Breadcrumbs

One blissfully peaceful, sunny afternoon, two young siblings skipped through the lush terrain of the infamously magical Evergreen Wood.

They were headed home after a fun morning selling their keepsakes at the local market. Butterflies fluttered and rabbits scampered as the children picked flowers along the way.

Hansel was older than his sister and took great pride in keeping them safe. This proved an uneasy feat as Gretel had a youthful love for adventure. That's why when Gretel started begging to take a different route home than they usually would, Hansel became annoyed.

‘Don’t be daft, Gretel. We can’t go wandering off the first time we’re trusted to walk home alone. What would Mother say?’

‘Please,’ she begged, looking up at him with wide green eyes, ‘Mumma never lets us explore.’

‘But it could take twice as long, and she’s probably at home waiting for us.’ He cautioned, already feeling his stern demeanour slipping, ‘You know what she said, any more of our shenanigans, we'll get the belt.’

‘Come on, who says she’ll even find out? She might not even be back yet from wherever it is she went. How will she know?’

Gretel did have a point. Their mother might not have returned from her trip yet. The opportunity was a rare one. Usually, their mother kept a close eye on them, never letting them out of her sight.

It was odd the way she left in the middle of the night without waking them. It must have been very important business she had to attend to. She must have known she could trust Hansel to run the house and look after his sister until she returned, which he was sure would be any day now. He desperately didn’t want to disappoint her.

But this was a rare opportunity, indeed.

‘Just for a minute or two, then we’re turning back.’

Gretel squealed with joy as she headed down one of the many, less walked, side paths.

‘I mean it!’ He shouted as he hurried after her.

*

Hansel had to admit the road less travelled was a beautiful one. Trees seemed to tower over them, and the brush grew thicker and much more vibrant as they laughed and joked their way deeper into the woods.

He was careful to take note of the direction they had come, as they followed the path of an adjacent twinkling river. Gretel skipped ahead as her blond hair billowed behind her, catching the sunlight as it broke through the trees.

He was about to call time on their little adventure when they came to a clearing.

Marvellous, multi-coloured pebbles draped the forest floor, sparkling in the sunlight. They created the most remarkable path up to a charmingly lonesome cottage on the edge of the clearing. A wooden hand-painted sign hung above the door; its lettering twinkled as it reflected the sunlight: free food.

Gretel gasped in delight.

‘Gretel, wait!’ Hansel warned as his little sister began to lead him up the garden path. ‘We can’t trust strangers. You know the rules!’ He flustered as she pretended not to hear him.

Pebbles crunched underneath her little feet as she broke into a run. Annoyed at himself, Hansel jogged after her. She was stronger and faster than she looked, and he knew better than to let her get carried away with herself. What would his mother say?

‘Gretel, I mean it,’ He warned, catching up to her as she reached the cottage door, ‘we can’t just go around knocking on-’

The door opened.

*

Hansel stood in stunned silence as a woman looked at them from the open doorway. She was a beautiful lady; tall, slim, with a heaving bosom and a motherly face. The aroma of freshly cooked pie wafted past her from inside.

‘What on earth?’ She muttered, looking them up and down. Hansel felt his face redden as he realised how they must look. Their mother had left in such a hurry he hadn’t had time to ask her how exactly you get the dirt out of clothing or where she kept the fresh linings, for that matter. He hadn’t even managed to get the fire going yet.

We must look homeless, he thought.

‘Hello, Lady!’ gleamed Gretel, blissfully unaware.

‘Well, hello there, dear,’ the lady laughed with a voice as sweet and rich as honey. She bent down and shook Gretel's hand. ‘My, what big eyes you have!’

‘I’m Gretel,’ she smiled proudly, ‘and this is my brother, Hansel. We’re on an adventure!’ Gretel swayed her stained dress from side to side as she looked sweetly up at the stranger, ‘And we’re awfully hungry.’

Hansel watched his sister’s 'I’m so helpless' act and rolled his eyes. She knew better than using her innocent baby face to get the attention of strangers, but he had to admit, he was pretty hungry too.

‘It’s a pleasure to meet you both. How about you come inside, and I’ll see if we can rustle you up something sweet to eat? Would you like that?’ she asked, playfully pinching Gretel's cheek.

