Gretel smiled at the sound of scratching on her front door. “Perfect,” She thought, “Just in time.” She was starting to get a few gray hairs and few lines around her eyes. She needed a child.
She peaked out the window and saw not one, not two, but three boys going for the pie she had left on the porch. This gave her mixed feelings: On the one hand, this could keep her stocked for a while, on the other, it would be hard to keep spells on all three of them. Oh, well, that what they made cages for.
She opened the door and the three children looked up in fear. It was then she realized that the middle child wasn’t a boy, but a girl in boys’ clothes, her face tanned by the sun.
She also realized they were about to flee. “It’s alright,” She said, before they could, “I’m not mad about the pie.” The pie was her lure. It was much less conspicuous than a gingerbread house. “In fact, I’d have more if you want to come in.”
The children eyed her cautiously, suspiciously.
“Come on, I don’t bite.” She said reassuring helping the youngest boy up. Right now, at least.
The younger boy and the girl looked at the older boy. Gretel gave him her nicest smile and warmest, brownest eyes.
“Well,” The older boy said, helping the girl to her feet, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt.”
“Splendid,” Gretel smiled, ushering them in before they could change their minds, giving them a quick once over. They were all thin as rails. This depression was a double-edged sword: On one hand, there was generous number of children who no one would miss, on the other hand there wasn’t any meat on them. However, she knew how to deal with that.
#
“Sit down,” She instructed, and the three children sat down at the smooth round table that was the focal point of small, cozy kitchen, she quickly presented them with steaming bowls of beef-and-root vegetable stew topped wild herbs, and mugs of piping hot apple cider. “Eat as much as you like.” She instructed.
“How did you—” The youngest boy began.
The girl whispered in his ear. “Sterling, there’s a lady giving us food. Don’t question it.”
Sterling followed the girl’s instruction, digging into the stew.
When the children ate their fill, Gretel handed them each a slice of the pie. It was apple, loaded with honey and cinnamon and apple butter mixed in with dried apples and fresh. It was enough for them to never taste the sleeping draft.
“Come now, children,” She instructed ushering them into the bedroom.
“Now,” Gretel began, as the older boy and the girl got into the bed, “There are only two beds in here so this one can have my bed.”
By then the sleeping draft had them out like a light, so she just led the youngest one, Sterling, to her room.
Gretel waited until she’s sure they’re all asleep. Then she got to work.
#
When Sylvia woke up the next morning, she felt something heavy and painfully on her wrists and ankles. Her eyes slowly opened, and she saw wooden bars all around her. As her vision cleared, she realized she was in a cage, chained to the back of it with metal shackles. As panic set in, she looked around and sees her cousins are also in cages, also chained.
“Sterling, Robert!” She called out, struggling to get free, “Wake up! Wake up, please!”
They slowly woke up and to their confused horror realized their predicament. “What happened?” Sterling asked, clearly terrified, “What’s going on?”
“Hey!” Robert called out in show of fake bravado, “Hey, let us out of here!”
Just then Gretel appeared carrying a tray with three large plates of food. “Have no fear, little ones,” She chimed, as if this was all perfectly normal, putting one of the plates until Sterling’s cage, “Just do as you’re told, and you won’t be harmed”
“Why are you doing this?!”Sylvia demanded, undeterred, struggling against the shackles, “What do you want?!”
“Do as you’re told,” Gretel repeated firmly, as she put the finial plate in Sylvia’s cage, “Now eat.”
Suddenly, against her will, Sylvia found herself digging her fork into the stack of pancakes topped with butter and syrup and even cream. In spite of their situation, she felt a moment of pleasure as the cakes filed with chopped nuts and brown sugar that melted in her mouth. However, that pleasure was short lived, as she kept eating and eating, unable to stop herself. Sick, mortified and horrified, why couldn’t she stop eating?
Looking to her cousins, she found them in the same situation, unable to stop eating until every crumb of food was gone. Poor little Sterling was stuffing his face with tears rolling down his cheeks.
Gretel smiled to herself. satisfied that her spell had work as prepared for their next meal.
#
“She’s going to eat us, isn’t she?”
