After Hansel and Gretel trapped the old hungry witch in her very own oven, and ate her for their dinner. They stayed in the house to live and fed off the house made of sweets, little by little.
Every day Hansel set out into the woods in hopes of finding his father. Each day he set out, he left markers in the ground to help him find his way back. He used stones, branches, pieces of clothing he torn off to tie to branches, anything to help him get back to his sister.
The day came when Hansel’s search proved successful. His father was thrilled to see his son and hugged him tight. His father told him his step mother was no more and asked after his daughter Gretel.
“Gretel is alive and well, father. She is staying in the only home we’ve known since we lost you”.
Father was overcome with tears and demanded to be taken to her right away. So Hansel took the hand of his father and led him deep into the woods, farther than his father had ever dared to venture. Then the house of sweets came into view and Father was flabbergasted seeing the house before him. As he stood in awe taking in the sight of the house, Hansel ran ahead and called for his little sister to come out.
Gretel hearing her brother, she stepped out to see her father standing there before her, tears of joy in his eyes. He opened his arms to her as she made a dash to her father and embraced him. They all hugged each other as one unit. Then Father broke away to ask the children how had they survived this long alone. The children exclaimed how they’d been eating off the house of sweets for some time after eating all the food the witch had, had in storage. The father marveled at their story and dared to walk closer to the house to inspect it.
“I see you rascals aren’t the only ones doing some nibbling”, Father joked as he pointed out some missing pieces to the side of the house. The children giggled.
Father turned to face his children knelt down and opened his arms again to welcome them back in.
“Come now, all that indulging in sweets cannot have been good for your teeth. Let me see them”.
The children both displayed their teeth that definitely showed signs of lasting decay. Father stood up resting his fists upon his waistline. Thoughtfully, he looked to them both and sighed.
“Well my children, it’s definitely time for you both to return home, so if you have any belongings here, gather them to you and follow me out. They did as they were told, grateful to have their father back in their lives.
As they followed, Father lectured them, that they were never to return to this house again, in fact forget it’s very existence. Life was about to get way better for all of them.
“But !! First order of business” he said holding up his index finger and stated ” is to take you both to the village dentist. I heard the old lady who lives in a shoe, no longer runs an orphanage but now has converted her home to a dentist office”. The children looked to each other, both their mouths shaped in an O. Father turned to quickly look at his kids and saw their worried little faces.
“No worries children, this is only a check up” he told them then turned back to continue leading them out of the forest and onto an old familiar dirt trail that would take them to town.
Upon arriving at the office, the lobby had a few other patients waiting. The old woman was at the desk and welcomed Father and the children in. The children looked around the office and how it was decorated with canvases of bright colorful paintings clearly done by other children that hung on light colored blue walls. Toys were scattered on the floor and books lined the tables and bookshelves. Father instructed the children to have a seat while he talked to the old woman.
When Father finished signing the kids in for their visit, one patient was escorted out by a very tall wolf. His snout was covered by a face mask. Hansel’s eyes looked to the child patient with tears streaming down his cheeks. Hansel’s eyes darted to the wolf as he spoke to his receptionist, then back to the sobbing child.
The child was clearly upset about the work done on his teeth. His teeth seemed to have all been sharpened into canines, and were freakishly too large for the child’s little mouth. The upper teeth hung out long and heavy out of the child’s mouth as drool dripped from his lower lip and sides of his mouth The mother of the child tried to console the child as she gathered her belongings then led the child out.
The Wolf looked around and called out “Next !!”
“Umm Father?” Hansel called as he pulled on his father’s shirt sleeve. Father had been deeply engrossed in a magazine when he turned to see his son in obvious distress. “It’s your turn my boy, run along now and do what you’re told. They’re gonna take good care of you”, Father urged then returned his attention to his magazine. The Wolf laid his huge sharp paw upon Hansel’s shoulder and led him down the hall to one of the exam rooms. One of the pigs came trotting in behind the Wolf ready to assist him.
The Wolf told the pig “Prep him for me, I’ll be back in five”.
The pig answered “Yes sir, Doc” and set to work laying out tools that would be needed for the exam. Hansel began to breathe fast and hard and dared to ask ” What is he gonna do to me?”. The pig smiled and said “Not to worry, the exam won’t hurt a bit and you’ll be asleep for it” then winked. Before Hansel could protest further and hop off the chair, the pig had already strapped Hansel’s wrists down to the arm rests then started on his ankles. Hansel started to holler for help, when the pig covered his nose and mouth suddenly with a rubber mask attached to a long hose connecting to a long skinny tank nearby.
