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Book: Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird by Vivian Vande Velde
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Authors: Vivian Vande Velde
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that the children's mother had woven before she died. All day long, while the children played outside, Isabella cut and pieced and sewed. Supper was a quiet and solemn meal, with Siegfried tiredâhaving been out since dawn chopping woodâand with Isabella's fingers sore and needle-pricked from sewing, and with the children ... with the children sitting there saying nothing, but only watching everything with their large, pale eyes. After supper Isabella worked by candlelight, finishing the dress just in time to present it to Gretel before bedtime.
"I don't like pink," Gretel said, though she'd seen Isabella work on the pink cloth all day.
"She's never liked pink," Hansel said.
"Children," Siegfried pleaded.
But the children turned their cold eyes on him, and he ducked his head and said no more.
"I didn't know," Isabella apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
***
The second day after her arrival, Isabella spent making a jacket for Hansel.
"Do you like this color?" she asked before she started, holding up the green cloth.
"Yes," Hansel answered as he and his sister went out to play.
But that night, after cutting and piecing and sewing, when Isabella presented him with the jacket, Hansel said, "It's wool. I don't like wool. It itches."
"No, it doesn't," Isabella said, "not if you wear it over a shirt."
"Much too itchy," Gretel said.
Their father said nothing.
The third day after her arrival, Isabella spent baking cakes as a special supper treat. While she worked, there came a tapping at the door.
"Yes?" she said to the old woman who stood there nervously twisting her cane.
"Excuse me," the woman said, squinting nearsightedly at Isabella, "but I'm your neighbor. The baker's widow. I live on the land that borders on your woods."
Isabella was about to thank her for coming over to introduce herself, but the old woman continued speaking.
"You see, it's about them children of yours. Yesterday they come and throwed stones all over my garden. I saw them just as they was walking down the last row, dropping stones as they went. It's an awful mess, and it's going to take me the better part of a week to pick up. I hate to complain, but isn't there anything you can do?"
"I'm so sorry," Isabella gasped, feeling even worse because the woman seemed so apologetic. "I had no idea. I'll send them over to clean upâ"
"No," the woman hastily interrupted her. And again, "No. No need for that. I just wanted to let you know." She kept bobbing her head, almost as though bowing, as she hobbled backward with her cane. "So sorry to bother you," she said.
At supper the children ate the cakes but said they were dry and flat and that even their mother's cakes had been better.
Isabella ignored the stinging in her eyes and said, "Our neighbor has been having a problem with stones in her garden."
Hansel said, "The soil around here is very rocky."
"Perhaps so," Isabella said, not wanting to accuse them, "but she says she saw you playing there and she thinks you might have accidentally brought some of the stones in with you."
"Our neighbor is very old," Gretel said. "She doesn't know what she sees."
"And she's never liked us," Hansel added.
Isabella looked to her husband to say something. But all he said was, "Perhaps," which said nothing.
The fourth day after her arrival, Isabella stopped the children as they went out to play. "Why don't you take this cake to our neighbor?" she asked.
The children looked at each other in that way that made Isabella almost think they were talking to each other without words.
Gretel asked, "To apologize for putting stones in her garden?"
"We already told you we didn't do that," Hansel said.
Isabella said, "And I believed you," although she didn't. "But this is simply to cheer her up about the stones, however they got there."
Hansel and Gretel looked at her with their unblinking eyes and expressionless faces. But they took the cake.
Later that morning as Isabella stood on the front
"I don't like pink," Gretel said, though she'd seen Isabella work on the pink cloth all day.
"She's never liked pink," Hansel said.
"Children," Siegfried pleaded.
But the children turned their cold eyes on him, and he ducked his head and said no more.
"I didn't know," Isabella apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
***
The second day after her arrival, Isabella spent making a jacket for Hansel.
"Do you like this color?" she asked before she started, holding up the green cloth.
"Yes," Hansel answered as he and his sister went out to play.
But that night, after cutting and piecing and sewing, when Isabella presented him with the jacket, Hansel said, "It's wool. I don't like wool. It itches."
"No, it doesn't," Isabella said, "not if you wear it over a shirt."
"Much too itchy," Gretel said.
Their father said nothing.
The third day after her arrival, Isabella spent baking cakes as a special supper treat. While she worked, there came a tapping at the door.
"Yes?" she said to the old woman who stood there nervously twisting her cane.
"Excuse me," the woman said, squinting nearsightedly at Isabella, "but I'm your neighbor. The baker's widow. I live on the land that borders on your woods."
Isabella was about to thank her for coming over to introduce herself, but the old woman continued speaking.
"You see, it's about them children of yours. Yesterday they come and throwed stones all over my garden. I saw them just as they was walking down the last row, dropping stones as they went. It's an awful mess, and it's going to take me the better part of a week to pick up. I hate to complain, but isn't there anything you can do?"
"I'm so sorry," Isabella gasped, feeling even worse because the woman seemed so apologetic. "I had no idea. I'll send them over to clean upâ"
"No," the woman hastily interrupted her. And again, "No. No need for that. I just wanted to let you know." She kept bobbing her head, almost as though bowing, as she hobbled backward with her cane. "So sorry to bother you," she said.
At supper the children ate the cakes but said they were dry and flat and that even their mother's cakes had been better.
Isabella ignored the stinging in her eyes and said, "Our neighbor has been having a problem with stones in her garden."
Hansel said, "The soil around here is very rocky."
"Perhaps so," Isabella said, not wanting to accuse them, "but she says she saw you playing there and she thinks you might have accidentally brought some of the stones in with you."
"Our neighbor is very old," Gretel said. "She doesn't know what she sees."
"And she's never liked us," Hansel added.
Isabella looked to her husband to say something. But all he said was, "Perhaps," which said nothing.
The fourth day after her arrival, Isabella stopped the children as they went out to play. "Why don't you take this cake to our neighbor?" she asked.
The children looked at each other in that way that made Isabella almost think they were talking to each other without words.
Gretel asked, "To apologize for putting stones in her garden?"
"We already told you we didn't do that," Hansel said.
Isabella said, "And I believed you," although she didn't. "But this is simply to cheer her up about the stones, however they got there."
Hansel and Gretel looked at her with their unblinking eyes and expressionless faces. But they took the cake.
Later that morning as Isabella stood on the front
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