Robert and Sylvia looked at each other, not sure how to answer Sterling’s question. Between their sudden inability to stop eating and two and half days of watching Gretel prepare spells and potions, they all three had figured out she was some kind of witch. As unbelievable as it was, it was the closest thing to a logical explanation for what was happening. The older children had also taken a guess at their fate.
Robert shifted as well as he could in the tiny cage, shackled in short chains. His clothes, shabby from weeks of riding the rails, were starting to get tight. Sylvia’s and Sterling’s clothes were getting tight too as they all put on weight.
“She is!” Sterling exclaimed finally, starting to cry again, “I knew it!”
“Ssssh. “Sylvia hushed, “It’s not going to get that far, okay? I’m going to figure out a plan.”
The next night, Sylvia managed to get her hands on a single piece of straw, trying to pick the lock. She turned it, trying to work the mechanism, but all it did was shred the straw.
“You’re not going to get out.”
Sylvia looked up to find Gretel in front of her, a dead rabbit in her hand.
Sylvia squirmed in her cage, glaring at her captor, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of seeming afraid, even if she was.
“Just doing some late- night spell work.” Gretel explained, sitting the rabbit down table, and grabbing ingredients.
Sylvia watched for a few moments as Gretel prepared what spell she was working on, the asked, “Why are you doing this?”
Gretel paused, looking up. “Excuse me?”
“You have food.” Sylvia reasoned, “You have lots of it. Why do you need to eat kids?”
“It’s not the meat I want.” Gretel said, almost casually, going back to working on the spell, “It’s youth. Children like you three are the only way to get it. I swore that I was never going to do it, but then I started getting wrinkles, my hair started getting gray…I started getting weak…” She looked off into the distance, suddenly back to that place and time in her mind. A time where a ruddy-cheeked little girl from a neighboring family wondered too close to her cottage, “It was too much to resist.”
“If you don’t need meat then what’s with the feeding?” Sylvia questioned. If she truly just needed to eat children for their youth, fattening them like livestock seemed like a bit of time.
“Well skin and bones still doesn’t make a good meal.” Gretel reasoned, “The witch who locked up me and my brother likely only fattened him up to healthy weight in all actuality.”
Sylvia caught onto that detail, freezing for a minute in surprise. “Someone did this to you too?” Was the first words that came out of her mouth, followed by, “You have a brother? Does he know what you do?”
Gretel froze for a minute, a far off look in her eye. For a minute she could see it all, the screaming, the knife, running from her own brother.
What she did to escape him.
“I couldn’t make him understand.” Gretel said finally, “He was weak, he couldn’t see the power…” She examined Sylvia closely, “But perhaps you can.”
“W-What does that mean?” Sylvia sputtered, a new thrill going through her. Fear yes, but at the same time…intrigue.
“You could be my …apprentice, I suppose.” Gretel offered, “I can let you out of this cage, right now, show you the power. It could be yours. Your life could be saved.”
Sylvia didn’t say anything for a minute, considering Gretel. How strong she was. How powerful she was. All Sylvia’s life, she had been scared and weak, pushed around. By her aunt and uncle. By other hobos. But if she could do the things Gretel could, if she had that power…
Then she looked at the Robert and Sterling, huddled, fitfully sleeping in their cages. The only people in the world who ever cared about her. When they left home, they promised each other they wouldn’t leave one another. And so far, they hadn’t. Would she let them die now to save her own skin? For power?
“What about the boys?” Sylvia questioned, “Sterling? Robert? What about them?”
“I’m sorry, but…they wouldn’t understand.” Gretel answered, sounding sincerely contrite.
“How do you know?” Sylvia demanded, “You haven’t even asked them. You don’t even know them.”
“Every Warlock I’ve ever met has tried to control me, to dominate me.” Gretel shot back, “They wouldn’t be any different if they got any real power. Besides, I still need to eat.”
Sylvia glared at her defiantly. “Then I hope you choke on us. I’ll find my own way out, thank you very much.”
Gretel smiled condescendingly. “Good luck with that.” She said, turning around.
