[Writing] Liesl and the Gingerbread House: A fairy tale
I'm stuck, hard, on coming up with new things. Have one from the old files.
Liesl skipped through the woods. She was aware that there was a level of risk associated with this activity, but she watched her step carefully. Liesl was a conscientious girl. At every meal she ate only healthy food. After every meal she brushed her teeth. When she went out that morning she told her mother where she was going and when she would be back. Why this was so, nobody knows.
She espied a hut some distance away. Because she always ate her carrots, her eyes were sharp and swift, and she could watch her step while still having time to espy strange huts. She skipped towards it.
As she came closer she was filled with distress. The hut was made all of gingerbread! Icing ran up the corners and along the eaves. Fantastic gumdrops festooned the walls. Licorice snaked around the door and windows. This was a terrible threat to children's health!
At once Liesl set about tearing the house down. If it was all in pieces on the ground nobody would want to eat it. She tore off bits of the roof and cast them aside, then attacked the gumdrops. Think how many cavities this could cause! She was glad she had arrived in time.
A high, thin voice from inside arrested her. "Nibble, nibble, gnaw; who is nibbling at my little house?"
"I wouldn't nibble your house for a thousand marks," said Liesl. (This happened in the old days, before millions were invented; a thousand marks was the biggest temptation available.) "I'm tearing this down so foolish children can't eat themselves sick on it."
"Oh." There was a pause. Liesl knocked off a bit of nougat. "But wouldn't you like to come inside, and see how lovely the candies here are?"
"No! Tofu and soy milk shall be my supper, and I shall grow healthy and strong!"
There was another pause. "Would you like to come in and eat tofu and drink soy milk all day long?"
"That would be gross overconsumption," she said. "But I am hungry enough for a snack."
"Then come in!"
"But tofu and soy milk are somewhat unbalanced," she said. "Do you have any fruit?"
"Ah, sweet child, I have the freshest, juiciest fruit that ever grew; there are apples and grapes-"
"And vegetables?"
"I have...carrots?" The voice was decidedly hesitant. (This was unfamiliar ground, after all.)
Liesl waited for a better offer.
"And dark greens?" the voice offered desperately.
"Ah! That is very tempting; but you see, I forgot my toothbrush, and it would be unsanitary to borrow yours. I am afraid I must decline your kind offer." The voice started saying something, but Liesl decided her message was important enough to continue. "I think it's quite dangerous, keeping a house like this; children might eat it and get sick. Consider using more vegetables. They hold up better in the rain anyway."
At this point Liesl remembered it was time to go home, and she skipped away, leaving a thin wail behind.
Liesl skipped through the woods. She was aware that there was a level of risk associated with this activity, but she watched her step carefully. Liesl was a conscientious girl. At every meal she ate only healthy food. After every meal she brushed her teeth. When she went out that morning she told her mother where she was going and when she would be back. Why this was so, nobody knows.
She espied a hut some distance away. Because she always ate her carrots, her eyes were sharp and swift, and she could watch her step while still having time to espy strange huts. She skipped towards it.
As she came closer she was filled with distress. The hut was made all of gingerbread! Icing ran up the corners and along the eaves. Fantastic gumdrops festooned the walls. Licorice snaked around the door and windows. This was a terrible threat to children's health!
At once Liesl set about tearing the house down. If it was all in pieces on the ground nobody would want to eat it. She tore off bits of the roof and cast them aside, then attacked the gumdrops. Think how many cavities this could cause! She was glad she had arrived in time.
A high, thin voice from inside arrested her. "Nibble, nibble, gnaw; who is nibbling at my little house?"
"I wouldn't nibble your house for a thousand marks," said Liesl. (This happened in the old days, before millions were invented; a thousand marks was the biggest temptation available.) "I'm tearing this down so foolish children can't eat themselves sick on it."
"Oh." There was a pause. Liesl knocked off a bit of nougat. "But wouldn't you like to come inside, and see how lovely the candies here are?"
"No! Tofu and soy milk shall be my supper, and I shall grow healthy and strong!"
There was another pause. "Would you like to come in and eat tofu and drink soy milk all day long?"
"That would be gross overconsumption," she said. "But I am hungry enough for a snack."
"Then come in!"
"But tofu and soy milk are somewhat unbalanced," she said. "Do you have any fruit?"
"Ah, sweet child, I have the freshest, juiciest fruit that ever grew; there are apples and grapes-"
"And vegetables?"
"I have...carrots?" The voice was decidedly hesitant. (This was unfamiliar ground, after all.)
Liesl waited for a better offer.
"And dark greens?" the voice offered desperately.
"Ah! That is very tempting; but you see, I forgot my toothbrush, and it would be unsanitary to borrow yours. I am afraid I must decline your kind offer." The voice started saying something, but Liesl decided her message was important enough to continue. "I think it's quite dangerous, keeping a house like this; children might eat it and get sick. Consider using more vegetables. They hold up better in the rain anyway."
At this point Liesl remembered it was time to go home, and she skipped away, leaving a thin wail behind.