Once Upon a Happy Ending: An Anthology of Reimagined Fairy Tales

by Casey Lane

  I found some mushrooms and bent down to pick them, placing the little fungi in my basket for later. They would flavor some broth very well. It filled me with hope, maybe I would be able to get us through the winter without starving to death.

  We continued on while I grew engrossed in my mission. For the first time in months, I forgot about the evil children and focused on finding food. A bushel of small berries was hiding behind a tree, I picked them off and added them to the mushrooms.

  By the time we needed to turn back, I had half a basket full of food. It would be enough to sustain us for a few more days. Then I would venture out again.

  I guided the children back home and they immediately left my side to play while I went straight to the kitchen. At least when I cooked now, I was using interesting ingredients. We would eat well tonight, and maybe even tomorrow, too. My life would be safe for another few days.

  We dined heartily and went to sleep with full bellies. Our stomachs had shrunk so much that it didn’t take much to fill them at the moment. Just a few bites and we would start to feel full. A little more and it felt like we’d feasted.

  I curled up next to my husband and dreamed of a better future for us.

  It took two days for all the food I had collected to run out. The children knew we were getting low because their threats had started up again. Hansel would stand outside and stare at me through the window, pretending to throw pebbles at me.

  Every one of his threats hit me as if he’d thrown a boulder. When I thought of what he had done to his own mother, my blood ran cold. I knew what Hansel and Gretel were capable of, I knew they wouldn’t hesitate in killing me if I wasn’t worth something to them.

  I would only be able to venture into the woods so many times to gather supplies. Eventually winter would peak and take away everything we could possibly eat. Then we would have nothing and I wouldn’t have a reason to be kept alive.

  My choices were limited. My husband wouldn’t hear anything bad about his children, he would completely deny their evil intentions. So I couldn’t speak with him about it.

  I couldn’t magically conjure up more food to feed everyone. I would be able to save some things for the remaining winter but not enough to see us through. Feeding four people with barely any ingredients was nearly impossible – especially growing children.

  There had to be something else I could do that would ensure my head wasn’t crushed by pebbles. I just needed to think about it long and hard.

  But no matter how hard I thought, all I kept coming up with was the fact I needed more food. I would just have to gather like crazy until it was mid-winter and I couldn’t do it any longer. I would hide the food to ensure the children couldn’t steal it and indulge.

  The next morning, I got up as the sun rose. My husband and the children were still sleeping soundly as I put on my robe and picked up my basket. I crept outside into the crisp morning air and let it invigorate me instead of hinder me. I was on a mission and I had to do it alone. If Hansel and Gretel knew I had food, they would make it their mission to steal it.

  I wandered through the woods enjoying the peace and tranquility of being alone. For once, I didn’t have to look over my shoulder every few minutes. My eyes were always scanning, always searching for items that could be considered food. My life depended on it.

  Even as a little girl I’d wandered in the woods. I always wanted to explore every part of it but was always called back home before I could. There were many parts of the woods I’d never stepped foot in. But maybe that would change today.

  The sun perched itself high in the sky and then started to sink again while I kept on walking. My basket was only half full so I wasn’t ready to give up yet. I needed food, and we couldn’t get through winter with this measly amount.

  Up ahead, a building came into view between the trees. It appeared to be a small cabin. I hadn’t seen it before which meant I was in a place I’d never been. My explorations were taking me further than I thought I’d reach in one day.

  I approached the cabin carefully. It was very quiet, nestled in the middle of the woods, not a sound was coming from the structure. As I reached the window, I peered in. Not a soul seemed to be at home but it did look lived in.

  My hand rested on the windowsill as I peered in. Suddenly it gave way under my hand and I had to jump backwards so I didn’t go through the window. In my hand was a piece of the sill, I held it up so I could examine it closer.

  The sill appeared to be made out of gingerbread. It was crumbly, and smelled of ginger. It was silly to believe it could be anything other than wood, so I licked it tentatively. It was definitely gingerbread. I hadn’t eaten anything so wonderful since I was a little girl. I popped another piece of the sill in my mouth and chewed, savoring every moment of it.

  I examined the wall, looking at it closely now. My eyes told me it too was made out of gingerbread. It smelled and tasted like it too. The entire cabin was made out of gingerbread.

  And candy too.

  Liquorice lined the windows and corners of the building. Brightly colored jellies decorated the walls and made them jolly. The roof appeared to be lined with marshmallows. I could hardly believe my eyes.

  My stomach grumbled but I couldn’t eat the cabin, I didn’t even know who it belonged to. I might have been dreaming for all I knew. Cabins made out of gingerbread and candy weren’t supposed to be in the middle of the woods.

  I crept around more cautiously now, because anyone that lived like this had to be crazy. The only door was set in the middle of the wall. It was made out of chocolate and looked so good I wanted to break it apart and eat every crumb.

  But I didn’t. Instead, I knocked politely. “Hello? Is anyone home? I was just walking in the woods and came across your house. Would you have any water?”

  Only silence replied to me. I knocked again and gave them another chance to respond but nobody came. I tried the doorknob and it turned, it also left my hand smeared with chocolate.