‘Can we?’ Gretel looked at Hansel with a world of hope in her eyes, ‘Pretty please?’

Hansel sighed and looked at the woman. She smiled at him and gestured her hand towards the open door. His stomach rumbled.

'Okay, but we can’t stay long.’

*

The cottage smelled heavenly. A strong scent of baked goods filled the candle-lit hallway as Hansel followed Gretel inside, hand in hand. They stopped at the bottom of a set of stairs and looked around.

The decor was nice; heavy rugs and handmade furniture complimented the lounge, and many pictures of children decorated the walls. It was homely even.

‘You have children?’ Hansel assumed as the door swung shut behind them with a heavy thud, making them jump.

‘No,’ said the lady simply, locking the door as she did so. Popping the key into her pocket, she walked past them, through the living room and entered the kitchen. ‘Come now, children, this way,’ she called over her shoulder.

Hansel tightened his grip on his sister as she started to follow, pulling her back.

‘You better behave yourself in here.’

‘Hansel,’ she moaned.

‘I mean it. You can’t use strangers for food. If Mother was here, she should be furious. She’s a proud woman.’

‘But she’s not here, is she? She left us.’ Gretel whispered sadly. ‘So unless you’ve got a better plan, we don’t have much choice.’ She snatched her hand away from her brother and marched into the kitchen. Hansel took a deep breath and followed behind her.

The kitchen was bigger than he thought it would be. Many cupboards and drawers clung to the walls and a wonky wooden work surface wrapped itself around the edge. An enormous fireplace centred the back wall; its embers glowing ever so slightly. The candlelight cast shadows into every corner, yet it still seemed impossibly large for a cottage so small.

Gretel was already sitting at a broad wooden table in the middle of the room whilst the lady pottered around slowly, looking in various cupboards.

The silence felt awkward.

‘Warm day for a fire, isn’t it?’ said Hansel, attempting conversation.

‘I’ve been baking.’ She said over her shoulder as she busily gathered supplies.

‘That must be what that wonderful smell is...’ he continued, determined to keep the conversation going. He felt uneasy being in a stranger’s house with Gretel, especially without their mother. ‘What’s your name?’

‘Rose.’ She answered.

‘Rose,’ Gretel repeated slowly, ‘Well, thank you, Rose, for helping us!’ She beamed. The large wooden chair engulfed her, making her appear even smaller. Hansel smiled at Gretel; their mother would be proud she had remembered her manners.

‘Can I help you with anything?’ Hansel offered.

‘No. Please, sit.’

Hansel slid into the chair beside his sister.

They sat in silence and watched as the woman pottered around her kitchen, looking in cupboards. She hummed quietly to herself as she began to lay the table. Once the cutlery, plates and napkins were neatly arranged, she popped a large empty serving tray on the table.

Hansel raised his eyebrow at his sister as his stomach groaned with anticipation.

Rose opened a large door at the end of the kitchen and disappeared through it, reappearing moments later with a mountain of food. Gretel gasped as Hansel’s mouth dropped open.

Rose slowly balanced across the room and carefully placed each item down on the serving tray, filling it with various baked goods, before returning to what Hansel had deduced was the pantry.

'Oh wow!' Squealed Gretel, her excitement palpable.

Hansel licked his lips subconsciously and stared eagerly at the selection of cupcakes, pie and pastries that garnished the table. Stunned by the stranger’s generosity, he looked at Gretel, who shrugged sweetly.

‘This is… all for us?’ He asked bewildered. He found himself unable to look away from the spell-bounding delicacies as his mouth filled with saliva.

‘It most certainly is, young man,’ she said as she reappeared in the doorway carrying a container, the contents of which were covered in baking paper.

'A woman as lonely as me has a lot of time on her hands. I don't get visitors very often, so I must find a way to keep busy. I like to bake, it's good for the soul.' She winked, placing the container down. She whipped off the paper and the smell of freshly baked bread engulfed the room.

*

'Now before you eat, I'd like you to get cleaned up.' She frowned taking Gretel’s hand and turning it over in hers, ‘Look at your hands, good gracious, they're filthy. You can’t eat like that, it's not proper. You must get cleaned up.' Pulling out Gretel's chair she ushered her towards the sink. ‘Come now, wash them in the basin, both of you.’