Oh dear me, what is this thing? Father can’t possibly hear me now, Hansel thought as his panic exploded by leaps and bounds. The pig seeing the fear in the boy’s eyes, tried to reassure Hansel all would be well “These straps are for your safety and the dentist while he works on you. This mask will just help you to smell something pleasant to relax you” he said as he began to turn the knob over and over . Hansel’s eye lids became heavy, and as much as he tried to fight the drowsiness that was coming over him from inhaling the fresh pleasant mix scent of flowers and honey, his eyes closed, his body relaxed and stilled.
*****************
Sometime later, Hansel began to slowly wake. The voices around him were not clear to him sounding muffled and far away and the figures of the two bodies standing near him were blurry. “Call me when he’s fully awake” the deep gruff voice said. The little pig began to loosen the straps then removed the mask from Hansel’s face. The boy was coming back around more but still felt too weak to move about. Something didn’t feel right, Hansel noticed. His face felt heavy and numb. Just what was this, they did to him, he wondered. He reached up to feel his face.
Oh no the boy thought. His fingers traced his bottom lip till he felt something sharp. Hard like bone…teeth…But, how? This can’t be right.
Tears began to well up in Hansel’s eyes. He was clearly distressed by his condition. His teeth were just like the kid before him. He traced one of his canine teeth that protruded out. He pricked his finger at the tip and immediately drew blood. He raised his finger to see a droplet run down the side of his finger.
The pig noticed Hansel awake and smiled grandly “Oh good, you’re awake now”. The pig turned to grab a hand mirror that sat on the counter behind Hansel’s seat and presented the mirror up to Hansel so he could see his teeth. “Whaddaya think ? Not bad, right. Who needs a knife and fork with chompers like this?” the pig pressed for a response. It was then he noticed the blood running down Hansel’s finger.
“Uh oh, we better clean that up and cover it before the dentist gets back. We don’t want to tempt him. He’s been on the wagon for quite some time now after a long stay in rehab, we don’t wanna set him off again” the pig said nervously and chuckled as he began pulling out alcohol swabs and band aids from a drawer to quickly clean up and bandage the boy’s finger.
The music that played over the radio low enough just for the patient to hear played a Broadway tune to Jack and the Beanstalk. It was the thunderous voice of the giant singing “Fe Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of an English man”. Hansel began to openly weep ” I want my father”.
The pig hopped off the seat he’d been sitting on and mumbled “Be right back”. He returned shortly and told Hansel “The Dentist will be with you shortly, just wait here”.
“Why did you let him do this to me?” Hansel moaned.
“Hey kid, better you than me”, the pig retorted and scampered off.
“My father will have your head for this, Pig !!” Hansel yelled behind him.
The Wolf made his entrance into the exam room and asked “What’s this with the threats, kid? The Pig’s head is already on the chopping block tonight, not that you’ll benefit much from it. Go home and have your father make your own meal. You’re done here, I’m gonna see you out”. He escorted Hansel back to the lobby, scanned the room resting his hungry eyes on Gretel. “Next !!’ he bellowed.
Hansel ran to his father’s waiting arms as Father examined the Wolf’s handiwork on the boy’s teeth. Father became enraged and challenged the Wolf where he stood.
“Mr. Wolf , what is the meaning of this ? Look at my boy ? What have you done to him?” Father demanded.
“What? I don’t understand what you’re getting so excited about” the Wolf responded innocently shrugging his shoulders.
“Clearly, you see the damage you’ve done to my boy. Exactly what kind of business are you running here? He can’t even close his mouth” Father yelled.
“Whoa there, Pops!! I’ll not have you trying to shame me, I’m in the business of providing healthy teeth care, here. And I did!! Didn’t you see our slogan on the wall?’ he pointed out to the wall space over the receptionists desk. “The Better To Eat With” The Wolf read aloud. For your information, kids his age have a hard time keeping their mouth shut as it is, so I don’t know what your problem is here, PAL !!” The Wolf barked back as he gave Father a shove. Father being forced to take a step back. The Wolf turned to go talk to the old woman at the desk who watched the exchange nervously until he looked out the window at something that caught his eye.
Father was still raging as the old woman tried to appease the angry father. The Wolf turned his gaze away away and yelled again, “Next!!” watching Gretel as she stood up to go to him and join his hairy paw with her own small hand. Father pulled Gretel back to him and huffed at the Wolf , “I think not”. The Wolf dropped Gretel’s hand dismissively and returned his attention to outside the building, watching something intently. Father pushed past The Wolf leading his children out promising Hansel he would find a way to help him restore his teeth to normal.
“Whatever!!’ the Wolf growled. He did another scan of his waiting area and saw his other patients gazes fixed in horror, holding fast to their own children. The Wolf turned to his receptionist and spoke softly into her ear “Cancel the rest of my appointments for the day. I see an old friend I plan to have an early dinner with”.
The Wolf burst out thru the office doors to run on all fours to catch up to Jack as Jack struggled to pull his cow with the rope towards town with business of his own in mind.
The End
