Clever Gretel — Obscure Fairy Tales

A young woman named Gretel worked as a cook in a master’s mansion. Before going to work, she loved to put on her red shoes and twirl around in them.

“You’re such a pretty girl, Gretel,” she told herself while playing with her skirts.

She twirled and twirled and twirled, while having a gulp or two of wine until it was time to go to the master’s mansion for the day.

At work, the maiden would then drink a draught of her boss’ wine and taste the best of what she was cooking, as “the cook ought to know what the food is like,” she justified to herself.

One morning, her master came to the kitchen to announce he would be receiving a guest that evening.

“Prepare two fowls very daintily,” he instructed Gretel.

Thus, Gretel killed two chickens, plucked them and put them on the spit, ready to roast them when the evening would come. As her master announced when the guest should arrive, Gretel started the fire to roast the two fowls, aiming for them to be ready at the perfect time for tonight’s dinner. The young woman watched the chickens on the spit, salivating at the idea of digging her teeth into their roasted flesh.

As the fowls were almost ready, there was still no sign of the guest, so she went to question her master.

“My guest should be here soon, I will go out and get him,” he answered.

And so the master went out to look for his guest. Gretel, watching the birds cook in the kitchen, thought it a shame not to eat the fowls when they were at the juiciest. She placed them to the side of the spit to slow down the cooking and went down to the cellar to get a drink. As she gulped down one hearty sip after another, the maiden thought to herself “a drink always comes as a pair.” Thus, she drank another draught of her master’s delicious wine.

Once her thirst was quenched, Gretel went back to the kitchen to put the fowls back on the fire, expecting her master and his guest to arrive any minute now! She basted the birds and drove the spit around, cooking them deliciously all over.

“It smells so good!” thought Gretel. “I should ensure the birds are tasty with just a little taste! It would truly be a shame for the chickens not to be eaten at the exact right time.”

She touched one fowl before licking her fingers. “Mmmmh….” she uttered under her breath.

Gretel approached the kitchen window, and looked outside at the road. There was no sign of her master nor of his guest. She sighed and set her gaze on the two fowls again. One wing was getting quite crispy from being on the spit for so long.

“Since it will soon burn, perhaps I could eat the tiny wing,” whispered Gretel.

And so she did.

The poultry meat was both crispy and tender, with a wonderfully juicy taste. The fowl was truly finger-licking good!

Gretel checked the road for anyone coming towards the mansion and, still seeing no soul coming her way, turned back towards the two fowls on the spit. The second wing of the smallest bird was also getting crispy.

“I ought to eat the second one too or Master will notice something missing!” she thought before picking and eating the second wing on the chicken.

Gretel was done savouring the second wing in a heartbeat, though her master had still not arrived. The fowls were now soon to be well done on the spit. The young woman had worked up quite an appetite from cooking. She picked one of the chickens off the spit and bit into the delicious bird, warm grease dripping down her chin.

Once she had eaten the chicken practically whole, Gretel licked her fingers clean and looked out the kitchen window again. She sighed. Still no sight of her master and his guest! The young woman gazed upon the second fowl on the spit, her stomach not quite full from her previous snacking.

“What a pity this second fowl should not be eaten when it is ready. What the other one is, this one should likewise be, as the two lived and died together,” thought Gretel, licking her lips.

Without hesitating one more second, she picked the second chicken off the spit and bit into it joyfully. In no time, Gretel devoured the bird, leaving only naked bones. She washed it all down with another draught of deliciously sweet wine.

As she gulped the last of the tasty liquid down, she heard noise in the dining room. Gretel ran to see her master sharpening his knife to cut the fowls, announcing his guest’s arrival would follow in no time. Gretel told her master she would get the fowls right away for service.

Instead, the young lady went to the entrance with her service tray and stopped the guest in his tracks, before putting a finger to her lips.

“Hush, hush. You should run while you still can for, you see, Master has invited you on the pretense of sharing dinner, but what he really intends to do is cut off both your ears and eat them! Hear him sharpen his knife in the dining room?” said Gretel, the sound of a knife being sharpened in the background.

The eyes of the guest widened, and he ran down the steps in front of the mansion faster than the wind! Gretel went back to the dining room.

“What a fine guest you invited,” said Gretel sarcastically.

“Why would you say such a thing!” responded her master, taken aback.

“He has taken both chickens I was about to serve up off their dish and ran away with both of them!” lied Gretel.

“Nice trick…” deplored her master. “If he had only left me one, at least I’d have something to eat!”

The master then ran after his guest, knife still in hand, to get one of the cooked fowls back. The guest, who pretended not to hear his plea, was convinced he wanted to cut off his ears still!

“Just one! Please, just one!” shouted the master, referring to the birds.

However, the guest thought he was asking for one of his ears, pleading for him to give him “just one,” and ran faster than any human ever has, the hungry master on his heels.

The serie Obscure Fairy Tales encompasses an array of tales, myths and legends from around the world. To read more, visit this page dedicated to fiction writing.