Twisted

Chapter 6 ~Hansel

Chapter 6

 

Hansel~

I follow the flickering light of Kiara’s torch as we head down the desrted passageway. Mac Tire’s body throws shadows along the walls, sending rats skittering. The long arched tunnel seem to be going on forever, but long walks in the forests tells me we’ve been going about a mile. The three of us walk in silence, and I know Kiara’s still brooding over Mac Tires reaction to the pigs. I understand Kiara’s disgust at the violence, but unlike her, I have lived under the queens rule for six hundred years.

Kiara slows slightly and drops back next to me.

“Hansel, I’m confused.”

‘What?”

“Well, you were how old when you...you know...”

“Got abandoned by my parents, kidnapped by a witch and her pedophile husband and watch my sister be murdered right in front of me?”

I don’t mean to sound bitter, but I’m twisted and burnt on the inside and I need to get it out. That’s why I took the job of forest scout. Somewhere to scream and cry and yell at the absurd unfairness of it all.

“I was eleven, by your time. I’m nineteen now.”

Kiara nods, scared by my outburst. “But, its been six hundred years since that happened, right? So shouldn’t you be, well, dead?”

“Time passes slowly here. Its roughly one year to seventy five. Snow White is twenty nine, but by your years she’s over two thousand years old. Its called your True Age. I’m one thousand two hundred and seventy five years old. Its why only very few people can pass through to your world. Hood can, her cloak is enchanted. If I were to go through without an artifact or enchanted object, I’d get very old, very quickly.”

“So why aren’t I, like, a second old? Doesn’t it work backwards?”

“I’m not sure. It’s probably your mirror. You’ll have to be careful going back-”

Kiara suddenly stops. Turns around and grabs me by the shoulders.

“If time passes slowly here, and I go back in a couple of weeks, it’ll be what, a year and a half later?” She screams the last words and my eyes widen. I hadn’t thought of that.

Mac Tire lays a hand on Kiara.

“We have magic. We have strong witches. We can fix it for you.”

Kiara nods weakly. Already, back home, she’s been missing at least a couple of weeks.

Mac Tire stiffens suddenly. “Lets move.” We obey without question, continuing our walk.

 

Its at least another hour of twisting and turning passageways before we reach any type of exit. A solid looking wooden trapdoor is fixed into the ceiling just before the tunnel abruptly ends. The solid chunk of cedar has an equally solid looking iron ring in the centre. Mac Tire reaches up and grabs it, and pulls down. Nothing happens. He puts both hands to the task and heaves. I walk forward and grab it as well, putting all my strength behind it. We twist the ring and try again, to no avail.

“Bollocks.”

Mac Tire’s outburst pretty much sums up the situation. Then Kiara steps forward tentatively. “Can I try?”

I can’t help it. I snort into my sleeve, trying to disguise my laugh. “You can try, but its seriously not moving.”

Kiara shrugs and grabs the ring. She pushes up. The trapdoor swings open. I stare at her in disbelief.