Short Stories

~4~

No one truly knows our story. The Grimms' Fairy Tales only told half of our story. The Grimm brothers told the ending wrong. The ending, parents told their children before they went to bed was never true. All of the children books had "Happily Ever Afters" but that's not how the stories actually went.

The Grimms' Fairy Tale stories were based off reality but they always missed out on the small details and added some things that aren't true. Like how Gretel and I found our way home again or how we came back with pearls and stones to help pay for our starvation. The Grimms' Fairy Tales were right about some things. Like how we were struggling because there wasn't enough food for our whole family, our step-mother was the one who wanted us to die in the forest by the cruel animals, and how the witch built a house out of sweets. There was no "Happily Ever After" because the story didn't even end yet, this is just the beginning.

This is the real story of me and my little sister, Gretel. The true story of how we got lost in the woods...the dark woods that wasn't made for young children like us...

"Everyone knows the beginning of our story...father asks us to help chop wood, he ditches us, Gretel and I find a house made out of sweets, a witch lured us into the house, she fatten us up, attempted to eat us, Gretel pushed her into the oven, and we got home safely. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. We never got home safe. Turns out the witch casted a very dangerous spell over herself so she was immortal. Yes, they say fire is the number one thing witches can die from but they were just making things up."

"Who is they?" Asked the young child.

"Shhh don't interrupt Hansel!" Exclaimed the other child.

I chuckled with the bit of energy I had left. "Why, the villagers of course. Now back to the story. Okay, where was I? Oh yes! The villagers. They always spoke of nonsense and Gretel always believed them. I didn't even believe witches were real till that day. Once the witch was in the oven and Gretel freed me from the cell I was in, she exclaimed 'We're free! Hansel! We're free!' for some reason I felt like the witch wasn't dead. My theory was right. I heard a loud shriek from a nasal voice. 'How dare you! Trying to kill Rosina Leckermaul, the Witch Of Illusions?!' poor Gretel was shaking when she heard the voice of the witch. I pulled her closer to me and told her to stay behind me. Out of nowhere a brown-yellow sack appeared in her hands and the sweet old woman's face disappeared. We heard the cracking of bones as if it was rightfully going in it's right place and her true form was shown. Her nose was angled in a odd way, her cheekbones were popping out of her face, there was a lot of hair on her arms and hands, and once I looked down I gasped aloud. 'What?! Never seen hoofs on a witch?' She started to laugh, sounding so nasty and cruel. 'Now children, we can do this the easy way or the hard way.' She wanted us to get in the dirty sack. 'Mmm my children will sure enjoy dinner tonight.' We fought against the witch but we were to weak and we ended up in here."

"And you met us!"

"Yes and that's how Gretel and I got in here. All of a sudden the bag started to expand but it turned out that we were strinking. Now you-"

"Hansel!" Interrupted Gretel. "I still have it!"

"Have what?"

"The scissors! I still have the scissors! Remember when father gave it to me so I could cut off the loose string from my dress?"

"Yes, I remember."

"We can escape."

Gretel started to cut the material, it was only a small hole. We all looked through the hole and saw the hooves that belonged to the Witch Of Illusions. She could take the image of anyone she wanted, none of us truly trusted each other, and who knows maybe the witch is messing with our heads, maybe I'm just dreaming. The witch was limping and she had a stick that was used like a cane. Yes! We have an advantage. She can't walk well.

"Okay guys here's the plan...Gretel's gonna cut the material more so we can all jump out of the bag. Once Gretel is done with that one of us will take the scissor and throw it at her hand that's holding the cane. We'll run and then we're free."

All of the kids nodded their heads in unison. We did everything according to plan. I stayed behind, waiting for each child to jump out. Once they reached the ground they started growing to their original height. Our diversion wouldn't last for long. The witch would recover soon.

"Gretel you have to jump."

"Will you do it with me?"

"I can't we have to go one at a time because the hole is small." Gretel started to feel confident and she jumped. The witch turned around and saw what was going on "Ahhh no! You can't escape!" The hole started getting smaller and smaller, it was as if Gretel didn't even cut into the material.

All of the children were already running so was Gretel, she thought I was right behind her. Right before the hole closed Gretel turned around and saw how I couldn't escape. She started to cry and I wasn't next to her to comfort her like I would always do when she was upset. She was my responsibility. She's just a kid.

"Run Gretel! Just run!" She didn't bother to talk back because she knew it would be pointless to argue when the witch was right there muttering foreign words. She was casting a spell. A spell to make sure I didn't run away like the others.

I looked around and saw I was the only one in the dark. I sat silent with just me and my thoughts, praying that Gretel would be safe. Gretel can't run back home because step-mother would probably just send her into the dark woods again. Where or who will she run too? I waited and waited.

Then all of a sudden the bag stopped shaking which meant the witch stopped walking. What will happen to me? I sure know I'm not getting a "Happily Ever After" because that's the thing...this isn't a fantasy book, this is reality. The bright light stinged my eyes. I reached my original height and saw two men in two thrones.

The witch was gripping my shoulder, digging her nails into my skin because she knew I would attempt to run away. "Hello Hansel. It's very pleasant to meet you. I'm Jacob and this is my brother, Wilhelm." Pleasant?!

This man separated me from my little sister and caused nothing but destruction in these pass two days. He made this witch capture me. "Now, you may know us as the Grimm Brothers." He said with a smirk and at that moment I knew from now on I was going to be a prisoner here. Now you see?

The Grimm brothers ripped out my childhood. I've been in the Grimm brothers castle for as long as I can remember, isolated from the whole world. I was now 16? No 18? Well it's been about four or six years.

This is the true story of "Hansel and Gretel" there's no ending yet. Once I escape this place I call prison it will be the beginning. I'll find Gretel. I'll find my baby sister again. Everyone in the villages know the Grimm Brothers as amazing writers of children's books but what they don't know is every person they've written about is in this very castle, roaming the halls.

Everyone except Gretel. We're free to do anything in the castle but all we really want is to see what's behind the walls. We want to be part of society again. We want to be with our families again. We're waiting for our Happily Ever Afters.