  Inside was only small, a kitchen to one side and a living area to the other. Curiously enough, a cage was sitting in the far corner. I stepped inside, wondering who on earth would live in a place like this. Surely nobody I could imagine.

  My question was answered when I saw the body on the floor.

  Chapter 3

  She was sprawled on the ground, face down. I hurried to her, turning over the woman to check whether she was still alive. Her ugly face was locked in a scowl and she was very much dead.

  On her face were more warts than a toad and her features were twisted in a way even the fondest of mothers couldn’t love. With her dress of black and the broomstick still clutched in her dead hand, I knew exactly what she was.

  A witch.

  It could only have been a witch that made this house of candy and gingerbread. It had to have been conjured up with magic, nobody else would have enough food to spare.

  It was wicked building a house out of goods that were supposed to be eaten. A big temptation, just sitting here in the middle of the woods where anybody could stumble across it.

  Stumble across it.

  A plan started to form in my mind, one as equally as wicked as the witch. Would I be able to go through with it? Could I go through with it? Not to mention get away with it? A plethora of questions with no answers filled my mind. Each one only helping my plan form.

  The witch needed to be gone. She didn’t need the house anymore, but she might very well help me keep my life. If everything went to plan, my future would be secured and I wouldn’t have to worry about the devil children anymore.

  I doubted the witch had any family so nobody would miss her. More importantly, they wouldn’t come looking for her in the candy house. It would only go to ruin, especially if her decaying body remained inside.

  After checking she was definitely dead for the third time, I grabbed at the witch’s feet and dragged her across the floor. It would have been easier if the floor wasn’t made out of a soft gooey toffee. She kept sticki
ng in all the wrong places.

  Her feet finally slid reluctantly out the door so I could pull her through the woods. The soft leaves permitted her to be dragged freely, only occasionally snagging on a determined branch. I pulled her behind me for as long as my arms would allow before they gave up.

  I couldn’t just leave her lying on the floor of the woods. If anyone found her, especially anyone I was related to, my whole plan would be ruined. Now that I had figured out exactly what I needed to do, I couldn’t allow the plan to be destroyed.

  If it ensured my idea could come to fruition, I would have to bury the witch. A spade would have been handy but I couldn’t risk going back to our cottage to borrow one from my husband. I found the biggest stick I could find and started digging with it.

  The witch wasn’t very large, but she was round. I had to dig a hole almost as wide as it was tall. All day, I dug and dug until I could not feel my arms anymore. I dragged the witch over to the hole and plonked her into it.

  She landed with a thud.

  It was much easier pushing the dirt over her than it was digging it out. I lumped it all back over the hole until it was a mound. To cover it some more, I brushed leaves and twigs over the bump. Hopefully nobody would stumble over it, and if they did they would think it was just a very large anthill.

  I hurried back to the candy cabin and closed the door, making sure to leave it unlocked. Swooping up my basket full of berries and mushrooms, I hurried through the woods and back home. I slipped inside and started cooking before anybody could ask me where I was.

  The evening meal was delicious and plentiful. The children went to bed with fat bellies, completely unaware of what an exciting day they would have tomorrow. I smirked as I watched them close their eyes and drift off to sleep. Their dreams wouldn’t be so sweet after their encounter with the witch.

  “Supper was delicious, my love,” my husband said as he kissed my forehead. I beamed with the compliment, hoping I would be able to give him a lifetime worth of delicious meals in the future. I would be killed for my failure by Hansel and Gretel if my plan didn’t work.

  I could hardly sleep. I spent the entire night going through the details of my plan and making sure I could pull it all off. If the devil children worked out it was me behind it, they would kill me. It wasn’t just being paranoid, it was the harsh reality.

  In the morning, I made a show of preparing my basket for gathering. With a smile, I addressed the children. “Would you like to accompany me into the woods today? I will be gathering berries and other items for supper.”

  My heart raced as I was waited for the answer. I held my breath, fearing they would choose today of all days to leave me alone. Hansel looked at me suspiciously, with those beady eyes that were more threatening that anything he could say. “Fine,” he finally muttered with his voice laced with anger. It was early morning and he already wore a chip on his shoulder.

  After kissing my husband goodbye, the three of us ventured into the woods together. I led us casually along the route I had taken the day before, making sure to pick berries as I went so my basket started to fill.

  We reached a fork in the road and I stopped. “We go left here, we must never go right.”

  “What’s right?” Gretel asked.

  “Something very wrong,” I replied. I turned left, but not before I noticed the children exchanging a mischievous glance. They didn’t see the smile on my face.

  I walked swiftly, allowing some distance to build between us. Hansel and Gretel purposefully slowed down before they ducked out of sight all together.

  Once I was certain they had returned to the fork in the road and were no longer following me, I started running. It was a race now to see who would arrive at the candy cabin first and I had to win. My feet pounded on the woods’ floor as I bounded to the birthplace of my plan.

  I skirted around the dirt mound.

  There was no sign of the children when I inhaled the scent of gingerbread for the first time. I hurried inside and changed into the witch’s clothing. Next, I used mud to transform my face with warts and scars similar to those of the witch. By the time I was finished, I couldn’t even recognize myself in the mirror.

