placed her carefully on the floor, bent over her, and, with his two rotten teeth, bit her lip until he drew blood. Then, ever so tenderly, the unhandsome man sucked three drops of blood from her lip with his mouth.
The queen began to stir. But just then, the king burst into the room. He had followed Johannes all through the palace and had watched at a crack in the door as Johannesâhis once faithful Johannesâhad done something unspeakable to his new queen.
âTreason!â he bellowed at the top of his lungs. âTreason!â The other servants quickly ran to their kingâs aid.
âKing!â Johannes said. âPlease! Trust me!â
âTake him to the dungeons!â the young king shouted. âTomorrow, he dies!â
Â
The next day, Johannes was led from the dungeons to the top of a funeral pyre. There he was tied as a torch was readied to set the great stack of hay and tinder on fire.
The king watched with his new queen at his side. She had fully recovered from the day before. But both wore black, and their faces were somber. âHe was like a father to me,â the young king said. The queen took his hand.
The executioner lit his torch and brought it to the pyre, its sparks leaping eagerly at the dry tinder. Behind the king, the jealous servants muttered and smiled to one another.
But just before the executioner could set the pyre alight, Johannes called out, âKing! To whom I have been faithful, and to whose father, and fatherâs father, and fatherâs fatherâs father I was faithful before that. Will you allow me to speak before I die?â
The young king sadly inclined his head and said, âSpeak.â
And so Johannes spoke. He told of seeing the three ravens on the ship. He told of hearing them speak. He told of their prophecy of the chestnut stallion.
And as he told it, he turned to stone, from the tips of his toes to the knobs of his knees.
All the spectators gasped. But Johannes went on.
He told of the ravensâ prophecy of the bridal gown.
And as did, he turned to stone, from the knobs of his knees to the core of his heart.
In the crowd, mouths fell open.
Finally, he told of the ravensâ prophecy of the wedding dance.
And when he had, he turned to stone, from the core of his heart to the top of his head.
And he died.
A great wail went up from all assembled. For they had learned, too late, that Johannes had been faithful to the very end, and had given his life for his king.
The king and the queen, in an effort to honor his memory, took Faithful Johannes, grotesque even in stone, and placed him beside their bed so that every morning when they woke up, and every evening when they lay down, they would be reminded of his faithfulness, and the great debt they owed him.
The End
Well, not really.
More like, The Beginning. For it is here that the tale of Hansel and Gretel truly begins.
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The king and the queen soon had a pair of beautiful twins, a girl and a boy. They named the boy Hansel and the girl Gretel. They were the light of their parentsâ lives. Hansel was dark like his father, with black curly hair and charcoal eyes. Gretel was fair like her mother, with hair that looked like it was spun from pure gold thread and eyes that shone like the sea. They were happy children, full of play and mischief and joy. So happy were they, in fact, that they nearly made their parents forget the faithful servant who had saved their lives, and how they had betrayed him.
Nearly. But not quite.
And one day, as the king played with Hansel and Gretel at the foot of his bed, and the queen was off in chapel praying, he began to cry. âHe under-stood me,â the king said, âthough I did not under-stand him.â He fell to the foot of the statue and wept. When his tears touched the stone, something miraculous happened. Johannes spoke.
âThere is a way, king,â the stone Johannes said, âto rescue me from this
The queen began to stir. But just then, the king burst into the room. He had followed Johannes all through the palace and had watched at a crack in the door as Johannesâhis once faithful Johannesâhad done something unspeakable to his new queen.
âTreason!â he bellowed at the top of his lungs. âTreason!â The other servants quickly ran to their kingâs aid.
âKing!â Johannes said. âPlease! Trust me!â
âTake him to the dungeons!â the young king shouted. âTomorrow, he dies!â
Â
The next day, Johannes was led from the dungeons to the top of a funeral pyre. There he was tied as a torch was readied to set the great stack of hay and tinder on fire.
The king watched with his new queen at his side. She had fully recovered from the day before. But both wore black, and their faces were somber. âHe was like a father to me,â the young king said. The queen took his hand.
The executioner lit his torch and brought it to the pyre, its sparks leaping eagerly at the dry tinder. Behind the king, the jealous servants muttered and smiled to one another.
But just before the executioner could set the pyre alight, Johannes called out, âKing! To whom I have been faithful, and to whose father, and fatherâs father, and fatherâs fatherâs father I was faithful before that. Will you allow me to speak before I die?â
The young king sadly inclined his head and said, âSpeak.â
And so Johannes spoke. He told of seeing the three ravens on the ship. He told of hearing them speak. He told of their prophecy of the chestnut stallion.
And as he told it, he turned to stone, from the tips of his toes to the knobs of his knees.
All the spectators gasped. But Johannes went on.
He told of the ravensâ prophecy of the bridal gown.
And as did, he turned to stone, from the knobs of his knees to the core of his heart.
In the crowd, mouths fell open.
Finally, he told of the ravensâ prophecy of the wedding dance.
And when he had, he turned to stone, from the core of his heart to the top of his head.
And he died.
A great wail went up from all assembled. For they had learned, too late, that Johannes had been faithful to the very end, and had given his life for his king.
The king and the queen, in an effort to honor his memory, took Faithful Johannes, grotesque even in stone, and placed him beside their bed so that every morning when they woke up, and every evening when they lay down, they would be reminded of his faithfulness, and the great debt they owed him.
The End
Well, not really.
More like, The Beginning. For it is here that the tale of Hansel and Gretel truly begins.
Â
Â
The king and the queen soon had a pair of beautiful twins, a girl and a boy. They named the boy Hansel and the girl Gretel. They were the light of their parentsâ lives. Hansel was dark like his father, with black curly hair and charcoal eyes. Gretel was fair like her mother, with hair that looked like it was spun from pure gold thread and eyes that shone like the sea. They were happy children, full of play and mischief and joy. So happy were they, in fact, that they nearly made their parents forget the faithful servant who had saved their lives, and how they had betrayed him.
Nearly. But not quite.
And one day, as the king played with Hansel and Gretel at the foot of his bed, and the queen was off in chapel praying, he began to cry. âHe under-stood me,â the king said, âthough I did not under-stand him.â He fell to the foot of the statue and wept. When his tears touched the stone, something miraculous happened. Johannes spoke.
âThere is a way, king,â the stone Johannes said, âto rescue me from this