Pumpkin Candy and Rosemary Bread

“This definitely isn’t the way to Peppermint Park,” must’ve been the understatement of the year for young Gretel as she flapped her candy-striped wings to stay afloat in the blank void. Her enchanted pouch tied around her side felt heavier by the second despite currently being empty. She was out of candy, and wondered if she might starve before finding land. The white area was still an improvement after her nightmarish journey through the Coconut Jungle.

The young girl-turned-crow had grown so impatient to get to the next stage of her quest that she thought a shortcut was a good idea. It seemed like it was taking forever for her to find Maggie von Marzipan and save her brother Hansel, and she was no closer to undoing her avian transformation.

In every direction Gretel saw emptiness. If she stopped flying, she was afraid she’d start falling without ever hitting the bottom. She should’ve turned back when she could still make out the palm trees at Coconut Jungle’s edge, but now even those weren’t visible in her line of sight.

Keep moving, Gretel, she told herself as she struggled to pick a direction. If you could beat the Coconut King and the Licorice Lieutenant, you can find a way out of here.

Deciding on north (was that North?) Gretel flew onward. She remembered how difficult it was to master flying after von Marzipan cursed her, but now she could at least say she was a pro. She’d come in first at the obstacle course in the Bubblegum Balloon Park, and that took everything she had. She just needed to keep going until she saw something.

When she felt a slight, chilly breeze, Gretel realized she was finally going in the right direction. Following the breeze, she saw something in the distance. As she grew closer, the shape became less blurry, gaining definition, until Gretel saw…

Trees? Normal trees? Gretel couldn’t remember the last time she saw actual trees. She escaped the void and found herself in a forest. The sky was in shades of red and orange, indicating the sun was setting. All around her, trees were in shades of red, orange, yellow, and brown. Had autumn come already? It was springtime when Gretel and Hansel were lured to Van Marzipan’s gingerbread house. Had she really been on her journey for that long?

The sight of so much fall foliage was practically overwhelming to Gretel’s vision. So enchanted by the swirling scarlets and bronze and gold she didn’t realize she had company.

“Look, a crow! And it’s covered in stripes!” A voice whispered from behind an old maple. “Come on, Mark!”

“Aww leave it alone, Jodie, it’s not bothering anyone.”

“And you call yourself a scarecrow.”

Gretel found a fat branch to rest her talons and give her wings a break. She immediately let out an exhausted sigh. Her relief was short lived when a straw-covered face shot up in front of her and said “BOO!”

“Aaahh!” Gretel screamed and jumped off the branch, flapping her wings like crazy as her little crow heart rapidly beat against her chest.

“Haha! Gotcha!” The scarecrow girl laughed and swung from the tree branch with one hand, using the other to point at Gretel. “No crow can handle a master scarer like me!”

“You-!” Gretel divebombed the scarecrow girl and started pecking her head. Below, the scarecrow’s brother shook his head as his sister tried to swat Gretel away.

“I told you to leave it alone, sis,” the boy scarecrow admonished his sister.

“Mark-OW-help-OW!”

“I. Have. Had. A. Long. Day!” Gretel shouted in-between pecks, dodging the scarecrow’s gloved hand.

“Gotcha!” The scarecrow made a grab with her other hand, realizing too late she’d let go of the branch and tumbled to the forest floor with Gretel in her grip.

“Smooth, sis,” the boy scarecrow chuckled as his sister lay scattered in parts across the leaves.

“Don’t just stand there, gimme a hand Mark!” The girl scarecrow ordered as her head rolled over to a nearby, moss-coated stump.

“Sorry Jodie,” Mark shook his head. “If I helped, you wouldn’t learn anything.”

“Serves you right, you little brat!” Gretel broke free of Jodie’s grip and flew into a nook in a nearby tree. “Sneaking up on someone and scaring the daylights out of them.”

“You’re a crow, I’m a scarecrow, it’s what we do!” Jodie’s head argued.

“Don’t give me that ‘frog and scorpion’ nonsense,” Gretel lectured.

“Mark? Jodie? What on Earth is going on here?”

