It took some intense psychoanalyzing and a ton of candy to keep me buzzing, but I think I finally figured out why I love Thomas Kinkade so much: because his cottages remind me of one of my favorite fairy tales, “Hansel and Gretel.”
Who could forget these two innocent German children who wander into the woods after their parents abandon them? The story intensifies as they soon happen upon a house made of chocolates, gingerbread cakes, and candies; a life size gingerbread house, every child’s dream! I remember the first time my grandmother told me this story. A real house made of dessert? I had to see it for myself. My eyes widened in anticipation.
About a week later, she bought me a book of illustrated fairy tales, and began reading me “Hansel and Gretel.” The house was real alright. Much like the starving Hansel and Gretel themselves, I drooled over the lush illustrations of gleaming gum drops and iced gingerbread eaves. Surely there was a catch.
As the story continued, I found that Hansel and Gretel were caught nibbling the house by it’s grumpy inhabitant, an evil witch, then dragged inside to face their punishment: death by dinner. For those not familiar with the tale, the witch was not going to feed the children, who were already stuffed from eating her house, to death. Hansel and Gretel were going to be her dinner, which reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode, “To Serve Man,” in which aliens land on Earth with a book titled, “How to Serve Man.” The Earthlings are surprised, not only by the alien’s eager attitude, but their passive complacency. Little did the humans know that the alien’s peaceful behavior was all an act and that “How to Serve Man,” was actually a cook book!
Last night I was outside for several hours looking at the stars. I have a theory: if you look at the night sky long enough, you will see a UFO. Towards the end of my time out there, I saw what I thought was a star blink and then disappear. “Did you see that?” I exclaimed. Weird. I dismissed it, perhaps it was a star that just exploded, and then, it showed up in the sky again, a little lower this time, blinked and disappeared. Again, it appeared in the same spot, the disappeared completely. I also spotted a couple shooting stars, what I wagered based on their brightness must be planets, and one of the Dippers (I can never tell them apart).
Infamous Waterbury, CT area UFO
I am getting frustrated with things again because they’re not moving as quickly as I want them to aka not moving at all. This is probably better than if I received an unsolicited offer out of nowhere. When I finally do reach my goals, I will not be able to forget the pain, work, and frustration I put into getting there. Maybe I will even be able to look back and laugh?
The story of “Hansel and Gretel” depicts one of the first things you learn in Business School, “There is no such thing as free lunch.” Cherish your sweat and tears. They are your timeline of progress. You will eventually get…somewhere…and if you should meet any overly solicitous aliens along the way, whatever you do, don’t agree to meet them for dinner.
Who says there’s no such thing as free lunch?
Love your story!! I always thought those fairy tales were too violent. As a pre-school teacher, I’m always adlibbing the lines as I read the stories to the children to make them less frightening. ……The three little pigs let the wolf go or the hunter doesn’t kill the wolf in little red riding hood…..While I’m doing that I’m thinking how did I turn out so normal??? Or did I? LOL