Within the Pages

Chapter 17

We gather around again and this time I hand my dad the wand. He points it at the ground in front of us and.......nothing.

"Are you going to think about Wonderland dad? We have to get to mom!"

"I'm trying but it's not working." He replies frustrated.

"Maybe it has to cooldown? Like it is like, cooling down from the use of the magic to get us here?" Goldilocks says offering up a suggestion as to why the want might not have worked.

"That seems like the most likely explanation" replies my dad after thinking it over for a moment. "I've been here before so I know what to do to get out of this world without the wand. We have to hurry though and our timing must be perfect. We must all enter the house at the exact same time." With that he turns and starts hurrying off in a seemingly random direction. Goldilocks and I pause for a second then hurry off after him and Lancelot who followed right away.

With no sense of time I had no idea how long we walked but it seemed like hours pass by of us just walking in the forest, following my dad. He stops when we reach a clearing in which sits a house. This isn't just an ordinary house though. This house is made of all the delicious treats I can think of. Runts, nerds, skittles, m&m's, starburst, chocolate, and so much more it would take me hours to name them all. The house has a gingerbread frame and has tons and tons of icing holding everything to the house. I know my dad is right about being in Hansel and Gretel. This house is more than what I thought of when I read the book. I imagined it to be beautiful and delicious looking but I was not prepared for the reality and I know why Hansel couldn't resist eating some of it and alerting the witch that they were there. Oh no! The witch. We'd better be careful if we are to go against another witch. I don't think she is as powerful as Morgana but she is called a witch for a reason.

On the side of the clearing to our right we see an old woman with no eyes dragging a huge ugly brown sac. The sac is moving as if little fists are hitting the side trying to get out and we hear the muffled cries for help coming from the sac. Lancelot rises to help the people inside the sac but my dad grabs his shoulder pulling him down again.

"Wait, no harm will come to the kids. Just follow my plan. When you hear a scream coming from the old woman we must all move into the house a quickly as we can. Understood?"

Everyone nods their understanding as the old woman who must be the witch uses magic to open the door and drags the sac with Hansel and Gretel inside the house before she closes it again. My dad motions for us to spread out along the house. The house has a window on both the right side of the house and the left side of the house with a front door and a back door.

We each head to a spot. I go to the front door, Goldilocks to the back door, my dad to the left window and Lancelot to the right window. It seems like 30 minutes pass when we hear the old woman scream. As quickly as I can I open the door and look at the others doing the same. The door shut and the windows close behind as as the witch is makes her last attempt to stop Hansel and Gretel from leaving before getting shoved into the oven. They turn around and see us. They must think we are bad because they bolt to the door which is now open as the witch is too distracted trying to get out of the oven rather than keeping the kids in. We just turn and watch them go out. My dad rushes to the oven and opens it, pulling the witch out.

"Tell us you will not eat children again or I will put you back in the oven."

"Fine fine, I'll try not to eat children anymore" the witch replies trying to smoothly get away with using the word "Try".

Pushing her close to the oven my dad growls. "I said tell us you will not eat children anymore. Not that you'll 'try' to not eat them"

"Ok ok, I will not eat children anymore" She holds up her hand. "Ha ha just kidding my fingers were crossed. I'll eat all the children I want starting with yours." She flicks her hand and the gingerbread from the wall expands out wrapping around my dad and pulling him to the wall and pinning him there. She goes to flick her other hand but Lancelot is quick and grabs her hand stopping it from moving. Grabbing her other hand he pins them together so she can't use her magic and my dad falls to the ground with a thump. I rush over to help him up.

"Are you ok" I ask my face and voice full of concern.

"Yeah I'm fine. I've been through worse."

I look back over to see that Lancelot has used giant candy canes to bind the witch's hands together. My dad marches over now that he has recovered from his fall. "Throw her back in the oven!" He says with each word being raised in volume from his anger. He moves to grab the witch to do just that and comes up to Lancelot's sword.

"I can not allow you to throw someone in a fire. Anyone can change and by showing her this kindness she may change for the better" Lancelot says with a hope filled voice.

By looking at my dad's face I know this might get ugly so I move close to Lancelot and whisper "Let go of the witch and hold onto Goldilocks arm." After whispering this I quickly take the wand out, move over to my dad and pull him, catching him off guard, towards Goldilocks. Once I have Goldilocks other arm I point the wand at the roof and think of Wonderland. Almost at once another portal opens and we soar up through it landing in some grass, everyone that is, except Goldilocks who has her shirt stuck on a tree branch. My dad, getting up, lifts Goldilocks a bit and brings her down. I take a moment and look around while he does that.

"Uh oh." I mutter. "We aren't in Wonderland."

My dad turns. "How can you tell?"

I don't say anything. All I really need to do is point so I point down to the ground and my dad follows me hand to see what I see. A wide yellow brick road.