I'm pretty sure most people in this country have heard of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale known as Hansel and Gretel. It's the story of two children whose parents turn them loose in the forest where they become lost. They come across a gingerbread house and feeling a sense of relief, they start to eat parts off of it. An old woman comes out of the house and invites them in. She feeds them sweetmeats and puts them to bed. Unfortunately, she is an evil and scheming witch who eats children, and she plans to cook and devour them. In fact, around her house are the children who have fallen into her trap before and were turned into gingerbread. When the witch wakes Hansel and Gretel up the next morning, she puts Hansel in a cage and feeds him more and more. She tells Gretel to cook the meal for him. At one point, the witch tells Gretel to crawl into the oven to check to see if it's ready. Pretending to be dumb, Gretel claims she doesn't know how and asks the witch to show her. The witch gets exasperated and climbs in while telling the girl that it simple; and at that point Gretel hoists the witch with her own petard and shoves her all the way into the oven and then shuts and latches the door. She then releases Hansel from the cage. Meanwhile, the children who were turned into gingerbread come back to life and find that the witch herself has been turned into a giant gingerbread cookie which the children proceed to devour. Hansel and Gretel return home and are reunited with their parents.
I have a feeling that this isn't just some story written for children. While no witches exist who can turn children into gingerbread, there are in fact enemies out there who prey on children. They are pimps, drug dealers, and others who use children for their own gain; namely money.
I started reading a book yesterday called Please Forgive Me, God. It is the account of a Catholic nun who runs a shelter called the Covenant House for street children. These were kids who escaped from troubled and abusive homes and wound up on the street. The street is a cold and scary place for children to be; no food, no shelter, no one to love or at least relate to, all sorts of troubles. So when someone comes and offers them a place to stay and food to eat, they accept without question. But sooner or later what was supposed to be haven becomes a hell for the children. The person whom they viewed as a savior is now their tormentor. A young girl would be raped, beaten, and thrust into a life of prostitution. A boy would be used as a trafficker, a drug dealer, or some other sort of criminal. And it is all done to make a profit off of the children. The captors want money.
So there are witches of a sort out there. They lure children in with the promise of food, shelter, and care, and then they abuse them and catapult them into a life of crime; just as the witch lured children into her gingerbread house with the promise of safety.
I'm absolutely certain that the kids at the Covenant House can relate to Hansel and Gretel. They were lured into a trap by someone who made a false promise to them. Sometimes these street kids can summon up the courage to face their captors and find help, but unfortunately others don't. Hansel and Gretel isn't just a mere children's story about two kids in lost in the woods; it's also a warning to children about dangerous people who are like the witch. They may not pop you in the oven, but they'll threaten you with violence unless you obey them. And they want to make money from all of it.
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