SATURDAY STORY - APRIL 24, 2021

 SATURDAY STORY - APRIL 24, 2021

I’ve enjoyed putting a new twist on some fairy tales, so here goes - Hansel and Gretel - retold!!

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I had been appointed by the Thuringia Providence (Germany) Department of Child and Family Services to be the counselor for Hansel and Gretel Meier in August 1744.

The official case is where Hansel and Gretel wandered into the woods and were captured by a witch who had a house made of candy.  That has a little truth, but is mostly wrong.

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My investigation showed that Hansel and Gretel were fourteen and they volunteered to go into the woods to hunt turkeys for food as there was little food at their house.  It also showed that Annette (the mother) did a lot of the farm work, including milking their four cows, tending their garden, and preparing meals.  Jakob (the factor) didn’t work much (but he did make excellent bier (that is beer)).  

They got lost chasing some turkeys, were scratched and cut from branches and falling down.  They slept in a tree overnight, and almost magically, in the morning found a path to a very secluded house.

The house was very ornate with lots of flourishes and ornamentation.  It was Gretel who first described the house as a “Gingerbread House”.  

The following was told to me.  Investigation could not prove or disprove these statements.

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As they walked towards this house, a white haired old lady was on the wraparound porch waiting for them.  She said the birds had told her about the two children.  She said her name was “Oma” - which is German for “Grandma”.  She welcomed them warmly, gave each one (separately, of course), a hot bath, a scrumptious breakfast, and then put them to bed to rest and recuperate.  

Hansel said he dreamt of a lovely house with food for a king during this rest.  Gretel added that there were sweets as she had never before or since partaken. 

After their rest, Oma gave them new beautiful clothes, then a wonderful lunch and then led them across a field to a hidden path.  She kissed them ‘goodbye’, gave them big hugs, (and two huge turkeys, and some miscellaneous vegetables). 

As the two walked down the path, about 100 steps in, Gretel turned to look back at the gingerbread house, and there was no path behind them, the woods were as dark and deep as before.  She remarked to Hansel about this, and he too turned and looked and there was no such path as they just walked on.  As they walked farther, everytime they turned around, the path disappeared.

And, within an hour, they were home.  The path had led straight to their house, and as they stepped in the clearing, they thought they saw the white-haired grandma waving goodbye before the path closed over and was gone.

Their mother and father were overjoyed to see them and marvelled at their new clothes.  Of course their story was a little far fetched.  

Since a report had been filed with the magistrate, I was called to investigate.  I also investigated possible child neglect and abuse by Jakob, the children’s father. 

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The sheriffs of Thuringia Providence, searched for the path, the gingerbread house, and the old lady and never found anything.

In my investigations, Annette Meier told me that Jakob had been a changed man since the children had disappeared.  He said an old lady had visited him in a drunken dream and told him to shape up - or else, and when he woke, he was a loving, caring, helpful, and very effective and efficient father and husband.

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And, I, in my official position, put the whole notion of a ‘gingerbread house’ away and my report to my officials was that the children wandered away, slept in the forest overnight and returned the next day.  (But, in my mind, I knew that something magical or supernatural had happened).

My brain remembered a rarely read scripture verse from Hebrews 13:2 “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”  Maybe an angel took care of the children and guided them home.

Case closed - almost.

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Some ten years later, Gretel Meier disappeared and while there were periodically letters from her (without stamps and address), no trace was ever found.

Gretel’s letters indicated that she had found the gingerbread house and now lived there with Oma, and with her husband, a prince of some nature.  Generally once a year, about Easter time, a new letter was on her parent’s doorstep - sometimes even with a basket of vegetables.  Annette thought that birds must have brought the letters as there seemed to be some different birds in the branches over their door which flew away after Annette picked up the letters. 

Years later, at Annette’s funeral, two white-haired ladies and a man who looked like a prince stood in the back at her burial, but disappeared soon after.  And, amazingly, the prettiest flowers are always blooming on Annette Meier’s grave.  

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Okay, a Pollyanna type twist on an old fairy tale!!!

And, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”

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LOVE DOES WIN

WE CAN BE BLESSED - and WE CAN BE BLESSINGS TO OTHERS

HUGS

Karn