Yeah Write #96: The Cottage ( #amwriting #microstory )

“Witch,” men spat, clawing gingerbread, shattering spun-sugar, leaving slather and destruction. The horror wasn’t the invasion but knowing they’d return.

She torched them alive.

The Hansels and Grendals would endure in tales as innocent boys while her name faded.

“I shall roast them all,” she vowed until the last.

6 comments on “Yeah Write #96: The Cottage ( #amwriting #microstory )”

unfoldingfromthefog
February 7, 2018

Very timely, revising history.

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Christine
February 8, 2018

Love this take; I have a thing for misunderstood witches, and yours is a particularly fierce one. She did what she needed to do to protect herself. The word “slather” threw me – I think I know what you were getting at, but I’m not sure you found the word you were looking for. (As far as I know, slather is a verb, not a noun, but I’d love to be proved wrong!) Did you mean something along the lines of “spittle”?

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- Laissez Faire
  February 8, 2018
  
  Thanks! I love macabre fairytales and retold, twisted tales. Big fan of the hardest misunderstood baddie Malificent. Slather can be used as a noun, but its not common. It’s listed in online Merriam Webster as an option. Colloquial north American, only? I have heard it in my area from time to time. I think it sounds grosser than slobber…
  
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  - Christine
    February 8, 2018
    
    Oh, cool – I learned a thing!! I love retold tales too. In particular, I have yet to meet a fairy tale I can’t gender-bend. 😉
    
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Gypsy Thornton (@inkgypsy)
February 8, 2018

I love this microprose! It immediately made an impression and stayed with me. I did have to read the first paragraph twice, as I initially thought it was from the men’s POV. Being (very) new to this form of writing I’m not sure how to advise, other than adding one or two words but I wouldn’t want to lose any of the others! I love this – and that you used “Grendel” instead of Gretel, too. Nice touch!

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Asha Rajan
February 9, 2018

I really like that your retelling predated what we know of the Hansel and Gretel tale and explained it. It’s so in keeping with the violence of original fairytales. I absolutely love the way you’ve represented the injustice of her treatment at the hands of these men, and how they’ll go on to recast themselves as the innocents.

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