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Hansel and Gretel: the real story

May 20, 2014 By Emily 26 Comments

The tale of Hansel and Gretel is well known
They fooled the witch with a chicken bone
They crisped her up on an open flame
And received only praise, and none of the blame
 
But look a little closer at these two
With innocent eyes of sparkling blue
They’d have you believe the fault was not theirs
That the gingerbread house caught them unawares
 
But what if I told you the house was brick?
That Hansel and Gretel played a trick?
That their parents didn’t leave them alone that day?
That they in fact… ran away?
 
That they saw the old lady, the withered crone
They knew that she was living alone
That they played on her sympathies, pretended to be kind
Then swooped in and robbed the woman blind?
 
Oh yes – don’t believe all you read
Hansel and Gretel existed, that is certainly agreed
But unsuspecting victims? No, not those two
So be careful – next, they could target you!
 
—-
 
Each month, I receive a writing prompt as part of a link-up called Writers Reveal. This post was inspired by the prompt ‘a tale about siblings with a magical twist’ from Rhianna at A Parenting Life.

You can see what everyone else has done with the same prompt at:

Melissa Writes

the Wolfe’s Den
Imagine! Create! Write!

A Parenting Life
Author Ashley Howland

 

How would you rewrite Hansel and Gretel if you had the chance?

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel, words, writing

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Comments

  1. Rhianna SG says

    May 20, 2014 at 9:14 am

    oh I love it! You are such a clever clogs!

    Reply
    • Emily says

      May 27, 2014 at 11:35 am

      Thank you lovely, and thanks for the prompt! At first I had no idea what to do, but the Hansel and Gretel jumped out at me.

      Reply
  2. Denise Mooney says

    May 20, 2014 at 9:51 am

    Oh you have such a way with words Emily! I love it, and I’m tempted to join your blog prompts. I need to work on my poetry though!

    Reply
    • Emily says

      May 27, 2014 at 11:36 am

      Thanks Denise! A ‘need to work on poetry’ is the perfect reason to join in – I’ll see what everyone thinks.

      Reply
  3. Claire Hewitt says

    May 20, 2014 at 11:37 am

    Great work, I loved this. Entertaining…and possibly true??

    Reply
    • Emily says

      May 27, 2014 at 11:37 am

      Possibly – who knows what those Grimm brothers saw?

      Reply
  4. Me says

    May 20, 2014 at 12:31 pm

    Love it – what a great twist you put on an old favourite.
    Have the best day !
    Me

    Reply
    • Emily says

      May 27, 2014 at 11:37 am

      Thank you!

      Reply
  5. Jodi Gibson says

    May 20, 2014 at 1:21 pm

    Your clever wit never ceases to amaze me Em x

    Reply
    • Emily says

      May 27, 2014 at 11:39 am

      What a lovely thing to say! Blushing. x

      Reply
  6. Renee Wilson says

    May 20, 2014 at 1:54 pm

    You really have a gift! I am in awe. This is awesome xx

    Reply
    • Emily says

      May 27, 2014 at 11:40 am

      Thanks Renee!

      Reply
  7. Emily @ Have A Laugh On Me says

    May 21, 2014 at 2:26 pm

    You sure are a wordsmith Em – that is just perfect! I do hope you have these somewhere to be published one day!!! Em – also visiting as part of #teamIBOT x

    Reply
    • Emily says

      May 27, 2014 at 11:40 am

      I certainly do – right here! (Mental note: back up this blog.)

      Reply
  8. Aroha @ Colours of Sunset says

    May 21, 2014 at 2:35 pm

    gosh you are so clever! I don’t know why I am always surprised by just how clever you are! Sorry lol! This is fantastic!

    Reply
    • Emily says

      May 27, 2014 at 11:40 am

      I’m surprised by all these comments telling me I’m clever so don’t worry, I’m not at all offended! x

      Reply
  9. EssentiallyJess says

    May 21, 2014 at 3:30 pm

    Oh that’s awesome! Best fairy tale ever. And I reckon probably far more likely than the other!

    Reply
    • Emily says

      May 27, 2014 at 11:41 am

      Thanks Jess. Yeah, there was just something not quite right about H&G, wasn’t there?

      Reply
  10. Lauren Matheson says

    May 23, 2014 at 9:58 pm

    You are so clever, i love it 🙂

    Reply
    • Emily says

      May 27, 2014 at 11:41 am

      Thanks Lauren!

      Reply
  11. J.C. Wolfe says

    May 24, 2014 at 8:43 am

    Haha, love it! Hansel and Gretel with a dark yet hilarious twist. Very clever indeed! Well done!

    Reply
    • Emily says

      May 27, 2014 at 11:42 am

      Thank you! Glad it’s hilarious – I just thought it was disturbing.

      Reply
  12. Kelly Exeter says

    May 26, 2014 at 12:37 am

    Ah love your poems Em. And love your take on Hansel and Gretel!!

    Reply
    • Emily says

      May 27, 2014 at 11:42 am

      Thanks Kelly!

      Reply
  13. Sonia LifeLoveandHiccups says

    May 26, 2014 at 9:59 pm

    That is awesome Em and it pretty much sums up the modern day fairy tales – the tabloids and media who often make the wrong person seem like the villain xx

    Reply
    • Emily says

      May 27, 2014 at 11:43 am

      What an observation. You’ve just added much more depth to this poem than I intended. Brilliant – thank you!

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Emily

I parent. I write. I blog. I play with words and numbers in my head. Constantly. It's crowded in there.

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