Page 3 Other Perspectives

Hansel and Gretel are the children of a woodcutter.

Their mother is dead and their father has remarried. The family lives on the edge of a forest. An older woman also lives in the forest, a little distance away. One day, Hansel and Gretel come upon the woman's house, a gingerbread house covered with candy. They eat the candy. The woman catches them. She locks Hansel in a cage. She makes Gretel do chores. Hansel and Gretel push the old woman into the fireplace and escape.

I've lived in these woods alone for a long time.

I know they all think I'm a witch, with my dark dress and long grey hair. But who do I have to dress up for? Who comes to visit? About the only pleasure I get is decorating my house at Christmas. I love the whole process. Drawing a different design every year, shopping for candy. Even the work of decorating is fun. It keeps me busy during the long dark days of December. And I love it when kids come. The wonder in their eyes! A candy house! Help yourself! All I ask is a little conversation. Then, who shows up yesterday but those brats, Hansel and Gretel, from the other side of the forest. They took way more than their share, and instead of eating it and enjoying it, they started throwing it around. I love it when the children come and enjoy a little treat and have a little visit. Most of them are very polite. Not these two. I was up half the night, fixing what they'd ruined. I think I'm too old for this. Now, here they come again. Maybe I'll try to talk some sense into them.

I feel sorry for those two kids, Hansel and Gretel. It's never easy to be without your mother. They think I'm trying to take her place so they'll forget her. I think they hate me. I tried educational toys and flash cards when I first moved in. That was a disaster. No wonder they're acting out. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or something. And what is there to do, stuck here in woods, far away from their friends? Get into mischief. Most days, it's just easier to send them into the forest to play instead of trying to find things for them to do. And with their father gone all day, and me with the house and garden to keep, I don't have time. Besides, they need the exercise and fresh air. Let them burn off some of that energy and they'll probably sleep better.

I just can't get ahead. I can't make ends meet. The recession was bad for everyone, and who uses wood these days? Nobody's buying my product, and I've got three mouths to feed at home. Every day I get up at dawn, cut the wood, and load it on my wagon. It's back breaking work and I don't know how long I'll last. And then, when I try to sell it in town, nobody's buying. Some days, I don't make one sale. I can go for hours without anybody stopping by even to talk. I can't take this stress. And I never see my kids. I don't get home until after they're in bed. Who knows what they get up to? Sure glad I married again. At least I know they're looked after during the day when I can't be there.