Short Story blog - Arcones

The cold gray dawn did nothing to the young and therefore irrepressible spirits of the brother and sister. Before breakfast, the siblings had scampered outside their house and plunged into the neighboring forest. They loved adventure and the forest provided the best kind. Holding hands they skipped merrily through the dense vegetation. Occasionally, they stopped to watch a squirrel climb a tree or a bird peck the ground for a worm. The siblings led a carefree life. Autumn, their favorite season, peeked from around the corner. They could see it in the leaves of the trees, and could feel it in the brisk wind that rustled through the vegetation. The boy and girl stopped for a rest, sitting side by side against a tree. Slowly, and nearly without notice, their eyelids closed. Unfortunately, they did not know the dangers of the forest, or if they did, they did not heed its warnings. So it was without caution that they slept, deeply, and unaware that they were being watched. With eyes full of malevolence, the creature crept forward slowly, stealthily. In its two wrinkled hands were rough, homespun potato sacks. It stepped on a twig with a snap. The boy gasped as his sight was plunged into darkness, but not before he caught a glimpse of long unkempt hair and a wrinkled face. A cry from his sister alerted him that she too was caught. Then a rough hand seized his neck and slowly, but steadily, he lost consciousness.
At the house, the parents of the young lad and lass were awake. They were not alarmed that both children were gone. The young siblings enjoyed their excursions into the forest, as it had become habitual. It was only as the sun approached its zenith that the parents began to be worried. They knew what was in the forest and had frequently told both children not to venture far. Mid-afternoon approached, and the parents stepped into the forest. They were intent on finding their children before it was too late. Though there was no actual trial, the parents knew where their children usually played. As mother and father searched each and every one of the children’s hideouts, a seed of despair began to plant itself in their hearts. Would they find their children? Finally approaching the siblings’ last haunt, they found signs of use. Disturbed grass, crushed leaves, and most importantly, signs that something, or someone had been dragged from the site. With dread filling them, the parents ran from the spot, tracking the foot marks and drag signs until they came upon a site that left them speechless with horror. In the midst of a forest clearing were white bones. The mother stumbled to her knees sobbing. The father felt empty and hollow inside. Tears welling in his eyes, he hugged his wife, and spoke softly, “I’m sorry Gretel. The witch has had her revenge on you. Let’s tell Hansel.”