CONTENTS      THE OLD POND     QUIETUS EST     THE LAST POND     A PROPER CIVILIZATION     PREPARATION     HANSEL AND GRETEL: A DOCUMENTARY OF THEIR LIVES      AUTHORS

DOCUMENT PART ONE: HANSEL'S WRITINGS

We have had a seriously bad year.
There has been a terrible starvation. My father, my stepmother, my sister Gretel, and I have not eaten for what seems like a year. It is just horrible.
The second problem is my stepmother herself. She is (as Gretel says) "absolutely evil."
Our stepmother seems fine, but she's actually hostile. Our stepmother pushes Gretel and me around all the time. She never seems to tire of it! We gather the food, which has made things worse lately, and we also chop the firewood. And we do all of the other household chores that Mother was never too lazy to do. That is a huge problem by itself. The last thing we needed was another dilemma.
Our father and stepmother sleep in the same room as we do, so we can always hear them talk, even if they think we are fast asleep and cannot hear them. They are incorrect. (We hear them like bells.) Last night, there was a huge thunderstorm. (We have them all the time, but they never help the crops.) Gretel doesn't like them much, so I had to stay up keeping her from concentrating on the storm. Sometimes it helps her to ignore the storm if we eavesdrop on our parents talking. Today just made everything worse.
They were talking about the famine. I always knew our stepmother had it against us from the beginning, now she was saying that our family could not afford to feed all four of us. Gretel and I would have to be gotten rid of. Stepmother says that children have large bellies, and need much food to nourish them. She says that we eat most of the food picked by her (so far our father is under the illusion that she is doing the chores) because we're children, and must be disposed of since there is even less food than usual. Now Gretel and I are supposed to be brought for a hike in the woods, only to be left behind to help decrease our parents' hunger. At least Father was hesitant.
"But, dear," Father had said, "Wouldn't it be..." He hesitated. "...Cruel, sort of, to just leave them to die all alone-and out there?"
Stepmother looked astonished for a second, then relaxed. "Don't worry about it, Joseph," she said soothingly. "Children are useless. Just look at ours! They can't do anything; they can barely pick our food! And since they'll be eating all of the food they pick, what's the use of having Hanson and Gretchen around?"
"Hansel and Gretel," I murmured under my breath. Gretel almost giggled, but thought quickly and held it in.
"Well..." Father considered her point. "If you mean Hansel and Gretel, I'm not sure. They've been doing pretty well. But, I thought you were doing the chores."
Stepmother was left speechless.
Our father was quick to act. "Now, you don't have to answer if the question offends you, dear...."
Stepmother stopped and thought up a lie faster than a bolt of lightning strikes a tree. "Oh, that was a wording mistake, sometimes I have trouble wording correctly. I'm sure you understand. What I meant is, those children get so hungry that I sometimes I feel...overworked." She sniffled and pretended to wipe away a tear.
Father consented at once. "Don't cry, I think your plan is marvelous, we'll carry it out tomorrow. Fine with you?"
Stepmother sniffled and nodded.
"Hansel," Gretel whispered, "What will happen to us?"
"Don't worry, Gretel! I'll find a way to save us!" Gretel and I did not sleep, afraid that Stepmother would become impatient for the day and our deaths.

Morning dawned. I was terrified, and I could tell Gretel was too. Our first visitor was Stepmother.
"Get up, now," she said cheerfully. "Today's a big day. We're going for a hike in the woods!"
Gretel looked as if she were about to scream. I quickly covered her mouth before she could.
"Oh, wonderful!" I stammered. "What a...nice surprise..." I stopped, sensing Stepmother's suspicious gaze.
"Wonderful, yes," she said airily. "Follow me now." Stepmother was on to us a little bit, and was clearly showing it.
Breakfast was the same, so was the washing of the dishes (just Gretel and me) and when everyone was getting on their shawls. We felt Stepmother's gaze on our backs all the way onto the old road leading into the forest with the small white, shining pebbles on the ground on the way to our doom, with my mind racing wildly.

