It was less that Gretel awoke and more she became aware. All was dark, and she felt strange. She opened her eyes - or maybe they were already open? – there was no difference in the darkness. She swung her legs to one side and tried to put her feet on the floor, but she couldn't feel it. She couldn't feel what she was sat on either. She imagined fisting her hands and digging her nails into her palm. There was no pain. Did she even have hands? She searched through her memory. Yes, Gretel did once have hands. And feet. And legs. And… She had a brother. What was his name? There was so much pain in the recent memories, so she skipped them, looking for – ah. Hansel. What had happened to Hansel?
She went back through her memories. There was one – it was elusive, she couldn't catch hold of it – Angrily, she snatched it from the air and smoothed it out and suddenly choked at how
Her finger snapped like a brittle twig
And she was running and running
And the axe came down and she had stumbled and she looked up
As his neck stained the grass crimson in the dancing firelight
Her mind recoiled from the memory but unlike how it had initially dodged her advances this time it plastered itself across her mind, reliving her little brother's death again and again and again.
And then, something was draining her strength. She choked and scrabbled against the grip on her but slowly, slowly it drained away, and then the hand was gone and she fell. For a few hours Gretel couldn't even think as she blacked out from exhaustion.
When she returned to consciousness she did some thinking. This land was made of sugar, but the creatures in it ate each other. Zerachi had eaten the spider instead of the leaves around, and Hansel – Gretel choked again, expecting tears. But they didn't come. She tried to lift a hand to her face, but nothing happened. Oh, yes, she obviously didn't have hands any more. Presumably, they were in Asha's stomach. The thought made Gretel feel sick.
The witch and the big cat… Asha seemed to have other food – though who knew if those beans were real – and actual water, but the cat had drunk her blood. The leaves were soft, it could have eaten them rather, even without teeth. What had Asha said?
"You should have eaten enough."
Enough leaves? Enough sugar? Was it poisoned? Or cursed? Asha'bellanar seemed powerful enough to do that.
There didn't seem to be anything in that land that ate the leaves, except Gretel and Hansel. And everything they had met had tried to eat them.
Why?
What about the bug that Gretel had inadvertently eaten? It had healed her shoulder and finger somewhat, and Asha had finished the job with her magic.
Probably so I didn't bleed to death before she had finished on me. Ugly thoughts.
So, the sugar in this land was cursed, but everything tried to eat whatever ate the sugar.
It must have been Asha who had brought Gretel from London.
G? Is that you? A voice echoed in her mind, a foreign voice.
What? Who are you? Gretel thought back. There was a pause, and she thought they hadn't heard.
Hansel. Gretel felt an electric shock run through what was left of her body and mind as the memories flooded back. Her mind was screaming but so was Hansel's, in her mind, screaming and screaming as the memory replayed again and again and again.
And then the choking sensation came back and all thought rushed out from her mind. This time she remained conscious after the dreadful draining of all emotion and strength, but she was gasping and straining to remain awake.
HANSEL? She cried out. His reply was tired, as tired as she felt, and weak.
Gretel.
What's happened? You were dead. I don't understand, is it actually you?
Yes. I waited for you to come. And now we are together again, my dear sister. And we can change things.
I don't understand.
We're dead, my G. The witch uses our energy as spirits for her spells. I've been waiting so long for you. Now I have you, we can break free of her magic and go home.
Home.
Yes.