Gretel turned to see a newcomer enter the fray. A tall, muscular, big-bellied adult man with a neatly shaved styled red beard and bangs. Much bigger than the scarecrow kids, and pretty much a giant to a bird like Gretel. He had a bulging sack hoisted across his back, making him look like a flannel-clad Santa. A few buttons on his shirt were open, revealing scars on his chest.

“Hey Alric,” Mark waved. “Be careful. My sister finally lost her head.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha.” Jodie deadpanned.

“That’s the third time this week,” the man named Alric sighed.

“It’s her fault!” Jodie shouted.

“Who?”

“That weird crow!” Jodie tried to gesture with her head towards the nook where Gretel resided. “She attacked me!”

“Hey, don’t pin this on me!” Gretel flew towards Jodie’s head to better yell at her. “I was minding my own business after a very disorienting journey, and you screamed in my face! Didn’t your parents teach you any manners?”

“Alric, check out her stripes,” Mark pointed towards Gretel. “I’ve never seen a striped crow before.”

“Excuse me,” Alric placed his sack and inserted himself between Gretel and Jodie. Gesturing to Gretel, he said “I apologize for Jodie. She tends to act without thinking.”

“Because our parents didn’t give her enough brains when they stuffed her head,” Mark snarked.

“I heard that!”

“Are you okay?” Alric held out his hand. “What’s your name?”

“Gretel,” the candy-colored crow revealed as she perched on Alric’s thick index finger.

“You’re not from around here, are you Gretel?” Alric asked. “I mean, there are plenty of talking birds in Hallow Valley, but none I’ve seen with your distinctive plumage.”

“Hallow Valley?” Gretel echoed. She’d never heard of the place. “I’m trying to get to Peppermint Park.”

“Can’t say there’s any place like that around here,” Alric revealed. “You really must be lost. Mark, put your sister together. I’m taking our guest here to the shop to help her figure out where she’s going.”

“Aww man, why do I always have to clean up Jodie’s mess?” Mark complained.

“Hurry up, my nose is itchy,” Jordie ordered.

“What nose?”

“What happened to my nose?!”

Alric chuckled as he left the scarecrow siblings with Gretel on his shoulder, picking up his sack and making his way down a path through the trees.

“What kind of crow are you?” Alric asked.

“I’m not really a crow,” Gretel explained.

“Shapeshifter or curse?”

“Curse.” Gretel clarified. “Have you ever heard of a witch named Maggie von Marzipan?” Alric shook his head. “Well, she tried to turn me and my brother Hansel into crows because we snacked on her gingerbread house. Something went wrong when she did it to me. See the stripes? They call me a candy crow.”

“Tell me more when we get inside,” Alric said as they reached a cozy looking cottage nestled in the trees. The front of the cottage was decorated with pumpkins and autumn plants like mums. Above the door bore a sign that read ACE OF PUMPKINS COFFEE SHOP. A hanging plaque next to the front door advertised a showing of MURRAY TALBOT, WEREWOLF LOUNGE SINGER – HOWLING ON THE NEXT FULL MOON.

Alric set the sack down and pulled out a rusty looking key to open the front door. As he stepped inside, Gretel couldn’t help but gasp. The inside of the cottage was much, MUCH bigger than the outside led her to believe. Rows of tables adorned with candles and silverware with cloth napkins bearing embroidered pumpkin designs. On the right-hand side was a long bar with stools. The left-hand side showed a stage for people to perform while others dined. From the rafters hung lanterns of different sizes, shapes, and colors.

Gossamer figures flitted between the tables, tastefully arranging cups and menus. In another corner of the room were a bunch of mismatched chairs and sofas.

“It’s not much,” Alric said as he walked towards the bar. “But it’s mine.”

Gretel hopped off Alric’s shoulder onto a bar stool. She could see framed photos adorning the bar’s wall. A piece of paper proclaiming GLADSTONE SCHOOL OF MAGIC – EXPELLED in red letters was framed in gold in the center. Other photos included what seemed like a baseball team made up of monsters, autographed pictures of patrons, and photos of Alric holding a… surfboard? Or what looked like a snowboard in some.