When we were walking, I suddenly came up with an idea. Small shiny white pebbles might help us!
I slowed down to pick up the pebbles and put them in my pocket.
"Hansel!"
I looked up. Stepmother was watching me.
"What are you doing with those rocks?"
I frowned. I wasn't prepared with this. A lie suddenly came into my mind. I would just make Stepmother think I was more deluded than she already did!
"Oh, I love these pebbles," I said, trying to sound dreamy and far off. "They are so pretty and cute. I just love them!"
It worked. Stepmother, Father, and Gretel all stared at me, except I could tell Gretel was about to burst out laughing. I had to restrain myself from doing that too.
"You can collect them, Hansel," Father said kindly. "I think they're pretty too."
I grinned and went on collecting. That had been close.

Soon the path of pebbles ended. I started dropping pebbles behind me. "What are you doing, boy?" Stepmother asked.
"Oh, I am looking back at my...kitten waving at me...yes, my kitten." I lied quickly.
"Ah," Stepmother said, smirking. "Yes, your...kitten."
After a while we stopped.
"Now," our father said, "Hansel and Gretel..." He was watery-eyed. "Chop some firewood. We'll be collecting food."
Gretel and I nodded, and glanced at each other sadly. Then they left.
Gretel fell to the ground sobbing.
I tried to comfort her. "Do not worry, dear Gretel, when the moon shines our path will be clear." Her crying subsided for a little bit. I soon fell asleep.

"Hansel?"
I rolled over. "What, Gretel?"
"The moon is shining."
I sat bolt upright, searching for a small white glow. First I saw the moon.
Then I saw the pebbles.
"Gretel," I murmured, "That's our path. That is how we're going home." Gretel jumped up. "Let's go, then!" she cried. I let her lead the way. It was near dawn when we finally came home to an overjoyed father and a very grumpy stepmother. But we didn't care about the stepmother. Gretel and I ran into our father's arms.
"Oh, Hansel! Gretel!" he cried in happiness. "I am so glad you're home! I was getting so worried-"
"Rubbish!" Stepmother shouted, sounding very upset. "You know this wasn't supposed to happen-" Stepmother cut herself short at the last moment, seeing Gretel and I staring at her. "Oh, don't worry about that," she said, staring at us suspiciously. "I'm glad to have you back."
Gretel and I stared stonily at her.
"Anyway," Father said, glancing at Stepmother, "You two had best be off to bed now, you've probably had a long, restless night."
I nodded eagerly, but Gretel grimaced.
"Go on, children," he said.
I ran off to the bedroom, Gretel walking behind.
"What is wrong with you?" I asked Gretel furiously. "I mean, why were you so grumpy about getting back in bed?"
"What is wrong with you?" Gretel shot back. "Don't you realize what they're up to?"
I shook my head stubbornly.
"Our stepmother," Gretel said, "And our father-are plotting to kill us again."
I suddenly realized how stupid I had been. Stepmother hadn't killed us before, why would she give up now?
"But, surely it won't matter," I said, trembling. Gretel was shaking too. "We can use the pebbles again!"
"But Stepmother will have figured it out by now," Gretel replied. "Stepmother may be evil, but she's not stupid."
I realized that Gretel was right. Neither of us slept that night.

The next day everything happened again, with Stepmother being super-sweet to us when she came in to wake us up in the morning. Breakfast was gloomy for everyone except for Stepmother.
We went walking down the path again. I started picking up pebbles. "Put those down!" she cried, seeing me gathering the tiny rocks. Not wanting to get her angry now, I dropped them.
"And, children," she said in a softer tone, "Here are some pieces of bread for you. Save them, they're all you are going to get today."
Gretel stuffed hers into her apron pocket. I was disappointed to find that my pocket was still filled with extra pebbles from the night before.
Gretel saw me struggling. "Hansel, I'll put that in my pocket," she said softly.
"No, thanks...that s fine," I murmured. I gave up with the pockets. I was puzzled by how we could survive this time. To try to keep myself busy, I dropped crumbs on the ground as we walked.

Gretel and I were ordered to chop wood, and Stepmother and Father went away to "gather food."
"Gretel," I said, trembling, "There's no way out." I sighed. "We're trapped. We're lost. Done for."
Gretel frowned. "No...it can't be...no..."
"But it is," I said. I was crying silently. Gretel finally gave in. "I suppose so. Let's have our last bread," she sighed.
My mind was a whir.
Bread.
Crumbs.
Trail.
My eyes widened. "Gretel," I said, "There is a way out."
She frowned again. "But-what?"
"I seriously have no idea what you are talking about."
"Just wait!" I could not believe how I could be stupid so many times in two days! There was an easy way out, and all we had to do was follow crumbs.

