After half an hour she reached the boundary of the forest In front of her was an ancient wooden gate She grasped the top feeling its pitted rough surface She pulled it to one side and stepped into the village The gate groaned and slammed shut behind her She walked across the cobblestones ignoring the sharp edges on her cold feet In front of her right in the middle of the village square was her destination The hangman's gallows But she hesitated when she saw the wooden structure loom before her A twisted rope hung from the top and a wicked looking noose was attached to the end She stared at it with a mixture of fear and fascination It hadn't been there the day before But the villagers had all heard the thump of the workmen's hammers and knew what was being built and why The Gingerbread Witch would hang the next day The wind suddenly whistled through the square making the wooden boards creak and moan Gretel gasped as the rope swung slowly in the breeze It looked like it was reaching for her But she lifted her chin and walked stubbornly to the foot of the platform Ain't nothin or nobody gonna stop me from seein this she whispered into the deserted square There was a high pitched giggle from the trees behind her She froze What if it was the fairy folk She was here all alone with them at night Gretel was terrified of the fairy folk They were evil little monsters who curdled the cows milk and stole children She didn't want the fairy folk to take her away But nothing happened there was only the whistling wind Carefully she crept underneath the gallows and sat down at the back far from sight Pulling her dress down over her knees for warmth she settled down to wait for dawn
Gretel was woken by the sound of shouting a few hours later Stiff from sleeping in the cold she rubbed the grit from her eyes and peered out from her hiding place under the gallows A crowd had gathered in the village square and the sun had now risen There were no real roads in the village just decades of mud and horse manure trampled down until the ground was solid Unless it rained then the villagers squelched through ankle deep stinking sewage Most of them didn't own a toilet so they just tipped their leavings into the street Luckily today the filthy ground was frozen solid and covered in a fine veil of frost The villagers huddled together as they headed to the gallows Excitement flowed through the crowd and several children skipped around the edges The hanging was about to begin The crowd roared Gretel peered through the cracks in the wood and saw a group of soldiers heading toward her They were dragging the woman known as the Gingerbread Witch to the gallows Gretel made a squeaking noise and clapped her hands over her mouth to muffle the sound She heard the clump clump of the soldiers heavy boots as they walked up the stairs over her head She craned her neck and looked up through the slats just in time to see the woman thrown to her knees directly above Gretel The rope swung sluggishly in the breeze above the woman who knelt stunned beneath it Gretel gazed upward in awe She'd never seen a witch up close before The witch's hair was a pure white blond She had sad gentle brown eyes which stared at the crowd from a thin face Gretel heard a rustling from the crowd and looked back through the cracks to see what was happening now A man wearing a fancy suit made of black velvet and a large three cornered hat strode through the crowd It parted respectfully to let him through Gretel frowned then realized who he was the town mayor The mayor walked solemnly to the foot of the gallows He cleared his throat and unraveled a scroll of yellowed parchment In a booming voice he read out the woman's crime She has been found guilty of Witchcraft The crowd gasped and pressed in closer the better to see the wretched woman The noise level rose as they muttered among themselves A filthy man with a glass eye whispered I always knew it I did I tells you I saw her clear as day with me own eye feeding people potions He paused and scratched one of the fleas in his hair Or was it potatoes
People bobbed their heads in agreement and started to swap stories about the evil things the woman had done or at least what theyd heard shed done which in their minds was the same thing Their whispers mixed together and strange stories floated on the wind The mayor's lips twitched in irritation Gretel gave a muffled laugh It was obvious he didn't like being ignored Bowing his head the mayor carried on reading Therefore she has been sentenced to die today He paused then said dramatically By hanging The crowd started to cheer BURN ER INSTEAD someone screamed The mayor smiled Everyone was staring at him now their mouths open in wonder NO screeched a woman with ruddy cheeks and chapped hands THROW ER IN A BARREL WITH A SNAKE A RAT AND A DOG A man with a bushy mustache and huge sideburns shook his head NO NO GIVE ER A CHANCE Try an drown her If she floats she's guilty If she dies well He shrugged The mayor was clearly not happy No one was listening to him again He scowled and stomped his foot on the ground dislodging a piece of frozen smelly mud It flew into the crowd and smacked a young boy on the nose making him cry out with disgust The crowd fell silent and sulked Hear this the mayor shouted She shall hang today right now for her crimes The witch finder has found her guilty He drew a breath So she dies The crowd roared its approval and the executioner strode onto the wooden platform of the gallows Gretel peered up from the shadows below The executioner pulled the noose over the witch's head Any last words he asked the black mask he wore muffling his voice The woman raised her head and slowly lifted her eyes to the people screaming for her death The crowd gasped and backed away Gretel knew they were wondering why he was letting the witch speak She could curse them all
The woman spoke in a painful raspy croak I leave to ye a prophecy Only by understanding how to fulfill it can thy children be saved from the evil that will be let loose when I am dead Listen well and listen carefully The crowd became uneasy and people shivered at her words Most would have run away but they couldn't resist staying to hear a wicked tale The woman raised her voice to speak above the frightened whispers of the people They leaned forward expectantly Gretel held her breath hoping to hear about evil spirits who as everybody knew danced the muddy roads at night wearing crowns made of dead ravens But instead the witch said First comes the goblin then the witch Destruction will rain down on thy children's heads It will be thus for several hundred years The woman paused The wind could be heard blowing mournfully through the village square Unless water and spirit bring fire to the place where earth and air meet With a grunt the executioner spat on the ground Gretel rolled her eyes She'd heard better speeches and scarier ones too The crowd booed Kill her they shrieked Burn the wicked Gingerbread Witch But the mayor just scowled this time in annoyance at the delay He'd thought it would be all over by now He had a lovely breakfast on the table at home He could imagine the steaming eggs and bacon going cold Not to mention his wife's disapproval at his lateness And the way she would hold the rolling pin threateningly She had a nasty tendency to hit him over the head with it when she was displeased Impatiently the mayor nodded at the hooded executioner No please wait for the sake of thy children's souls cried the woman I have not yet finished telling ye about the prophecy Water and spirit must bring fire to the place where earth and air meet which means The executioner stepped forward and pushed the witch off the wooden platform She gave a terrible shriek that was cut short as the rope unraveled flew to its full length and cracked to a halt The dead woman swung gently above the heads of the crowd Her shadow fell over Gretel hiding below in the gloom She stared at the witch's slim feet pointing toward the ground beneath her woolen dress Tears of happiness fell down Gretel's cold cheeks At last she thought the Gingerbread Witch is dead A small grin lit up her face and she punched the air silently Long live the NEW WITCH
