and a gentle smile touched her lips.

"You are young and full of life," she whispered. "Youth is a beautiful thing, and so I will spare you. But remember: if you tell anyone about what happened tonight, you too will perish."

Another gust of wind and snow burst into the hut, and the woman disappeared. Minokichi’s legs gave way, and he collapsed unconscious. Perhaps it was just a terrible dream. But when he woke in the morning, Minokichi saw the door open, the fire extinguished, and his father lying beside him—frozen.

Many villagers came to Mosaku’s funeral to pay their last respects and support his grieving son.

"It was the worst snowstorm I’ve ever seen," Minokichi told them, shedding tears and shaking his head sadly. He said not a word about the mysterious woman in white.

A year passed. Another winter came and went. One rainy day, Minokichi looked out the window and saw a young woman. She was seeking shelter for the night and didn’t even have an umbrella. He invited her to wait out the rain. Her name was Yuki, and she was on her way to the capital. When Minokichi learned that the girl was traveling alone, he wanted to help her. The young people drank tea and talked endlessly. They fell in love without even realizing when it had happened. Yuki never made it to the capital. She stayed with Minokichi, and soon they were married. Everything was good. Over time, the family grew to include five healthy children. Yuki became a cheerful and caring mother, and Minokichi the happiest man. The only thing that truly worried him was his wife’s health. On hot days, she felt weak and only revived with the evening coolness. Minokichi always treated her with love and care. One evening, as Yuki was embroidering, Minokichi looked at her and thought for the thousandth time, "How beautiful she is!"

"Yuki," he said, "you haven’t changed at all over the years. You look just as young and beautiful as the day we met."

Suddenly, as he glanced at her profile, he remembered something that had happened long ago. Something he had never told anyone.

"You know, I just realized," he said, "you remind me of someone I once saw. Or maybe I dreamed it."

"Who was it?" asked Yuki, looking up from her sewing.

"Do you remember the terrible blizzard my father and I got caught in when I was twenty? That’s when I saw Her. And even now, I’m not entirely sure—maybe it was a dream? But..."

Minokichi hesitated.

"Have you ever heard stories about the Snow Woman?"

"You told someone after all, didn’t you?" Yuki said sharply, looking at him with a smirk. "I warned you not to tell anyone."

"What do you mean? Yuki, what’s going on? Where are you going?" Yuki stood up and headed for the door. As she walked, her kimono turned white as snow...

"Yuki," Minokichi barely managed to say. "Yuki! You! You?"

Yes, Yuki was the Snow Woman. And now that Minokichi had broken his promise, she had to decide what to do with him. But, fortunately, even the Snow Woman could not take the life of someone she had come to love.

"Yuki, don’t go," Minokichi cried, rushing after her.

"Why, Minokichi? Why did you tell? I wanted to stay with you forever!"

Yuki’s cold, dark eyes filled with tears.

"I will never forget you, Minokichi, never forget the happy days we spent together. Take care of yourself and our children. Goodbye, my love."

The door opened, a cold wind rushed into the room, and Yuki vanished without a trace. Minokichi ran out into the empty street.

"Yuki! Yuki!!!"

Minokichi never saw his wife again. But people in that northern country say that on cold, snowy nights, the one they call Yuki Onna—the Snow Woman—still wanders the mountain slopes, searching for a companion who can keep her secret. Fairy girl