Hansel stood up and followed them as he glanced at his hands. She had a point, they were pretty dirty. He looked at the floor as his face flushed with embarrassment. Maybe he wasn’t looking after Gretel as well as he thought. Maybe they did need an adult. He watched as the lady helped Gretel reach the warm water and scrub with soap.

‘Such thin, withered fingers,’ she muttered as she scrubbed Gretel’s nails. ‘They're almost black,’ she frowned, scrubbing harder.

Once Gretel was clean and dry, Rose bent down and brushed her hair out of her face, ‘What a scrumptious young thing you are,’ she whispered, ‘I could just eat you up.’

Hansel frowned as he passed them and began washing his hands. Gretel raced back to the table with excitement. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something didn’t feel quite right.

He looked over at them as he dried his hands on a nearby towel. Gretel giggled loudly as the lady made silly faces at her from across the table. She seemed to have taken quite the shine to Gretel, he thought, as he crossed the room and retook his seat.

Rose watched him get settled before she stood, walked around to their side and placed a small plate in front of each of them.

'Well, here we are,' she said, standing between them. 'What would you like first?'

'Piiiie!' drooled Gretel.

'Good choice! Let me cut you a slice.’

Hansel hadn’t seen her grab the knife. The large blade glinted as it rushed past his face, making him flinch. It cut into the pie effortlessly. A dark red liquid immediately flooded out, covering the crusty top. Giving them both large pieces, she returned to the other side of the table and took her seat, placing the knife down beside her.

‘That’s all for me?’ said Gretel, questioning her kindness.

‘Of course, dear. Look at you, you’re all skin and bones. You need fattening up.’ Rose said and looked at Hansel. ‘Children should be plump.’

Gretel was first to dig in. Using her fork to carve a segment out of the pie, she raised it to her mouth and grinned at her brother, who smiled back.

‘Go ahead,’ he encouraged.

Gretel didn’t need telling twice, she filled her mouth immediately.

Hansel grabbed his fork and broke himself off a big bite. The pie looked and smelled amazing. He raised it to his mouth. He was about to take a bite when he noticed Rose staring at him intently from across the table. She looked different in this light, her pretty face looked angular and pointed, he regretted the eye contact immediately.

A grin spread slowly across her face.

Something was worrying about her smile.

‘What’s in the pie?’ Hansel asked nervously.

Her smile grew wider, more stretched.

‘That would spoil the surprise.’ She said with an odd glint in her eye. Leaning over the table she pushed his plate closer. ‘What are you waiting for? Eat your little heart out.’

Hansel gulped and took a bite.

*

For almost an hour, Hansel nor Gretel barely said a word as they gorged themselves on all manner of delicacies. The food was incredible. Much better than the left-over stew they’d been surviving on for the last few days.

Rose had brewed herself a cup of tea and sat tipping her chair back and forth as she watched them, fascinated by their hunger. She entertained them by telling them stories of her youth as a Baker’s daughter and how she once mixed sugar up with salt and made the whole town sick and other silly tales of her youth.

‘That. Was. DELICIOUS.’ Applauded Hansel as he savoured his last mouthful of bread and placed his fork down.

‘Thank you,’ Rose smiled, sipping her tea,' It was my grandfather’s recipe. It has never changed over the years. It’s never had to, thanks to the secret ingredient.’

‘What’s the secret ingredient?’ Hansel asked sheepishly. He knew it was cheeky, but he just HAD to know what made her food so irresistibly good.

She raised her eyebrow.

‘You can trust us,’ Gretel insisted in a haze of crumbs and buttercream.

Rose smiled, leaned across the table and whispered, ‘Gingerbread.’

Gretel gasped.

Rose put her index finger across her lips to signal complete secrecy, which sent Gretel into a fit of giggles.

To think, he’d almost said no to coming in. If Rose hadn’t opened the door herself, Hansel probably would have dragged Gretel away. Thank goodness for small favours, he thought as he closed his eyes and rubbed his belly with a stupid grin.

*

Hansel was almost nodding off when he heard the screeching of Gretel’s chair legs pushing against the floor.

