Once Upon A Time ~ Book 1

Chapter 52 - Burn The Witch

Micheal Tillman looked at some files on Ava and Nicholas, outside a garage, opposite Emma.
He shook his head, looked at Emma and held out the files.
"Not possible." he said.
"Actually, it is." said Emma taking back the files.
"Well, I'm sorry..... Look, Dorrie, she wasn't my....... It was just once." he turned away.
"Sometimes that's all it takes."
"I met her when I was camping. And we....... No. It's not possible. I don't have twins." he said working with some tools.
"Yes, you do."
He turned his head to her.
"You have twins that have been homeless ever since their mother passed away. You have twins who've been living in an abandoned house because they don't wanna be separated from each other. Your twins are about to be shipped off to Boston unless you step up and take responsibility for them."
"Look, I can barely manage this garage. I can't manage two kids. And why are you so sure they're mine?" he turned back to his tools.
"Besides the timing?" she took the compass from her leather jacket pocket and held it out. "Have you ever seen this?"
He turned and walked towards her. He looked at it and Emma put it in his hand. He examined it carefully in his hands.
"I lost this."
"Let me guess, twelve years and none months ago? I knowing a lot. Believe me, I know...... A month ago, a kid showed up on my doorstep I gave up for adoption asking for help with...... something. And I ended up moving here. For him."
"I heard about that. It's the Mayor's son...... But staying in town is a lot different then taking him in."
"I don't have my kid...... because I don't have a choice. You do. Those kids did not ask ti be brought into this world. You brought them into the world. You and their mother. And they need you. And if you choose not to take them, you are gonna have to answer for that every day of your life. And sooner or later, when they find you, because believe me, they will find you.......you're gonna have to answer to them."
He hesitated and looked down at the compass. "I'm really sorry. I am." he gave her back the compass. "I don't know anything about being a dad." he walked away. "If it's a good home you're looking for, it's not with me." he walked into his house and shut the door behind him.
Emma looked down at the compass, sorrow in her face.

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Mary Margaret stood by the counter with Henry, Ava and Nicholas baking cookies. Suddenly her house phone rang. She smiled at them and answered the phone, walking to the other side of the room.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me." said Emma's voice. "I need you to come outside right away."
"Is everything okay?" she said concerned.
"Don't say anything in front of the kids, but no, it's not."
Mary Margaret glanced at the children, who were guiltly sticking their fingers in the cookie dough and linking them.

"He doesn't want the kids." said Emma to Mary Margaret.
They stood outside the apartment on the footpath.
"And you don't want to tell them."
"I can't. Because all I'll be telling them is tat the false hope I gave them was exactly that."
"The truth can be painful, Emma, but it can also be cathartic."
"I agree on the painful part."
"Hey, look. You told Henry the truth, that his father's dead, and he's handling it great."
"I didn't tell him the truth."
"What?"
"Henry's father was no hero. And trust me, he does not need to know the real story."
Mary Margaret nodded doubtfully.
"Maybe we can hide the kids. Just until we can find them a family for them, someone to take care of them."
"Yes, hiding the twelve year olds is a good plan." she said sarcasticly.
"You have a better idea?"
"Maybe there isn't an idea. Maybe you just have to......"
"Sherif? Shouldn't you be on the interstate?" said Regina's voice from behind Emma.
Emma turned around to her walking towards her.
"What are you doing here?"
"Seeing to it that you do your job."
"You know you don't have to check up on me. I know what I have to do."
"Really? Because these kids are supposed to be in Boston tonight."

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Hansel and Gretel stood locked up in a cage in the witch's gingerbread house.
The witch walked towards them. It was now daytime and she was wide awake. She sniffed the air again and reached blindly into the cage. The children backed away from her grasping hand.
"Where are you?" she chanted and then finally she felt Hansel's arm and grasped it. She chuckled quietly. "Yes!...... Oh......Nice and tenter. A succulent roast you'll make." she chuckled again and walked away leaving the children scared out if their wits.
The witch walked to her giant oven and opened it. The children ran to the bars of the cage and glanced into the oven to see a huge fire flaming beneath it.
"Gretel, she's gonna cook me. We gotta do something, quite!" he whispered, nervously as the witch choked some vegetables.
"Stay calm. When she opens the cage to get you, don't try to fight. Then while she's carrying you to the oven, grab the key that's in her pocket and toss it to me through the bars."
The witch put her knife down on the counter and smiled.
"She's coming. She's coming. I can't do it. I'm gonna die!" Hansel cryed.
Gretel pushed him out of the way and stood in his place.
The witch leaned against the bars of the cage. "Gravy or butter?" she breathed. "What shall it be?" she reached into the cage again and touched Gretel's face.
Gretel stood still and silent.
"Ow!" said Hansel, pretending that the witch was touching him.
The witch chuckled and unlocked the cage.
"Come with me, little boy." she said pulling Gretel out of the cage.
The witch shut the door and locked it again. Then Gretel pulled from the little satchel on her dress the key. She turned to him quickly, the witch still holding her and through the key to Hansel.
Hansel quickly began to unlock the cage and the witch began to push Gretel toward the oven.
Hansel finally escaped from the cage and looked around the room at loss at what to do. Hansel ran up some steps and grabbed at stick as the witch began to tie Gretel's hands together, but as he ran down the steps, he missed one and fell to the floor.
The witch looked around at him. "Gravy or butter?.........." she whispered silently. ".......Gravy or butter?" she screamed and through Gretel on the floor next to her. "How shall I baste you?"
Hansel stood up the stick in his hand, but the witch simply waved her hand and stock flew out if his hands.
Hansel cowarded against the wall as the witch steped closer. "Butter it is.......... Time to cook." she grasped Hansel and pulled him towards the oven.
Then Gretel broke free of the rope around her hands and she pushed the witch onto the tray of chopped vegetables. She gasped ad groaned, then both Hansel and Gretel heaved the tray into the oven. She screamed and howled. Hansel pushed the door of the oven closed.
"Quick, Gretel, lock her in." he said.
Gretel looked the oven and Hansel grabbed the satchel that hung by the oven.
"Let me out!" screamed the witch.
Hansel and Gretel ran to the door and unlocked it.
"Let me out! You come back here right now! Let me out!" she screamed, clinging to the bars.
Hansel and Gretel ran from the house as quickly as they could.
"You'll pay for this!...... Let me out!"
From her mirror the evil queen watched the witch scream and cry. Then she leaned forward and through a fire-ball at the mirror. It travelled through the mirror and into the gingerbread house and flew straight through the bars into the oven.
The watched screamed in pain as she burned to death.
The evil queen smiled. "I would've gone gravy." she said to the mirror.

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Michael Tillman ~ The Father Of Hansel And Gretel