I am not
saying my cousin didn’t have faults, because she did. She
borrowed books and would not return them until asked. She used ALL CAPS to
write of excitement or outrage. And she was convinced sugar was the most
important thing in the universe. So what if she feasted in dulce de leche cake
for breakfast and spotted dick for lunch? Her mouth was hers to use as she
pleased.
Yes, my
cousin was weird. But being peculiar--or nutty enough to think building a
cottage out of bread, cake, and sugar was a good idea--does not make a person
evil. It was her land, her sweets, her magic. And no one had the right to tell
her what to do with her stuff. Especially not a pair of homicidal brats with
entitlement issues.
So that is
a hard “no”,
Your Honor. I will not remove the death curse my cousin put on Hansel and
Gretel. They will never be able to consume anything but sweets: not when their
teeth start to rot, not when their blood turns treacle-black, not when their
hearts get so inflamed they pop. If they eat anything other than bread and cake
and sugar, oh my! their innards will burst into outers. But do not fret, I am
no heartless witch. I have baked three apples the two darlings can devour
without triggering my cousin’s curse.
photo by Liia, on Unsplash
– for
Poets and Storytellers United (Friday Writings #124: Word List)
