Page 75 of Hansel and Gerhardt
They took as much of Herr Candy as they could carry, but instead of moving north, they chose south.
They sacrificed a whole leg to the carnivorous tree, looking on the grotesque but ravenous thing a little more kindly than they had the last time.
They walked on. They fought on.
They bathed in the river in dappled sunshine. They made love amongst golden foliage.
It took three full days, but finally they strode, healthy and happy, to the door of a lonely little cottage at the edge of the woods.
Hansel reached out and tapped on the entrance three times.
The footsteps came slow, the door opened with suspicion, and the man’s dull mouth fell open at the sight of his two sons—handsome, strapping lads, armed to the teeth, and not about to put up with one second of his bullshit.
“Hello father,” said Gerhardt, raising his axe. “It’s great to be home.”
The End
Epilogue
Six Months Later
Hansel swiped a cloth across the top of his enormous dining table one last time, then stood tall to admire his handiwork. The polished oak positively sparkled—there wasn’t a mark on the exquisite finish of that beautiful expanse. It was utterly perfect. Everything was.
Hansel and Gerhardt had escaped.
They’d lived off their father’s remains just long enough to sell the cottage they’d both been dragged up in. They got very little for the house and land combined, which surprised neither of them, but it was enough. They dug up the bones of their mothers, they took the horse and cart, and they moved to thethriving city of Hallin, where they interred the remains in a peaceful cemetery.
Though it had taken a great deal of work, several months later, Hansel and Gerhardt had bought their very own apartment in town.
And gorgeous it was, too.
The same tall ceilings Gerhardt had dreamed of. A lounge, handsome rugs underfoot, elegant and dark mahogany walls and floorboards, a gigantic, soft bed all of their own.
Hansel crossed the room to stoke the fire. The long windows that looked down onto the main square let in plentiful cool and crisp air through the crystalline panels, but he couldn’t bear to shut out such a sight, even with their rich, velvet curtains. Hallin was a beauty to see, but more than that, the sight of it reminded him that he was safe. Safe and surrounded by people all the time. No more isolation. No cutting wood until his hands bled. No lonely stables to be chained up in, and no riding crop to meet his cheek. Not ever again.
He shook off the memories, both mentally and physically, as he turned and made his way to a cabinet. He pulled out a handful of long and thick candles, then walked to a lever on the wall to lower the chandelier. He lit the candles in the fireplace, put them in their holders, then raised the glittering light high.
He’d never get sick of seeing that. The way the fire illuminated one piece of glass, then another, then another, and on and on, until the whole room was ablaze. But he most especially loved the way it sparkled across the surface of their dining table.
Perhaps it had been a bit of an extravagance. The eight seats were hardly necessary, as the two never had anyone over, both as a rule and a preference.
But the long and wide setting wasn’t about that. It was about what it represented.
The two, true to their word, had never gone hungry again. Not once. Here, they ate their meals. Here, they cut up their catches together at night. Here…
Well, he couldn’t ever look at a large table without thinking of that first time with Gerhardt. The way Gerhardt had pushed him down into those many desserts. The way he’d claimed his body and his heart. The first time he’d told him he loved him. And every time since, every single day.
He heard the key in the lock.
His heart leapt.
Gerhardt, beautiful Gerhardt, home from his morning’s work.
Hansel breathed in the aroma of the leg he had roasting in their big black oven. He could tell from the scent that it was almost done. Just enough time for a little glass of wine in the lounge with Gerhardt.
Though maybe once he settled him into his big leather armchair with his drink, he’d have time to do a little something else for him too…
“Hansel?” Gerhardt called from the hall. “There’s someone here who wants to see you.”
