The pillars are made of sweet candy, the roof is chocolate pastry. The door’s jelly and the walls are made of biscuit and cake—truly a house that looks good enough to eat! We were momentarily speechless at the sight, just staring blankly at the House of Candy.
“Candy… this house is made of candy!”
The words slipped out before I could stop them. No matter how you looked at it, this was definitely a house made entirely of sweets. How could such a place exist in the middle of the forest? Ariel observed the house with childlike curiosity, then carefully touched some cream on the wall with her hand and popped it into her mouth.
[!!! SO GOOD! THIS IS REAL CREAM!]
It wasn’t fake. It wasn’t an illusion. This was a real, actual House of Candy. And it was in surprisingly good condition. Questions piled up about how it was built and preserved, but one thing was certain: this enchanting House of Candy really existed.
“Hooh~ what incredible craftsmanship! How did they even build something like this?”
Elise circled the house with an innocent smile. When she tapped the biscuit wall, it crumbled instantly.
I watched the scene unfold, my mind racing.
A house made of candy… breadcrumbs leading us here…
There’s only one answer.
Hansel and Gretel.
From my memory, when their family fell on hard times, their stepmother convinced their father to abandon them in the forest. But clever Hansel left a trail of breadcrumbs so they could find their way back. Unfortunately, the animals ate the breadcrumbs, leaving the siblings lost in the woods until they discovered this House of Candy.
Then, who came out?
Creeeak!
The translucent, delicious-looking jelly door creaked open. Expecting a witch, I was shocked when the figures that emerged were not witches but giant bouncy balls. Or rather, people so obese they resembled bouncy balls.
They were so fat, it was impossible to tell their gender. Their bodies defied human limits.
The blonde one, showing off their jiggly neck flab, spoke up.
“Hoho, visitors have arrived! Welcome.”
Their voice was polite and gentlemanly. Judging by the tone, the blonde was male. He smiled kindly, and the pink-haired person beside him chimed in.
“You all look very hungry. Please come inside for a meal.”
Her voice was equally kind and girlish. So, the pink-haired one was female. If my assumptions were correct, these two must be Hansel and Gretel… probably.
As I stared at their mountainous physiques, I couldn’t help but force a smile. Are these really Hansel and Gretel?
“Um, are you the owners of this house?”
“Haha, yes, we are the owners of this House of Candy. Isn’t it appetizing?”
The man wiped drool from the corner of his mouth as he spoke. Ariel frowned and stepped forward.
[This forest is enchanted so no one can escape. Tracing the magical traces led me here—are you the ones responsible?]
“Magic?”
“Oh my.”
The pair exchanged startled glances, then sheepishly laughed as they waved their chubby arms around.
“We’re not magicians. We had no idea this would happen.”
“Again…?”
At my question, the pink-haired girl sighed briefly.
“Hmph. Actually, we weren’t originally the owners of this house. Everything you’re experiencing now is due to the previous witch who lived here.”
So, does that mean the witch who tried to eat Hansel and Gretel caused this?
Rumble rumble!
Suddenly, both my and Ariel’s stomachs growled loudly. Embarrassment washed over us as our faces turned bright red.
The blonde man roared with laughter at our predicament.
“Hahahaha! Looks like everyone’s starving! Let’s go inside and talk while we eat.”
“Ahem, thank you…”
[Mortification. Awkwardness. Gratitude.]
We awkwardly prepared to enter when we noticed someone was missing.
Crash!
That crashing sound had been bothering me since we arrived. Something was breaking near the house. Confused, we headed to the back and found Elise standing there with a pure, childlike expression.
“Ahh! P-please stop destroying it! There’s plenty of food inside!”
The blonde man shouted in horror as Elise casually smashed the biscuit wall with her fist.
“Why can’t I break it?”
“That’s because this is OUR house!”
“But it’s made of candy. Who builds a house out of candy? Maybe it was meant to be broken or eaten?”
The pink-haired girl scowled slightly.
“No, my brother and I have always dreamed of building a house out of candy!”
“Hooh~”
Crash! Elise broke a window and grinned happily.
“Oops~ I broke the window. That crash sound was fun!”
“Aaaaagh!”
The blonde man clutched his head in despair as Elise smirked mischievously and raised her fist to break another window. Ariel and I rushed to restrain her.
“Ugh, Elise, please calm down. Let’s go inside first.”
[What are you doing, crazy woman?! We’re THIS close to uncovering the key to escaping this forest, so stop causing trouble!]
“Hmm~”
Elise glanced between the candy-house siblings and us, then smiled brightly, like a child plotting mischief.
…………………
Inside, the house was just as lavish as its exterior. The floor was soft, tempting marshmallow, and the table was made of sturdy sugar cookies. A dazzling chandelier made of candy hung from the ceiling, and chocolate bookshelves greeted us. Colorful candies and jellies were everywhere, and hidden cakes peeked from every corner. Any child would dream of this place.
Back when candy was better than rice.
When we’d fantasize about visiting the house from Hansel and Gretel, eating until we burst.
Frankly, I wanted to stuff my face with the tempting treats right now, but I restrained myself. However, my saliva wouldn’t stop flowing. Same went for Ariel, who leaned closer to whisper.
[All these candies are imbued with magic. The strange part is, they amplify hunger through magical power.]
No wonder I’m starving. Unlike us, though, Elise seemed unaffected by the house’s magical allure. Now I could guess what she was thinking—she wants to smash the chocolate flower pot.
“Elise, don’t break that.”
“Whoa~ can you read my mind? You’ve grown up so much!”
My flushed face got roughly petted by Elise. Ugh, her strength is insane—my neck bones might snap if she gets too rough.
Ji calmed Elise down, and we sat at the chocolate table. The pink-haired girl disappeared into the kitchen, returning with delicious-smelling food.
Wait? What? Instead of candy, she brought soup and roasted turkey?
Noticing my confusion, the pink-haired girl smiled.
“Though we’d love to serve you candy, it’s difficult to restore once it’s gone. Instead, enjoy this tasty soup and meat.”
“Haha, my sister Gretel is unexpectedly skilled at cooking. Oh, by the way, we haven’t properly introduced ourselves yet. I’m Hansel, and this is my younger sister, Gretel.”
Of course. Hansel and Gretel. Though famous, I never imagined meeting them like this.
Hansel cheerfully served us pieces of roasted turkey onto our plates.
“Here, please dig in.”
With the enthusiastic encouragement from Hansel and Gretel, I hesitated to eat. Remember where you are. This isn’t just any fairytale—it’s cruel and bizarre. Can we trust these plump Hansel and Gretel? Considering everything, they likely killed the witch and took over the house. And why do they stay here instead of leaving the candy house?
Maybe the witch was the good guy, and these two are the villains.
Thus, staying alert is crucial. Still, the thunderous growls in my belly made me dizzy with hunger. Ariel also scrutinized the food with sharp eyes, analyzing if poison or magic lay within.
“Mmm, chomp! This is good!”
But our Elise cared nothing for caution. She already devoured the turkey, plate and all, made of candy.
