The Guild Fanucci

Hansel and Gretel | Part I | Part II |

Hansel and Gretel, Part II
© 2005 George Reed

The first of my kind, and the last of my line…
Foundations set on hope, and roots built of time…
Never was the soul who could pass beyond my call…
Woven in my thatching waits an answer to all…

Once my hearth was warm and blessed with burning cheer…
Magic in the hues that brightened through the years…
Sorcery of ancient times slumbered in my yard…
Until the evil morning when the witch came from afar…

She found a happy dwelling where need was met as swift…
As fleeting thought could name it, such were all my gifts…
Powers dark had she, and used them to effect…
Make me a summons that no child could reject…

Gingered-bread and sugared-glass would call them all to me…
Brightly painted sweets would never let them see…
The doom that must await them in a magic hearth…
For dire were her powers, she had mastered evil arts…

Many gypsies wandered and were rumored to be lost…
When really they had blundered to my door and learned the cost…
Many were the children who would have none of their own…
Their souls forever trapped within the hearth of ancient home…

It fell one eve the witch had sent her raven through the night…
To whisper tales of treats for those who came to see the sight…
A boy and a young girl wandered at the ravens call…
They took one look and fell beneath the spell of ginger walls…

A kindly woman drew them in to sample treats inside…
The children never noticed, then, the hunger in her eyes…
We are Hans and Gretel, the little girl said…
Who lost became in forest dark, filled with every dread…

A wonder that you made it then, safely to my door…
The evil one whispered as they crumpled to the floor…
The gingered cake she fed them had sent them off to sleep…
While evil rite prepared there souls herein to keep…

They lay where they had fallen, dead to all the world…
Although awareness slowly came back into the girl…
Cleverly she never moved as words came to her mind…
Listen well, young Gretel fair, and freedom you will find…

While evil witch has gone outside to mend the nibbled house…
You must sneak to kitchen there as quiet as a mouse…
Place some magic ginger in the evil witch’s tea…
And when she drinks and quickly sinks we’ll have a victory…

Gretel eased across the house as brother slumbered on…
She found the tea as Hans was rising upwards with a yawn…
Get back down and play asleep if ever you would see…
Another morning sunrise out beneath the Summr Tree!

Gretel wisely stirred the tea, and went back to the floor…
Resuming her position as a key turned in the door…
Evil crone came back in side, humming to herself…
Thinking of a roasting, took her tea down off the shelf…

One sip of tea, and then one more, and stricken was her face…
Evil one knew she was done and took the children’s place…
Gretel stood and Hans arose cheering with a roar…
Standing there and smiling at the Witch upon the floor…

My voiced coursed then inside them and told them of the deed…
The one that could free them and end my endless need…
Slumbering the witch was placed to roast upon the hearth…
Hansel and then Gretel passed the door into the dark…

Come the dawn there was no house or witch within the wood…
A silver seed lay on the ground, bright with inner good…
Gretel took it up and planted silver seed with love…
Hans placed water on the place and heard the wind above…

A moment later came a flash and both of them could see…
A twin was born identical to the Summer Tree…
Save for leaves of silver and a bark of snowy white…
Another Summer Tree was born out of an evil night…

Twas then a rustling in the wood bespoke of an approach…
Hans and Gretel shook with fear expecting witch’s ghost…
But father brave had kept his oath and found the two at last…
He brought his children close to him without a question asked…

The first of my kind, and the second of my line…
Foundations set on hope, and roots built of time…
Never was the soul who could pass beyond my call…
Woven in my branches new beginnings for us all…