Hansel and... Cristel?!

- Year xxxx month xx day 7

I’ve been exploring this forest for the past 20 days. At first, I thought it was going to be like any other exploration requests I get; exploring the newly emerged forests and drawing a rough sketch of their layout.

But no matter where I go or what direction I turn, there doesn’t seem to be any end to this dense forest. It doesn’t even seem like I’m getting close to any exit. 

The further I go the stranger everything gets. The leaves are getting lighter in color and their texture is getting softer and fluffier. The woods are becoming smoother as I go and they seem to be getting shinier as well. Maybe I’m on the right track. Maybe there is something at the end of this never-seen-before path.

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- Year xxxx month xx day 11

It seems like I’m onto something. The scenery has changed completely since yesterday. All the leaves and grasses have turned into… cotton candy? The sound of their crunches under my feet plays with my ears. In addition to that the woods have also become chocolates! Depending on the type of the tree, some are bitter dark chocolates, while there are ones so sweet and so full of sugar they shine under the sunlight. 

This is the first time in my whole life I’ve ever seen something like this. Never even heard of anything remotely close to this…

The fruits almost look the same except for their size and color; tiny purple apples, gigantic green bananas much taller and heavier than me to the point of bending their trees to the ground, blue strawberries that grow on trees, and so on.

The worst part is everything smells so sickeningly sweet I’m starting to feel a sharp pain in my throat and stomach; feeling like I’m about to throw up. I need to rest for a little…

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- Year xxxx month xx day 13

After being in this environment for a few days I’ve finally started to get used to it but to my surprise, I’ve arrived at a one-story house! In a place like this! A Cottage house, or at least that’s what it looks like; Its walls are made out of waffles, with cream cheese dripping from the top of the roofs, surrounded by lots of weird lollipops and odd candies instead that seem to be flowers.

The windows are closed so I can’t see the inside of the house. Instead, I take a walk around the building. If there is a house then there should at the very least be a person around. But no one seems to be here. I also tried knocking on the door but no one answered. 

Looking at the top of the house I saw a chimney. It looked like weak smoke was slowly coming out of the chimney; like the fire had gone out pretty recently. Seems like the owner of the house has just stepped out. If I stick around I’ll most likely see them coming back.

I sat in a corner leaning on the house’s wall. Now that I think about it, who would be living in a place like this? Are they even human? Or some unknown existence? 

As the questions ate away at my brain, the fatigue of walking nonstop for the whole day caught up with my body. With my eyes getting heavier with each passing second, my vision also turned blurry and I slowly fell into a deep slumber. Just before losing my consciousness completely, I thought I felt someone standing before me. 

I just hope they won’t be an enemy or some kind of monster…

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- Year xxxx month xx day 14

The sound of chopping and sizzling of cooking and the nice smell of home-made food, made me open my eyes. As my vision slowly returned, I started sitting and taking a look around.

I was lying on an old bed in the corner of what seemed to be the inside of the cottage house. Beside me was an old fireplace made out of brick-looking biscuits with a set of dining table and chairs in front of it. On the other side were some cabinets and someone who seemed to be cooking there.

I tried to get down from bed when its creaking sound made the person stop. She turned around to look at me. I lost my breath the moment our eyes locked. She was stunning. Simply the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen in my life. She looked just out of this world. How can a human being be this beautiful?

Long sparkling pearl platinum blonde hair that shone bright even in this dark room with little light. Beautiful green eyes that emerald would fall short in comparison to them.

As I was busy admiring her beauty, she put down her knife and came towards me.

“Hello,” she said in a soothing angelic voice with a warm smile. “I don’t get many visitors here” she continued as she tucked her hair from her face to behind her ear “What is your name?”

“h-Hansel” I stuttered.

Once she as in front of me she stopped and leaned, bringing her face closer to mine. I didn’t know where to look; more like I couldn’t avert my eyes from hers. As if they were drawing me into an endless abyss.

“Nice to meet you, Hansel. My name is Cristel. How did you end up here?”

“I don’t know… I got lost in the forest and couldn’t find my way back, no matter what I did or where I went. Do you know how to get out of here?”

“Unfortunately, no. I’ve lived here all my life since I remember and know my way all around this place but I’ve never seen anything like an exit or a way out”

“Oh no… How am I going to get back now?”

“Hmm…”

she got lost in her thoughts and sat beside me on the bed. Just like Cristel, I too started thinking. What was I supposed to do from here on out?

As we were racking our brains for some time, Cristel sighed.

“Well! If we can’t figure out what to do right now, we should take our time to think about it and find a way.” Said Cristel as she jumped back on her two feet.

“For the time being, why not help me with this and that around the house?” she said as she stretched her hand towards me.

“Huh?!” for a moment I got flustered and confused. But as I calmed down, I didn’t see any reason to refuse. So, I too got up from the bed and shook Cristel’s hand firmly.

“Ok. Please take care of me from now on, Cristel”

Cristel smiled brightly at me and said “You too Hansel!”

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- Year xxxx month xx day 23

Life with Cristel was pretty peaceful. We did everything together; working on the fields around the house in the morning, hunting every once in a while, cooking and eating. Although the foods that Cristel made had a funny taste. Especially the meats. They were sweeter than any kind of meat I’ve had before. I guess here everything tastes sweeter than the outer world…

As we lived together and supported each other through tough times and good times, we got pretty close to each other. 

Maybe I should just live the rest of my life here with Cristel and forget the outside world. In the first place, there isn’t anything nor anyone waiting for me there. Not after my parent’s death when I was 14.

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- Year xxxx month xx day 25

Spending our days idly, one day just like any other, we were working on the field as usual when it suddenly started raining cats and dogs.

As rain poured down, we ran to the house in a hurry and closed the door behind us. We were both drenched in water. I turned towards Cristel.

“You can use the bathroom fir-”

I couldn’t believe my eyes. Cristel, with her back towards me, had started taking off her clothes right there and then.

“u- um… C-Cristel?!”

Cristel stopped for a second and looked at me from over her shoulder with narrow eyes. 

Clink. 

She locked the door in front of her. Then holding her shirt in front of her chest, she turned towards me shyly. Letting go of her shirt as she approached me slowly.

“Huh…?” my confusion got the better of me.

“What is it Hansel?” she asked as she smiled softly. Her hair color seemed to be… melting?! From underneath it, a bright red color was peeking through.

But rather than that, I know some people have like… smaller chests; but didn’t know one could be… THIS flat…

“It’s almost like…?”

“Ha ha ha… like I’m not a human nor a girl?” said Cristel as she laughed.

With each step she took towards me I took a step backwards. Until my back hit the wall. There was nowhere else I could go. She crept closer to me. So close that I could feel her heartbeat on mine.

As she looked up at me, she had the nastiest grin I had ever seen in my life.

“Well…” said Cristel. “That’s because I’m not <3”