I don't own the characters. I just saw the movie and got this in my head. There's death involved, and fire. So if you don't like either, now you know and can find another story to read.

I know your questions; I hear them all the time. How could you do it? What sort of father abandons his children in the woods? Where is he now? I can't answer that last one, haven't been able to for years. All I know is that it's dark and that I have to keep moving. If I stop, there's nothing I can do except replay the memories that haven't begun to fade. That day is one of the most frequent.

Our family was a happy one, not to say it was perfect but we loved each other and suffered the trials together. It was just the four of us: me, my wonderful wife, dear Hansel and darling Gretel. They looked so much like their mother, though Adrianna swore they grew more like me every passing day.

I forget how it started, famine, disease, death. It was enough to drive to dire states. The word 'witch' began to sprout up, spreading like a fire with every new occurrence. The tension could be felt every time I went into town for anything. We knew that something was going to happen, but we never imagined anything as bad as what occurred.

The tension soon gave way to fear. And from that fear, anger. For whatever reasons they had, we were the culprits of their troubles. There was no reasoning with them. Once they thought something, little could be done to change it. All you could do was get out of the way.

That night I learned that they were coming, men with torches and fury in their hearts. What the aim of this venture was I still am not certain, but it was not one of peace.

I arrived home as quickly as I could. Adrianna knew what was happening the moment I walked in. She got the children up. They both were tired and confused. I told them I was taking them on a hunting trip. The lie did not last long. Once the house was out of sight, Hansel asked where my gun was.

Here the memory is clearest. From the darkness the world outside of the lantern's glow to the paleness of Gretel's skin in the cold night air. There had not even been time to grab a jacket. The silence is what I recall the most. They didn't laugh or smile as they always had. It was as though they could tell something was wrong.

Once we were deep enough, I stopped and told them to stay put. They pleaded, begged me not to leave them. I had never yelled at them before, scolded and chastised but never like I did then. I could not even recognize the almost heartlessness that ordered them to stay. It frightened me far more than it did them.

I turned to take one last look at them, both frightened with nothing but the clothes on their back and innocence. Had I known what was ahead, I would not have blown the lantern out. I would have stayed with them and been by their side for as long as I could. But how could I?

I tried not to think about it as I journeyed back. It was as I got closer to the house I realized I could see. There was a light coming from the house, a strong one. I quickened my step, praying what I thought wasn't true. It was. The men had arrived.

They had not even had the decency to give her trial. The fire burned, blazed in front of our doorstep. Whatever remained of my sweet Adrianna could not even be seen beyond the smoke and flames. I fought them off, some emotional mixture of grieve and love compelling me to get to her. I never made it.

If I try hard enough, I can still feel the rope around my neck. Their cheers slowly fade to a silence worse than what had ever existed in the woods. Time begins to slow, though even their faces fade eventually. The flames of the stake soon begin to wipe them from view. All I can do is pray- pray that they remain satisfied with this, that they don't go through the woods in search of Hansel and Gretel. They are the last thing on my mind as the fire disappears.

I suppose I can answer that question after all. I am dead, nothing more than a spirit. The remains of a man in search of those he loves, a father who is still wants to learn of what happened to his son and daughter.

I decided to remove the other chapter and leave this the way I originally published it. Those of you who still think it should be longer needn't worry though. There's a companion piece on the way.