Summerween Writing Challenge: SHADOW

The Fairy Tale that cast a  long shadow on my imagination was Hansel and Gretal and that shadow was created in part by my Grandpa Bert who told me a version he probably crafted to a point on his own.

In the story my Grandpa told me, Hansel and Gretal get left in the forest because there is a famine. Their parents don’t have the heart to watch them starve to death so they take them out to the forest and leave them there to die.

I remember the parts Grandpa me about them killing the witch, I remember they  escape her house after killing her ( she was blind, how hard could that have really been? )  in the end find their way home- instead of  a Swan carrying them across the river to their home in the forest my Grandpa stuck with a spooky Ferryman dressed in black.

I remember they gave him something they had stolen from the Witch’s body after she had burned up in the oven, but I don’t remember what that was.

In his version  my Grandpa said when   Hansel and Gretal  finally get home, they discover their Mother is dead but their Father is still alive- and he does not look like he’s been going without food, my Grandpa would say ominously.

I assumed at the end of the story the Father probably killed and cooked his wife and that Hansel and Gretal were going to meet the same fate in their Father’s house as they would have in the Witch’s house.

Hansel and Gretal and their Father were  killers in my mind and I was far more afraid of them then the Witch.

This is a short film  by Robert Eggers- who is my FAVORITE Writer/Director of all time- I thought I’d toss this in  because he takes Hansel and Gretal back to their very dark origins.

Hansel and Gretel (2007) by Robert Eggers

Summerween Writing Challenge # MASK

When I was little, my Mom always and I mean ALWAYS wanted me to dress up as a Princess for Halloween.

The thing of it was, I was such a scruffy, little kid that I’m not sure the prettiest Princess costume in the world would change that- and in the 60’s and early 70’s we had those funny smelling  plastic masks and plastic costumes you could wear over your clothes.

But we thought they were magical.

We kids were convinced those costumes turned us into Princesses and Clowns and Gypsies and Vampires and Witches- but not me. I didn’t believe that I could look like a Princess no matter how much magic was involved..

Mom was really  frustrated because I kept turning down her suggestions she finally gave in and asked what I wanted to be.

I told her a scary, scary Devil.

” Oh for Pete’s sake. ” She went to the shelves and pulled a box off the top and tossed it into the cart. ” Let’s go. ”

My Grandpa Bert,  came over that night to see what  me and my brother had chosen to be for Halloween.

Frankly, I think he knew I was going to crash the train as it were and he wanted to see the wreckage for himself  and he wasn’t disappointed.

” She wants to be a Devil for Halloween.” my Mom said curtly.

” Oh Marie, ” ( he always called me by my middle name ) he said sadly,  ” so you’re  not going to dress up for Halloween?”

” You’re funny, ” I told him. ” I’m going to wear a Princess crown too. ”  I ran into the kitchen and took my bag off of the table, then I ran back out into the living room pulled the plastic tiara out of the bag my costume was in and showed it to him.

My Grandpa asked if I really needed to wear the crown and then we both looked at my Mom and tried not to laugh-

and we failed.