“What can I get for you?” Alric kindly asked.

“O-oh! I don’t have money on me,” Gretel revealed.

“On the house,” Alric waved off any concerns about compensation. “Always for lost travelers.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to take advantage of generosity.”

“After what Jodie did it’s no trouble,” Alric assured her. “Let Alice get you a menu.”

“Alice?”

“Right here boss,” a gravelly voice answered. Gretel’s eyes went wide as she watched a porcelain doll head down the bar towards her and Alric, holding up a lamented menu. Alice the doll placed the menu in front of Gretel, asking “What can I getcha, dollface?”

“Um, g-gimme a moment,” Gretel said as she analyzed the menu’s contents.

“Sure thing,” Alice nodded. “You got the pumpkins for tonight’s dinner rush, boss?”

“Right here,” Alric hoisted up the sack with one hand.

“Bee-yoo-tiful,” Alice gave Alric a thumbs up. “I’ll let the guys in back know.” Turning to Gretel, Alice reminded her, “Lemme know whatcha want and we’ll have it out toot sweet, doll.”

“Can I have a cup of coffee, black, and some of this rosemary bread with butter?” Gretel asked.

“Excellent choice, doll. HEY MITZI!” Alice suddenly screamed.

“Yes, sugah?” A large black and orange spider wearing a chef’s hat descended from the rafters.

“I got an order for Rosemary’s Baby and Black Gold,” Alice relayed.

“Sure thing, sugah,” Mitzi the spider nodded and retreated up to the rafters. “Just pulled a fresh batch from the oven.”

“Well lah-dee-dah,” Alice said. “I’ll be back with your order in a bit, doll.”

Watching the doll traipse away, Gretel turned to Alric wondering what happened.

“It’s weird, isn’t it?” Alric asked, as if he read her mind.

“I wasn’t going to say, but…”

“I’ve warned Alice about her three-pack-a-day habit, but she won’t listen.” Alric shook her head. “But whatever helps get her through the day, am I right?”

“I guess…” Gretel didn’t know what to say.

“Now then, you said you’re a candy crow?” Alric inquired. “What’s that mean?”

“These stripes aren’t just for show,” Gretel admitted as she flapped her wings. “Do you have any candy or something sweet nearby? Only, please, PLEASE, nothing coconut. I had a… bad experience with coconut.”

“Sure thing,” Alric headed over to a glass display case featuring pastries, cakes, and assorted goodies. He pulled out a glass container and placed it in front of Gretel. “Pumpkin candies, homemade by Chef Mitzi.”

Gretel hopped up onto the bar and retrieved a couple of orange-colored candies with smiling jack-o’-lantern faces. She never had pumpkin candy before in her current state, so she wasn’t sure what might happen. Cautiously, she popped a candy into her beak.

“Oh!” Gretel gasped. “This is good.” And it was. So spicy Gretel wasn’t expecting it. Though she was sick of candy by now, these still tasted pretty good.

“’Course it is, doll,” Alice announced as she returned with a tray containing a large mug of steaming black coffee, freshly sliced rosemary bread, and a plate of soft butter. “That Mitzi might be a gold digger but she knows her way ‘round the kitchen. You need anything else you let me know, ‘kay doll? Boss I’m going on a smoke break.”

Alric nodded as Alice the doll headed for the back when he noticed Gretel’s feathers changing color. The stripes vanished, replaced with a deep orange as a pattern like a jack-o’-lantern face appeared on her back.

“This is new,” Gretel admitted as she assessed her coloring. “I’ve never been orange before.”

“This happens whenever you eat candy?” Alric wondered. “I’ve seen something similar with ghosts. Is your color all that changes?”

“Depends on the candy. I don’t know what effect pumpkin will…” Gretel’s words trailed off. She felt a rumbling deep inside her. The spicy, tingling feeling from Mitzi’s pumpkin candy was magnified several folds. Alric could see the jack-o’-lantern face on her back starting to glow. Gretel’s beak grew hot. Very hot. So hot she wanted to-

"CAAAAAAAAAAAW!!!" Gretel shouted as a stream of fire shot out of her beak and into the air. Alric ducked as the stream of flames came towards him. The ghost cleaning crew dodged away from Gretel’s fire breath.