#
As the week dragged on, the cousins found escape impossible. The spell made them incapable of leaving any food behind, and even if they could, Gretel checked their cages for any pesky soup bons. There wasn’t a lot of room for escape opportunities.
On the final day, Gretel felt Sylvia’s arm. “You’re ready.” She declared, before turning around to begin preparations, sticking wood into the oven.
“You can’t do this!” Sylvia shouted, wiggling in the small cage, trying to get free of the cage, as Sterling started to cry.
“You had your chance. “Gretel reminded her, continuing to heat the oven, watching the fire grow.
Robert leaned in as best he could. “There’s got to be something we can use to pick the locks on these chains.”
Her back still turned to them, Gretel waved her hand, silencing the three, but tears were still streaming down Sterling’s face.
Sylvia wiggled and writhed, watching Gretel in absolute terror. The witch did everything with unfeeling precision. She cut herbs and spices prepared a tray of vegetables, side dishes no doubt, then put trays of food into the boys’ cages, snapping her fingers.
Finally, Gretel sauntered over to Sylvia’s cage, opening it up. With snape of her fingers, the chains fell off Sylvia’s wrist. The witch grabbed her, but Sylvia grabbed onto the bars as Gretel tried to pull her out. “No! Let go of me!”
“Sylvia!” Robert shouted, pulling at his restraints.
Gretel snapped her fingers, silencing them both. Then she finally yanked Sylvia from the cage. At the petrified girl struggled to right herself, her arms were yanked behind her and grabbing a coil of rope, Gretel tied Sylvia’s wrist, causing her to yelp in pain as the cord cut her skin, before sitting her down in a chair. Sylvia let out a fearful mewl as Gretel put her hands on her. To her surprise, the witch started messaging her shoulders and arms.
When she satisfied the girl was properly tender Gretel took the herbs, she had been preparing sprinkling them over her, then put an apple in her mouth. “Come on, morsel.” She ordered, pulling Sylvia up and dragging her towards the oven.
Sylvia dug her heals into the floor to try to stop their progress, but it was no use. She tried to push back but a heavy forced pushed her towards the oven. However, it gave her enough distance from her captor to turn around and face her.
Gretel smiled wickedly. “It’s been a long time since I had a fighter.”
Sylvia just stared at her. If it weren’t for the apple stuck in her mouth she would have gapped. What was wrong with this woman?
“Well, come on little girl.” Gretel taunted, “Try something.”
Sylvia kicked at the woman who with a flick of hand flung her into the air and pinned her to the wall next to the oven. “If you just cooperate,” Gretel said, walking over to her, “I’ll make your demise completely painless. It’s a simple spell. It’s more than I ever got.”
Sylvia nodded.
“Sylvia, no!” Sterling sobbed.
“Eat!” Gretel shouted, pointing a finger at the boy.
Once again Sterling started shoving food in his mouth.
Sylvia was released, her feet landing on solid ground. Gretel closed her eyes and raised her hands, beginning the spell.
Sylvia realized she had one opportunity to save herself. Save her family. With her feet on the ground and their captor off her guard, Sylvia charged, managing to kick Gretel in the stomach. The children watched in horror as Gretel’s head hit the back of the over, bashing her temple in with no shortage of dark blood pouring from the wound, before falling to the ground. She gapped a few minutes, as the light faded from her eyes. Gone to a much worst place.
They all stared at her for a moment in shock, before Sylvia came back to reality. She backed up to the counter and took out a knife, cutting herself free. Then she grabbed the keys which had been left on the counter and went over to Robert’s cage, unlocking it. “Come on,” She said, unlocking the chains, “Let’s get out of here.” Once she had helped him out of the cage, Robert engulfed her in an embrace, and she teared up, but held it back as the hug broke. “Let’s go get Sterling.”
They rescued the youngest of the from his cage, and immediately the boy started sobbing, a flood of emotions he didn’t know how to describe. The other two embraced him. “It’s alright,” Sylvia sooth rubbing small circles on his back, “It’s over. She can’t hurt us anymore.”
Grabbing a few things to get by they made their escape. Before they left, Sylvia turned around, grabbing one of Gretel’s spell books…