Page 55 of Hansel and Gerhardt
But whatever emerged from that doorway was ten thousand times worse than whatever he’d expected.
In the disparate light, long black claws revealed themselves, high up the wall. They stretched into sight, five of them, then curled, clinging to the doorframe.
Some incessant tingling in the mad part of Hansel’s brain recognised with horror that the hand was upside down.
The revelation came as nothing more than the pulse of terror in his veins, too eerie, too uncanny to be consciously understood. For there quickly followed another hand, or claw, higher up the doorframe. Then a third, then a fourth, clasping the header of the door.
Then the tongue came.
It licked long and black, heinous and forked, trembling on the air like an adder’s, only for far too long, glistening in the meagre glow of the moon.
Like a whip, it retracted back around the doorway.
Hansel pressed his back to Gerhardt’s door, his hand pale and still as marble on the handle, frightened to the spot.
One of the thing’s claws searched, feeling for purchase. It stabbed its sharp fingertips deep into the wall. The arm of the creature, lone, lean, weaving, winding black sinew, bulging with every movement, led the way to reveal a sharp backwards elbow. Something of a forearm followed close, the vision of it obliterated by the vile face that slopped around the corner.
Round, inky, a dozen eyes or more writhing in the mess of slick skin, bubbling in and out, but with every pupil focused on Hansel. The mouth, for the dark gash in the visage could only be that, stretched to reveal a darkness that was blacker than black, and the thick blob of tongue pushed to the front, uncurling like a roll of… candy.
Hansel’s hand fell frantically on the door behind him, his other wrenching the door handle. “Let me in! Gerhardt!” But he kept his eyes on the thing as the next claw struck into the wall, as the beast revealed itself in full, horror by horror, mounting the ceiling upside down, the head turning in a complete circle to keep those many eyes on Hansel, that ever-licking tongue thrusting forward hungrily.
There were the stairs, just next to Hansel, and it was a fast trip down and out into the forest night, away from all of this.
But dear, lovely Gerhardt, asleep in his bed.
Hansel would die first.
“You can’t have him!” Hansel shouted, turning to face the animal. “I won’t let you.” But what was he to do? There in the empty hall, in this cursed candy house, he was one man with no weapons, dwarfed by this unholy being, that crept closer and closer again.
Hansel balled his hands into fists. They were all he had.
The tongue lashed out too fast for him to block it. It struck him on the cheek. He felt it slice through his skin, felt the gash open, felt the blood on his cheek, hot.
The tongue pulled back, the taste of his blood in its mouth now. And it smiled. That smile he recognised even on that new and foul face. A smile that pulled back over sharp and silver fangs that dripped with saliva, thrilled by the flavour of him.
A maddening clicking sound came from the gullet of the thing. Was it a laugh? Then it sped forward, carried at an unholy speed by those too-long legs, catapulting its disgusting body towards Hansel, who stood his ground by Gerhardt’s door, protecting him as best he could, even to the last.
The tongue lashed out with fatal intent, and Hansel was knocked to the ground.
A Soft Place
Ashimmer of light reflecting in bulging eyes shot fast fear into Hansel as he scrambled back against the wall. The door slammed, obliterating the horror from his view.
“Hansel? What is it?” Gerhardt, on his knees by Hansel’s side, looked back at the closed door. “Something out there?”
“The…” He could no more form words than he could name the beast. He clambered up, lunging for a dressing table. He scraped it across the floor, flinging it in front of the door, then pressed both arms and all his weight against it, awaiting an attack.
But the house fell just as quiet as it had been before. No more the clacking of that thing’s laughter or movement. No more the tacky-tack of its toes on the wall and in the ceiling. No more the tapping of chunks of hard sugar falling to the floor with every incision.
Hansel let out a cry and jumped as Gerhardt’s hand came down softly on his shoulder. His breath fast, he turned to behold the face he knew well, but this the calm version, the sweet one he’d fallen for.
Gerhardt said, “Tell me what’s wrong.”
Gerhardt’s hand on his cheek, Gerhardt moving close to him for the first time in so long.
Overcome, Hansel raised a shaking hand to cover Gerhardt’s, his tears falling fast. He flinched when Gerhardt’s fingers came close to the cut on his cheek. Or should have come close. He was aware, somewhere deep down, that he felt no pain at the touch. Perhaps he’d moved away from Gerhardt fast enough. This remained barely acknowledged as he wrapped his own hand across Gerhardt’s cheek. “It’s not safe. You can’t go out there.”
“But what is it? Hansel, what’s happened to you?”