We waited. And waited. Finally it was nighttime. It was time for action.
"Gretel," I whispered excitedly. "Let's go!"
"Washatalkinabout?" she mumbled sleepily.
I laughed. "I was dropping crumbs on the way to keep myself busy. Now they'll save us!"
Gretel laughed. "Wonderful-how?"
"When the moon shines, we can see them-" I started.
"Just like the pebbles!" Gretel exclaimed.
"Exactly," I said triumphantly.

The moon was still shining a few hours later, and we hadn t found the crumbs.
"Look!" I cried out after another hour. "A crumb-no, a bird just ate it."
Gretel cried. "Wonderful job, Hansel," she sobbed angrily. "First you claim that a bunch of crumbs will save us. Then you blame it all on a bird! I am sick of you!" She calmed down after a few minutes yelling at me further. "So, now what are we supposed to do?"
I tried to think, but only one answer came to my mind. "We have to go in whatever direction we think we came from."
So Gretel and I walked out into the woods.

We walked for a long time. Then we came to another small clearing. "Great," Gretel said sarcastically. "First, our stepmother tries to kill us, then we get lost in the woods, and now we are running around in circles in the forest!"
Suddenly an amazing scene unfolded before our eyes.
There was a tiny house, but it was not its size that mattered.
It was the food.
The house was a gingerbread house, with gumdrops, licorice and frosting edges. Gretel dove in.
"Come on, Hansel!" she said with her mouth full of chocolate and candy. "We'll never have to go back home!"
I ran over to the door. I bit into a gumdrop. I didn't know that it was the doorbell.
The door opened.



DOCUMENT PART TWO: GRETEL'S NOTEBOOK

The door opened when Hansel bit into the gumdrop doorbell. An old woman hobbled out. She was wrinkled, and was leaning on a staff. Hansel and I both dropped our food in terror. The woman just smiled kindly.
"Oh, you darling children!" she cried in sympathy. "What has brought you here? Just come with me; no harm will befall you." We cautiously followed her, but there appeared to be no danger. She gave pancakes, pears, apples and nuts, all sugared. She did not reveal her name to us, though, not even as she prepared two beautiful white beds for us. Hansel and I felt as if we were in Heaven, the wonderful place that Mother used to tell of to us before bed every night. We soon forgot our real home with all this kindness around us.

We stayed with the woman, forgetting our past life and every misfortune in it. Then I had a dream.
We were in our old home again. Mother was there. She was welcoming us. Father wasn't there, though, he was lost.
When I woke up, I knew we must go home. Hansel agreed.
"Maybe Mother isn't there, but Father needs us, even if Stepmother is dastardly!"
"We've already confirmed that."

In agreement, we decided to tell the old woman first.
"We need to go," Hansel and I both said.
She eyed us. I saw now red eyes. All people with red eyes were witches of the most powerful kind.
"Hansel," I breathed, "run."
"Why?"
"She's a witch!"
We bolted toward the door. It locked itself.
"Quiet, now, I won't hurt you," the witch said, tears in her eyes. "I just always wanted children of my own. Some would come, I just never had the courage to lock them in when they decided to leave."
Out of sympathy and trust, Hansel and I stayed. We were fifteen when someone reentered our lives.

Our father came back.
He was wearing ragged clothes and was covered in thick vines. The man was filthy, but Hansel and I recognized him at once.
"Father!" we cried when he appeared at the door.
"What is it, children?" said the old woman, rushing to our sides. She hobbled behind us as we ran to meet our father again.
"Hansel and Gretel!" he called. Father was crying. "Hansel and Gretel!" he cried as we rushed into his arms, as if we were still only ten on the day we were lost. He had wandered through the woods, hopelessly looking for us. When Father came to the house, he had been about to leave when he heard us calling him. Although we were much older, he recognized our voices and followed the sound and found us.

Father came to stay with us and also came to trust the old woman. We all live together now. I don't think we've ever been happier.

Copyright 2006 by Elizabeth Taft