Of all the stories we were told, I think this was my favourite.
All of the women around the table were familiar with the character of Fatima, a female hero sent on a quest into the woods - just like in The Well at the Worlds End. The story has so many classic archetypes and symbols - maiden, stepmother, witch, well, transformation. There's so much to unpack and enjoy. And even though we were familiar with the Snow White / Cinderella elements of the story there were parts which were absolutely new to us. Mhairi's final illustration for this story effectively reflects some of the darkness of the story, and it's by far my favourite in the book.
It's also the longest story to tell, so settle in...
A version of the story read in Arabic can be heard on youtube.
