Page 39 of Hansel and Gerhardt
Both knew there was at least one hunter in the woods. Both thought of the traps they’d been told about. Both held their breath until every sign of sound or light had long since dwindled to nothing, when Gerhardt finally said, “Let’s follow it.”
He moved forward, but Hansel caught him. “What if it’s danger? Shouldn’t we just go our own way?”
“What if it’s not? We’ve lost our fire, and that man has some.”
“But Gerhardt—”
“Hansel.” He turned his full body towards him and caught his lips in a kiss sweeter than anything Hansel had once experienced in his entire life. His chest seemed pulled out of his body, opened like a jewellery box, the prize of his heart spinning there like a ballerina, waiting for Gerhardt to pluck it out and keep it as his own. And Gerhardt said, “We will stay together, and we willstay safe. I’ll be more careful, and I won’t let anything happen to either of us.”
Hansel, helpless to resist in his complete devotion, asked only, “And when we get to the city? You’ll come with me?”
“Yes,” said Gerhardt. “Yes. Every city and town and beyond. I promise you that. Hansel, if you really want me, I’m yours.”
“I do!” Breathless lips met Gerhardt’s, which kissed his back just as enthusiastically.
“Now get the meat. We need his flame to find our way through this forest, and to eat. And as soon as we’re out, we’ll start our life together. Just like this.”
“Okay.” Hansel kissed him again, then felt around until he found what was left of their food. Taking Gerhardt’s hand, he moved with him, as fast as they could, in the direction they had last seen the fire.
Maybe Don't Lick That...
It wasn’t long, perhaps ten minutes or so, when leaves began to come into focus again. Tree trunks all around started to resolve into solid forms. And there was more light off in the distance. The forest floor revealed itself, their two hands, still clasped, came into sight, then finally, a clearing. The view was scant through a thicket, but on and on they walked, until they were able to peek through the foliage into paradise.
It was a sizeable clearing, covered with green grass, short and trimmed. Strangely adorable toadstools grew red and shiny in little groups about the place, as though put there deliberately for decoration. The trees surrounding were tall and oddly straight along the line of the yard. There was a long pathway that ran to the edge of the forest, well-kept and strewn with small white pebbles, not a single weed in place to break the pleasing order. And all of this, strange as it was in the middle of that dark and terrifying forest, was as nothing compared to the tall, higgledy-piggledy, cheery and homely cottage that smiled back at them from the centre of the clearing.
The house existed in such extreme contrast to all around that Gerhardt actually looked back over his shoulder, as if to reassure himself every horror they’d just been through was real.
Hansel edged a little closer, then whispered, “Have we found the outskirts of a town already?”
But both knew the strange cottage was surrounded on all sides by the Dark Forest—that the pretty little path ran down to the edge of the trees and stopped dead just there, waiting for who or what to step onto it, neither could imagine.
“This seems like…” Gerhardt began. What? It was confusing, to say the least. But it was incredibly beautiful. It was everything his wildest imaginings of homely comfort could have conjured, and more.
A small, grey bunny hopped into a shaft of sunlight. To Gerhardt, it looked for all the world like a beacon of safety. That this little creature, surviving in such a hostile environment, should have taken shelter here, with whichever human tended this land so carefully, was a sign they could do the same.
“Let’s take a closer look.” Gerhardt started forward, but as ever, Hansel caught his arm.
“This isn’t right. You can see it’s not right.”
“Yes, I can see that,” said Gerhardt. “It is unusual. I know. I’ll keep my wits about me. Stay here if you like.” He moved fast to escape Hansel’s grip, hearing his name whispered harshly over his shoulder as he ran from the trees, keeping low all the while until he found a blank wall of the cottage, out of sight of any of the windows. He pressed his back to it, reeling away again when a white spray of powder dappled over his shoulders.
He turned to the wall, more bewildered now he was up close. It shone bright in the place he’d loosened the powder. Pale aquamarine, but with a whisper of colour beyond. Pink? Yellow? He brought a hand to the wall, where it touched down smooth, and he cleared away more of the dust.
Some strange and long-lost nostalgia for something of his childhood took him. More and more he wiped away, and a swirl of colour appeared before his eyes, twisting, refracting the light, so entrancing, layer upon layer, through the transparent exterior to that rainbow bridge.
An odd impulse took him. He turned his hand over, white with powder, then took a fingertip to his tongue, setting off a wave of pleasure that swept into every extremity.
Sugar.
Sweet, delicious sugar.
He hadn’t had sugar for many winters.
His eyes fell to the window ledge, rough, brown, looking for all the world from the distance of the trees as though it were weather-beaten wood. But up close…
He reached out his fingers, felt over the smooth and yielding surface, right to the edge, where a piece snapped off into his hand. He brought it up slowly, scared to look, because if it was or it wasn’t what he thought it was, the situation was desperate.
Closer to his lips it came, until a little swirl of rich brown melted onto his hot skin. Then into his mouth. “Ohhhh.” Gerhardt groaned uncontrollably. “Ohhhh!” Chocolate! Real chocolate. Yielding and creamy and melting on his tongue.