‘Gretel, keep it down,’ he muttered as the sound of small footsteps rushed past his face. His memory came flooding back and his eyes snapped open.

Gretel’s seat was empty. The room seemed to plunge into slow motion as Hansel turned in time to see his sister sprinting across the tabletop, knocking food and crockery onto the floor as she rushed towards their unsuspecting host. His stomach dropped as he reached out and tried to grab her legs but missed.

Gretel pounced, sending Rose flying backwards in her chair, shrieking in surprise as they plummeted to the floor and out of sight.

A blood-curdling scream echoed around the room.

Crying out in panic, Hansel scrambled to his feet and stumbled around the table. Gretel was face down on top of Rose with her face buried deep in her neck. Rose screamed as she flailed desperately from underneath her.

'GRETEL NO!' Hansel screamed as he grabbed his sister and tried fruitlessly to pull her off. Blood began to splatter the kitchen tiles beneath them.

Grasping fistfuls of her hair, he pulled with all his might, ripping hair out from the root, but Gretel didn’t budge. The sounds of chewing filled the room as blood began to pool.

'Gretel, please!' He begged as Rose looked up at him, her eyes becoming bloodshot. She clawed at Gretel's little body in a frantic panic.

She opened her mouth as if trying to speak but gagged as blood gushed out instead. Hansel watched in despair as the blood ran down onto the back of Gretel's head, matting her hair as she ate. Rose raised a shaking hand towards Hansel in a silent plea for help as his sister chewed ferociously, shaking her body.

Tears began to stream down his cheeks as he searched the room. Panic was making it impossible to think straight. He knew he had to act fast but he couldn’t think over the sound of his pounding heart!

A cast iron pan caught his eye on the other side of the room. He took the kitchen at a run and grabbed its handle before he’d realised he had moved. Heavy in his hand, he gripped it tight and raced back across the room, slipping on the wet tiles.

He screamed his sister’s name as he raised the pan above his head. Rose’s eyes had become cloudy as her throat gurgled. Hansel swung the pan at the back of Gretel’s head with all the force he could muster.

A heavy clunk echoed around the room just as Hansel lost his footing and slipped on the blood-stained floor. Gretel gave a muffled shriek, retracted her fangs and released the woman. She rolled onto her back on the bloody floor, where she lay panting with a stunned look on her face.

Hansel crawled over to Rose. The room was silent but for her gurgled attempts to breathe. He took her hand and held it gently. Unable to look her in the eye, he watched as her blood mixed with the leftover food on the floor, staining it red. She gasped quietly as she took her last saturated breath.

Gretel sat up slowly; holding her head, she cradled her matted hair.

Hansel looked at the mess in disbelief. He had always thought if it happened again, he would be able to stop her. That he would see the signs, intervene, and save his sister from herself. But it had all happened too fast. He had known better than to drop his guard, even for a moment.

He bowed his head in shame and began to sob.

He heard Gretel unstick herself from the floor. Lifting his gaze, he watched as she stepped carefully over the body and walked over to him, squelching with each step.

'What have you done?' He whispered.

Gretel sat down next to him and pouted sadly. He knew she couldn't help it. Her childish impulses were still too strong.

'I'm sorry,' she whispered.

Hansel took a deep breath and steadied his nerves. He slowly peeled himself up off the floor and nodded towards the back door, signalling Gretel to follow him. She clambered to her feet, swaying as though intoxicated with a sleepy, satisfied look on her face.

‘We have to go,’ said Hansel

‘What about the mess? We can’t leave her like that,’ said Gretel as blood dripped off her chin. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.’ Her breath heavy with the metallic smell of fresh blood.

‘There's no time,’ Hansel pleaded as he put his hand on her shoulder, ‘We have to go now. The smell is making me hungry.’

He pushed open the back door and held it as Gretel padded her way past him. Cool air graced his face. The day had grown late, and the sun was beginning to set behind the trees.

He took one last look at the kitchen; it was a blood bath of food and broken crockery. Rose lay motionless, drenched in blood and frosting.

In another year or so, she might be able to control her blood lust better, he thought as he closed the door behind him and reached for his sister's sticky hand.

They headed into the shadowy woods, leaving a trail of bloody breadcrumbs behind them.