Page 60 of Hansel and Gerhardt
“Um…” Gerhardt looked down with a blush. “He didn’t say anything. He just… wanted me to come and eat. And I felt bad, because he’d gone to all this effort…”
“Yeah. I bet you did.”
“I’m sorry.” Gerhardt’s worried eyes shot up, but Hansel calmed him with a kiss on his forehead.
“It’s okay. Do you know where is he now?”
“Right here,” said Herr Candy. He was leaning against the doorframe just behind them, as casually as if he’d been there all day. His eyes were locked onto the two of them, and only shifted to follow Gerhardt when he stepped away to take up his scrubbing brush.
“Don’t let me interrupt,” said Herr Candy.
“Oh, no,” Gerhardt called, throwing Hansel a shy look. “We were just talking.”
“Hmmm.” A laughing, mocking sound. “And you said you’re stepbrothers?”
“We are,” said Hansel. “We’re just very close.”
“We’re close,” agreed Gerhardt.
“Close,” added Hansel.
“So now I see why you have such an influence on him.” Herr Candy walked over to the table. “But, as you see, Gerhardt has made himself quite at home here, and I don’t want you—”
“I’m sorry,” Hansel cut him off.
“You’re sorry?” Herr Candy stilled with his shiny egg flip halfway to a pancake.
“I am sorry.” Hansel lowered his head in a solemn nod. “I want to apologise for my behaviour.”
Gerhardt paused his cleaning. His eyes shone so fondly it made Hansel’s chest ache.
“Gerhardt explained some things to me last night, and I think I’ve been very ill-behaved.”
Herr Candy didn’t seem to know how to respond to him. He clearly didn’t trust the answer entirely. He looked quickly between the two, as if Gerhardt might have known it was coming. Yet all he said was, “Did you eat?”
“Not yet,” Hansel replied, aware of his shaking hands that betrayed the fact.
That lurid grin stretched wider across Herr Candy’s face. “So… will you eat?” He rounded the table to Gerhardt, and dipped his fingers into Gerhardt’s hair, patting his head as he scrubbed the floor. “Because I don’t want any bad atmosphere upsetting dear Gerhardt.”
How Hansel wanted to snap the man’s fingers. “I understand. And I won’t behave like that again. And I want to make it up. Perhaps we can chop some more wood for you? Out in the yard?”
Herr Candy scanned the green expanse through the window, his cruel hand ever stroking that soft hair. “Yes, I suppose you could. I will need to burn a lot of wood today to have my oven ready for our special lunch. Though…” He suddenly clapped his hands together, and both Hansel and Gerhardt jumped. “I have an even more important task for you. And for your brother.”
He came to Hansel’s side, and Hansel tried not to shrink when his ice fingers closed around his biceps, squeezing him, feeling over his muscles as if assessing them. “You will dig me a hole. A nice, deep one. A large, rectangular hole.”
Hansel gave a slow nod, licking his dry lips. “Very well. How big do you want it to be?”
Herr Candy slid back a few steps, appraising Hansel from head to toe. “About six feet, five inches. And broad.” He dropped those cold fingers onto Hansel’s shoulders. “Just as broad as your shoulders.”
The meaning was not lost on Hansel. He had dug his own mother’s grave. Then Gerhardt’s mother’s too.
He was well aware of the way Herr Candy tracked the movement of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed. “I’ll get to work at once. With Gerhardt.”
Herr Candy slapped his hands down on both arms, throwing a full-body shudder through Hansel, before he pulled back. “Of course, youcanget started now. Unless you would prefer to eat?” He cast a hand towards the table.
Every muscle in Hansel ached at the thought of digging that hole on two days without food, and barely anything for days before that. His empty stomach clawed at him for the feast on the table. But he forced out, “I’ll eat when I’m done.”
Herr Candy clicked his tongue, yet he soon recovered with a light shrug of his shoulders. “You must see that you do. Because if you don’t join us soon, you will have to go.” He walked over to Gerhardt, those foul fingers stroking through his hair again. “And Gerhardt won’t be going with you. He wants to stay, don’t you Gerhardt?”