Gretel clamped her wings over her beak before she burned the place down. Desperately looking around, she saw a water pitcher at the other end of the bar. Hurrying as fast as her crow feet would let her, Gretel dunked her head inside the pitcher. Immediately the burning sensation vanished. She raised her soaking head and sighed as the water soothed the flames. That soothing feeling vanished when she saw the fire damage.

“I-I’m SO sorry!” Gretel apologized. “I didn’t-!”

“Not to worry,” Alric calmly said as he pulled out a carved oak wand. “Accidents happen.” With a flick of his wrist, Alric pointed the wand towards the fire’s remnants and quickly doused them in water. The bedsheet ghosts emerged from their hiding spots and began cleaning up like nothing happened. “Thanks guys. I’ll make sure there’s extra in your pay tonight.” Alric’s words were met with cheers and thanks.

Turning to Gretel, Alric asked “Are you okay?”

“A little,” Gretel answered before eyeing the coffee and bread which had miraculously avoided her stream of flames. She headed over towards the plate and dunked her beak inside the coffee. Alric watched in amazement as Gretel quickly drained the mug before she went about slathering butter over the warm rosemary bread. For such a little bird, Gretel apparently had a big appetite.

By the time the plate was pretty much licked clean, Gretel was… crying?

“What’s wrong?” Alric hurriedly asked.

“N-nothing,” Gretel said as tears fell onto the plate. “I’m just, j-just so, this is the first time in ages I’ve been able to eat something other than candy!”

“Calm down and tell me all about it,” Alric offered to lend an ear to her woes. He patiently listened in-between refills of coffee as Gretel talked about her journey to find her missing brother. Every place she’d been to since she was turned into a bird were all based on different kinds of candy. Chocolate. Custard. Pudding. Cake. Licorice. Lemon drops. Caramels. Bubblegum. Jelly beans. Nothing but candy. So much candy, it practically drove Gretel mad. And her journey wasn’t over.

“They told me in Coconut Jungle that Maggie von Marzipan was now in Peppermint Park,” Gretel explained. “But I was stuck in that jungle for so long I couldn’t take it. I thought I found a shortcut, but I ended up in this, this void.”

“The In-Between.”

“What?”

“The space between worlds,” Alric clarified. “The In-Between. I’ve never been but I’ve heard of it. It’s easy to get lost.”

“So, there’s a chance I might not get back to my world?!” Gretel shouted. “I might never see my brother again?!”

“Oh no!” Alric assured her. “No no, I’m sorry. I’ve never been but plenty of people use the In-Between for work-related purposes. Many of my regulars have often traveled it. When the dinner rush comes in, I can introduce you to someone who can help you get back to your world.”

“Oh.” Gretel felt relieved. “Oh, thank you.”

“Why don’t you stay for dinner and tonight’s show?” Alric asked. “Tonight’s a full moon so I’ll have Murray Talbot performing. He’s good at hitting high notes. And I’ll have Mitzi prepare some essentials for you to take with you on your journey. Help yourself to the pumpkin candies, too. They might be crucial if you find yourself in a tough situation.”

“That’s so kind of you,” Gretel admitted. “I don’t know how to repay you.”

“Like I said, don’t worry about it,” Alric promised. “We often get travelers like you who find themselves in Hallow Valley on their way to their real destination. You’re no good to yourself or your brother if you don’t have a chance to rest. Here,” Alric pulled out another menu, “Browse tonight’s specials. I’ll check with Mitzi if we have more rosemary bread to bring with you.”

As Alric headed for the kitchen, Gretel turned to see more people entering the Ace of Pumpkins. She even saw the two scarecrow kids from earlier now accompanied by two bigger scarecrows. Probably their parents. It looked like Jodie was getting an earful from her mom and dad for her earlier stunt. Laughing, Mark waved when he saw Gretel at the bar. Gretel waved back before checking out tonight’s specials. So many choices…