Hansel and Gretel: The Witch's Tale | Teen Ink

Hansel and Gretel: The Witch's Tale

January 14, 2016
By Brandon35 BRONZE, Carbondale, Pennsylvania
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Brandon35 BRONZE, Carbondale, Pennsylvania
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Hansel and Gretel: The Witch’s Tale
In a deep wood far, far away from any civilization there dwelt an evil old croan of a woman in her small shack carved of delightful treats. She was nothing of the ordinary sort, but rather one known as a wicked witch, and one that practiced black magic for as long as the hills were old. Sent to rot in her lousy candy shack by the white witch society, she was exiled and cursed by these wretches, cursed to only be able to survive on little children enticed by the candy with which her home was made.
For the past three years until, this very day, on one of her weekly patrols, the witch finally spotted two youthful children accompanied by their parents, all trudging through the thick underbrush. She did not want the parents, and unfortunately she may have to kill them.
“I shall prepare all the same,” she told herself with a cackle. Even more treats, toys, a nice meal, and two nice little beds with clean white linen were arranged, and now all that was left was to wait for the children to arrive. However, she had imagined that this could be a problem; unless they were intentionally trying to lose themselves in the woods, it could be assumed that her guests would not find their way to her.
“Surely they wouldn’t, they couldn’t, they shouldn’t resist,” said she “For I will give them more than their meager parents could ever afford.”
And for seven days and seven nights, the wicked witch spent every minute of every day making her home appear as elusive as possible, all the way down to the last blade of grass, which would especially lure naïve little children. She even went so far as to send her raven to scout in the woods. Visuals form the bird had to be transmitted through magical rune stones embedded in its breast, and she would view the forest from an aerial aspect. If the children were in the forest, she would definitely know, for the colossal orb in the center of her lab would project the bird’s view.
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Hansel and Gretel trudged along the path hewn by their parents through the forest, already about half-a-league away from their small cabin. In nights past, brother and sister lay in their beds terrified of what would become of them, as their step-mother convinced their father that they needed to get rid of his offspring in order to survive. Protest as he might, the father eventually gave in to her nagging and agreed, though with a heavy heart. He could barely feed himself in such hard times, and having two children did not help the matter.
Since his father was a poor wood cutter, Hansel almost believed that they were actually going out that day to cut wood.
“Scurry along now ya’ little ba@#$%^s, wouldn’t want ya’ te’ fall behind now.” said the stepmother.
After she had broken his train of thought, Hansel realized that she still had not noticed that he was throwing bread crumbs every here-and-there so that he may have a trail to find his way back home.
“Hansel, why do you stop muchly-so? Keep up and do not forget how to walk. Shamble if you must, but stop stopping. And why do you strew your bread about on the ground? That’s all you have for the next two days.”
Hansel simply did not answer, continuing the long march until there came an end and they could rest.
When finally they did reach their campsite, their father said “Hansel and Gretel, both of you gather fire wood so that you may start a fire and be warm.”
After the fire was built, lit, and the children nearly fell asleep beside it, Hansel had realized that his father was gone for some time. The sun nearly completed sinking into the horizon, bringing darkness which reminded small frightened children of all the monsters, witches, and spirits that came out with nightfall. Fear gripped Hansel and Gretel as they abruptly stood up.
“Father!!!” Hansel exclaimed. There was no response. For several seconds, the little couple stood there, shaking with fear.
“They did it. They abandoned us sister,” said Hansel with a blank stare.
“Oh Hansel, I knew that this would come of us. Surely we’ll be eaten by beasts and kidnapped by witches and…” Hansel cut her off and reassured her.
“Gretel! Worry not, for I have a plan,” explained Hansel. “We will follow that raven wherever it flies. Father used to tell me stories of how if you were ever lost and there was a raven near, follow it and you will find your destination.” But what he did not know was that he and his sister were about to experience Hell first-hand.
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And so the children, as naïve as they were, could be seen on the face of the orb centered in the witch’s lab.
“Yes! My wish will come true at last, my power restored!” And with that, the wicked witch estimated that they would arrive within the hour, catching the scent that she has not known for what seemed like a millennia. As the cold blood in her veins began to pump rapidly, she thought to herself I’ll eat the boy first, and keep the girl for a servant. Yes, that’s what I’ll do. Her oven was already at well over four-hundred degrees Fahrenheit, and the flames seemed to have a yearning for the boy’s flesh just as the witch did.
A noise outside caught her attention. As her raven flew in and perched on her shoulder, she watched as a boy and a girl approached her house, but rather than knock at the door, they began to eat the candy with which it was made.
“Who goes there?” She said.
“The wind, the wind, the heaven-born wind,” the children cried in unison.
Opening the door to two frightened children, the wicked witch put on her best smile and talked with the sweetest voice, “Do come in children, if you must, for we do not want the beasts to eat you now.”
Her power was almost at its peak, and tonight she would quench an ancient thirst that would set her free.
Scents of sweet foods filled the air as the witch’s guests dined on the feast she had prepared, though it did not matter if they were in heaven or not, as long as the boy was fattened enough for her to obtain the most power as possible.  They ate her food, played with the toys she made them, and eventually she showed them where they could sleep that night in the two little beds with clean white linen. For now, they slept happily and comfortably.
The next morning, the witch tied the boy to the bed, and demanded that the girl ready the oven to bake her brother. Gretel tried to refuse, but found that the witch was stronger than she seemed when she was thrown across the room.
“Okay, I’ll do as you ask, just please don’t hurt my brother!” cried the girl.
“Get to it you little wretch! Soon we shall see how your brother tastes, and you shall become my servant!” replied the witch. Her new servant ran out of the room crying hysterically and did as she was asked. She had her children, now all that was needed was to prepare her meal and restore her power to become powerful enough to defeat the white witches and be free of her spell.
After fetching her magical scepter and reciting the incantation to herself that would allow her to absorb the boy’s life force, she proceeded into the kitchen but didn’t find a girl servant as expected. Instead, she found the girl holding a small cauldron of water, in a position that suggests that she was going to dump it on the witch. The witch of black magic stayed far away from the water, for she knew what would happen if it came in contact with her skin.
“What are you doing with that!” exclaimed the witch. Gretel, her servant-to-be only stood ready to dump the water on the Devil’s spawn if she tried to do anything.
“Put that water away before I give you a reason to wish yourself dead.” The child only stood there with a blank stare and still had not made a move.
“Ahhh!!” cried the witch, and she cast the blackest magic that she could conjure putting all of her hate and anger behind it. Nothing happened, and she realized that the girl was unaffected, that should have given her a seizure!
“You fool,” said the little girl, “I am part white witch and part human, and now your spell shall be reversed onto you as it will not affect me.”
Panic raged through her veins as the witch’s mind began to race
“Hah! Child, you do not know what you speak of. I only had an error in the casting of my sp…”  Panic began to rage through her veins as the witch’s mind raced NOOOO! How do I deserve this? I’ve been waiting centuries to revive myself, and now I bring my own destruction! She began to seize and fell to the floor and watched as the little girl walked over and dumped water on her. Not only was the water, water, but it was also boiling which only made her reaction worse. It was too much for her to take, and she shriveled up and eventually vaporized.
With the witch gone, Hansel and Gretel made that house their home, and eventually grew old together.



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