  To make my role more realistic, I started tidying the cabin. I took the witch’s broom and swept the toffee floor – more dust stuck to the ground than was helpful. I kept my back to the window and door, setting the trap.

  The time came only minutes later. “It’s a house made out of gingerbread!” Hansel exclaimed.

  “Don’t be silly, you can’t make a house out of gingerbread,” Gretel replied.

  “You can too. Taste it!”

  “Hmmm, it is gingerbread. Let’s eat it all!”

  “Let’s!”

  I could imagine them gnawing on the side of the cabin, without one tiny thought for the owner and what damage they were doing. The children were thoughtless, evil, little devils. They never thought about anything other than their own wants.

  When they’d had enough time to gorge themselves, I made my move to the door. My head poked around to see them. Crumbs were stuck to their sticky hands and face. I spoke with a disguised voice. “My, my, what do we have here?”

  Their eyes turned directly to me. If I wasn’t mistaken, I thought for sure I saw some brief fear in their expressions. Just like was usually the case, Hansel spoke for both of them. “We’re so hungry. Our father and step-mother abandoned us. They left us to wander the woods alone. We’re starving.”

  Like hell they were. I just smiled, I was very good at pretending. “My poor dears, how horrible. How could anyone abandon such cute children like yourselves? You must come in and I will feed you properly. You can stay for as long as you like.”

  They exchanged a glance before Hansel shrugged and started following me inside. Gretel trailed after him. Luckily, the witch had a fully stocked pantry so I could cook a delicious meal with no concerns about running out of ingredients.

  It was marvelous being in the kitchen. This was how I wanted to be able to cook for my family. If we had more money, I would have done this from the start. I relished it while I could, knowing it was only temporary. I would be back to boiling berries before too long.

  I cooked vegetable stew with dried venison and biscuits. The smell made my stomach rumble. I so wished I could share some with my husband. He would have loved to sample the delights.

  The children ate heartily, devouring the food on their plates and then instantly asking for more. I gave them everything I cooked, not even taking any for myself. They needed to be happy and sated, I would eat later.

  I started a fire roaring in the hearth at the corner of the cabin which gave the room a warm and homely feel. The witch was probably very happy here by herself. I wondered what had killed her, maybe a magic mishap? Eating too much gingerbread?

  Hansel and Gretel soon grew sleepy as the woods outside grew dark. “There’s a bed in the corner. It’s all yours. Why don’t you rest your weary heads?”

  They nodded in agreement and curled up. With their full bellies and the warmth in the cabin, they fell asleep as soon as they were lying down. I could hardly believe there wasn’t an argument, normally they only went to bed when their father said they had to.

  I tidied up and ate before slipping out of the cabin. I hid the witch’s clothes underneath some leaves in the woods and wiped the mud from my face. I had to run all the way home to make it before my husband returned for the night.

  Tomorrow I would come back. And the children would get their just desserts.

  Chapter 4

  My husband was so concerned about the children not returning that he wanted to search for them in the dark. I managed to talk him out of it. “They will find a safe place to sleep and return tomorrow,” I assured him.

  “They are just babies,” he whined. “Anything could happen to them out there. What if the big bad wolf has them?”

  “Hush, don’t think like that. They are smart children, you’ve taught them well. They
will know what to do.”

  His gaze searched my face, hoping that I was telling the truth. My heart twisted knowing I was bringing him this anguish, but it had to be done. We would be a much happier family once the children learned their lesson.

  I held him closely all night, hoping to bring him some comfort. He didn’t sleep very well, meaning I didn’t either. At first light of day, I pointed in the opposite direction that we had travelled the previous day and said I last saw the children that way. My husband took off in that direction.

  My feet hurried through the woods and back to the cabin. I threw on the witch’s clothes and slapped on the mud – being careful that it was the same as the previous day. Gathering some sticks, I headed back into the cabin as if I’d just been gathering firewood.

  The children were still asleep.

  I made them breakfast which woke them up. They followed the scent of cinnamon all the way to the table and tucked into their porridge. I gave them endless bowls, offering more food than we’d had all year. “Eat up, children. You need to be nice and fat.”

  Hansel patted his bulging stomach. “I don’t want anymore.”

  I shoved the bowl at him. “Eat! Do it!”

  Their eyes grew large but Hansel didn’t take the bowl. “I will not!”

  “Eat!”

  “No!”

  He defiantly met my gaze and silently challenged me to force him. It was time to burst their little bubble. I quickly charged around the table and grabbed Hansel by the wrist. I pulled him up with such force that he stumbled. Dragging him to the corner, I shoved him inside the cage and locked the door.

  “Hey! What are you doing that for, you crazy cow!” he yelled at me. “Let me out so I can kill you!”

  I turned around sharply. “I wouldn’t be making threats right now, little boy. Keep your mouth shut or I’ll sew it closed,” I snarled. Gretel was staring at me, her eyes flicking between us with her mouth agape. “You, little girl, you’re going to clean this cabin from roof to floor.”