Ella

The stars are bright tonight. I look up at the deep sky and wonder if it could swallow me whole.  My finger traces the king’s seal upon the ring on my hand, the cold metal feels soft beneath my touch. It’s been two weeks since the festival; the ball is tonight. I can hardly contain my excitement. My breath escapes me in tiny little puffs that billow lamely in the air and waft up to join the clouds. I think about Amphi-tonight I will see him again: tonight we will dance and then we will never be apart again. I close my eyes and sigh.

“The little ones are asleep,” Jack says, popping up and climbing from the bed of the wagon to join father and I in the front.

“Thank you Jack,” Father says.

We sit in silence for a moment before Jack asks, “Gotten any new jewelry lately Ella?”

My face turns red and I quickly cover the ring with my hand as I notice him staring at it curiously. “No, why do you ask?”

“Just wondering,” He shrugs suspiciously.

“That’s an odd question Jack,” Father says.

“No, I could ask you the same thing really,” He says, “Gotten any new jewelry lately father?”

“Well,” He says and then pauses for a long moment.

I look up at my father and my eyes drift to his hand, there on his fourth finger is a ring that I have never seen before. It is nothing like the simple gold band he shared with mother, it’s intricate and exquisite. 

“Father. Is there a ring on your hand?” I ask. I feel an odd sense of betrayal, he’s never taken mother’s ring off once; I wonder what could have changed his mind.

“Oh this?” He asks, flashing the sparkly artifact, “I picked it up today.”

“What’s it for?” I ask, trying to keep my tone even.

“Why are you wearing it on your fourth finger?” Jack asks seeing it for the first time, he looks confused, hurt and upset.

“Jack,” I say trying to calm him down.

“Where’s mom’s ring?” He asks, his volume rising.

“Jack,” I warn him, putting my hand on his elbow.

“Jack, calm down,” father says, “Mrs. Diamond and I-”

“Don’t tell me you married that witch!” Jack yells.

“Don’t talk about her that way Jack!” Father commands, his voice rising.

“Jack!” I say again, grabbing his shoulder.

He shrugs my arm off and yells, “I’ll talk about her however I like! You’re replacing mother! How could you do that!”

“I’m not replacing her!” Father yells back.

Gretel lets out a little cry as she gets woken up by father’s strong voice.

“Yes you are!” Jack screams, “You never talk about her! You act as though she never existed in the first place! She loved you with all her heart and you don’t care!”

“That’s not what’s going on here Jack!” Father chokes, he starts to cry. I’ve never seen him cry before. He is a great, large man. I always thought the kids in town were scared of him because of his calm countenance, but I am more disturbed by this new sorrowful one.

“Sure!” Jack shouts, “Cry now!” I see beads of tears in the corners of his eyes starting to form and leak down his face, “Cry! See if I care! What do I care if you never loved my mother!” Jack looks hysterical.

“Jack please,” I whisper.

My grip tightens on the side of the wagon as we begin our descent along a dangerously steep hill. 

“Jack! I loved your mother more than you could imagine!” Father roars.

“Sure that’s why you took off the ring!” 

“I took off the ring because your mother would want your younger siblings to be raised with a mom!” A clap of thunder startles Jack to silence and rain begins to pour turning the road to mud, the wagon begins to rattle along at a concerning pace.

“What?” Jack asks, his voice dangerously low, almost too quiet to hear over the pouring rain.

“I married her Jack! Hansel and Gretel deserve a mother and Ella shouldn’t have to do it!” Father sobs.

There is a silence unlike any other, the whistling wind and the clunk of the wagon wheels in the mud are almost quieted by the betrayed, empty eyes of my brother.

“I hate you,” Jack whispers as his eyes begin to cry harder than the sky, “I hate you!” He screams.

“I had to do it Jack, I'm sorry! I’m so sorry!” Father sobs harder than ever, his face wet and shining in the moonlight.

I clutch the seat of the wagon tight as we bump along and I see the slack in the reigns as father’s hands shake.

“I hate you! I hate you!” Jack screams again as loud as he can.

I know what is going to happen a split second before it does. My heart drops out of my breast and I feel the bump of the carriage as it slides in the mud and runs over the horses, no longer moving fast enough to stay before it. 

“Father!” I shout.

In a second the horses are beneath us, I scream as we trample the beasts. The sound of their pitiful squealing fills my ears as the mud sucks them under and we slide down the mountain before them. For a moment I wonder if it will be alright, if all we have to lose are the horses. And then the reigns go taught and pull father down with them.

“Father!” Jack screams, reaching out to catch him.

But it’s too late. With the sickening sound of a body sinking into the ground and the horrifying bump of the wagon as it grounds his bones to dust and leaves him buried behind us, we hear father’s last words-a scream.

Thunder claps and we slide at an alarming rate down the mountain, faster and faster, leaving father and the horses far behind. 

“Gretel!” Jack shouts. 

He climbs into the back of the wagon and I follow close behind, the wagon speeds up ever faster, sliding eagerly to our grave. There is an awful sucking sound as one of the wheels snaps and is pulled into the mud. The wagon jolts, Gretel screams as Jack snatches her up and holds her close to his shoulder.

“Ella!” Hansel cries, tears running down his small wet face.

I reach out and catch his small hands in mine, “It’ll be alright!” I cry.

There is another crack of wood blending into the tremendous pound of the storm and the second back wheel sinks into the mud behind us. Hansel yells and clutches me tightly so he won’t fall out as the wagon begins to jolt out of control.

“We have to jump!” Jack yells, “Here!”

He reaches out his free arm. I hold tightly to Hansel as Jack gives me a hand to the edge of the wagon. “Go!” Jack shouts.

I look at the flashing sky and I’m suddenly very afraid, afraid of the mud that stole the horses, afraid of the mud that took the wheels, and afraid of the mud that buried my father. I crouch petrified at the edge of the wagon and then I feel Jack’s hand on my back and I fall forward pulling a screaming Hansel with me.

I hear a squelching sound as we land in the mud, I push myself up and I sink knee deep into the murk. Hansel screams, the mud up to his shoulders, his arms flail pitifully above his head. I reach out and pull him to me, plunging myself deeper into the grimy ground.

I hear a thump not far away and turn to see Jack also knee deep in the spongy earth, Gretel pulled closely to his breast, shrieking at the top of her lungs. The rain pours down on us and I look around panicked.

“What now!” I yell, feeling myself slowly sink into the dirt.

“There’s a branch!” He points to the branch, “If you can get to it you can pull us all out!”

“And then?” I yell, my senses calming down as I focus on the branch beside me and think what the best way to reach it is.

“Then we wait in a tree for the storm to pass.”

“What about father?” I call.

“He’s gone Ella,” Jack cries, his voice breaking, “It’s too late Ella.”

I feel my world crashing down, my mind goes limp and my brain grows fuzzy. I’m all they have, I have to take care of them. I have to get them out.