Hansel and Gretel start running down the hill. Hansel reaches the house first.

“It smells so good,” Jonah says.

“It does,” I say as the yummiest-smelling breeze ever wafts toward me.

“I’m just going to run up and take a little taste. ’Kay, Abby?”

Sniff. Yum. Sniff, sniff. “But …”

“I don’t see the witch,” Jonah says. “We’ll be careful. Let’s just take a closer look. We have to. It’s a cake house! It’s THE cake house.”

Well … we’ll have to be careful … but … if the witch doesn’t see us …

My stomach is growling.

And I could really use some dessert.

And … it’s the CAKE HOUSE!

I run down the hill.

By the time we get there, Hansel has grabbed a piece of cake off the roof and stuffed it in his mouth.

“Dis is ama-ing!” he calls out, garbling his words while he chews. He grabs a handful of jelly beans decorating the front door and devours them in one gulp.

Jonah is about to do the same.

I am about to grab a scoop of cotton candy from the side of the house when my common sense comes back to me.

“Wait,” I say to Jonah softly. “Let’s just make sure the witch isn’t watching. We definitely don’t want her to see us eating her cake house.”

“I don’t think she’s here,” Jonah says. He peeks in through a window. “At least, I don’t see anyone inside.”

“Really?” I say. “Hmm. I guess it’s possible that she’s not home. It’s not nighttime yet. The original story doesn’t take place until tomorrow, so she might not even be around right now. She could be out luring children with bubble gum or something.”

I take a peek through the sugary windows to be sure.

The cottage isn’t as incredible on the inside. In fact, it looks just like a regular house. I guess only the outside is coated in candy. The walls are white and the kitchen and living room and dining room are one big room. But in the far corner, away from the door, there’s a wooden rocking chair with a green velvet cushion. In the other corner is …

… a cage?

Yeah, I think it’s a cage, but it’s built into the wall. It’s kind of like a closet except, instead of a closet door, there are wooden slats about an inch apart. It’s big. Big enough to fit two grown people, standing. This must be where the witch kept Hansel.

Beside me, Prince barks. He’s sniffing around the house, his tail wagging, taking little licks as he goes.

“Yum,” says Hansel as he breaks off a piece of the window frame, which happens to be made of candy cane.

“Double yum,” Gretel says, her mouth full of gingerbread.

“Abby?” Jonah pleads, clasping his hands together.

“One minute,” I tell him.

Still cautious, I walk around to the back of the cottage, Prince following me. I look through every window. I don’t see anyone home. I notice that on the coffee table is a tray that’s covered in sparkly things. Candy? No. Oh! It’s jewels! The witch’s jewels! That’s what Hansel and Gretel take at the end of the story.