With heavy hearts and darkened souls did Hansel and Gretel leave their home. Papa and Mama have been turned to stone. Into the forest they go. I perch on Gretel’s shoulder. Eight inches from head to toe. When we three spot the cave, its warmth and shelter we crave. Hansel starts the fire and Gretel puts out the mats. I search for wolves and big cats. The cave is warm and cozy, but the children cannot resist being nosey. They see smoke in the distance. I beg them to stay and am met with resistance. Taking a loaf of bread, we set out to towards the mountain of lead. There are rumors of witches in around that land. I am shaking from fear, but Gretel holds safe in here hand. Hansel drops the breadcrumbs to create a trail, but birds with silver beaks swat them with their tails. The trail is lost, and so are we. To get a proper view, I scurry up a tree. At its peak I see the smoke. The fumes and ash make me cough and choke. As I come down the tree, I notice we are no longer just three. An old woman has come to greet us. She has scared hands and her face is bulging with pus. Hansel and Gretel politely shoo her away, but somehow I know she will stay. She hands them a small cake, but Hansel and Gretel know it is a fake. Gretel throws the cake on the ground. The lady then howls and makes a frown. She lunges at Gretel and Hansel is cross. He grabs some rocks and sets fire to moss. The moss he takes and throws and the woman’s shawl. Screaming and burning she falls. Hansel and Gretel back towards the trees. She claws and reaches for us three. My brothers and sisters come out of their holes. The rabbits, and chipmunks, why even the moles. They see the tyrant burnt and dead. Rejoicing for they know over is the time of pain and dread. The corpse of the woman lay there stiff and crisp. Suddenly they begin to appear, the Will o’ the wisps. Blue little flames of happiness and cheer. They lead us to a place that is clear. There we see the house of gold. We walk in and find a legend to be told. The lady of the mountain changed lead to gold. She made a house of it but had no hand to hold. Lonely and desperate she went to a sorceress, but the lady was tricked. Her quest for love came at a price. Her heart would be evil and she only knew vice. Wandering the forest and casting her spells the lady was a witch damned to hell. Now the house sat empty and ready to be taken. So, we three sat on the couch and fried up some bacon. After cleansing and purifying its core, closed the windows and bolted the door. During the night, I was first guard. The job was an ease, it wasn’t hard. I woke Hansel and said it was his time. He shuffled out of his bed and set his eye on the mine. In the distance a figure moved. It body was bent and its skin was grooved. Hansel was shaken and he searched for a sword. Luckily he and Gretel had them in hoards. With weapon in hand, he took on the beast. She shot curses and hexes while muttering about a feast. Hansel dodged the spells with jump and a slide. He told Gretel and I to run and hide. Of course we did not listen. We grabbed our blades and in the moon light, they glistened. We fought her until dawn. She finally died, and I sat down with a yawn. Hansel and Gretel split her in two. They buried on half by the river and the other underneath the house of the Old Lady in who lived in a shoe. From that point on Hansel and Gretel ruled the forest land. They had valiant hearts and gentle hands.