* * *
This time, Katarina’s face turned to a muddy color.
Surprised, Katarina covered Gretel’s mouth and looked around. Fortunately, no one looked like a witch around. A child similar in size to Gretel was just looking at the two with a suspicious look.
Katarina took Gretel’s hand and strode to her car. He pushed Gretel into the auxiliary seat and climbed into the driver’s seat. And she made the most scary expression she could.
“You…! If you lie, I’ll eat you.”.”
“I’m not lying!”
Gretel, who was scared, buried his face in her hands and burst into tears. He started to cry. Katarina chose to breathe while slapping her face lightly.
Calm down, calm down. Let’s soothe him first..
When she reaches out and hugs Gretel’s shoulder, he sniffles and sticks to her side. Fortunately, just by patting his back and his head soon her crying started to subdued. Katarina patiently waited for Gretel to stop crying completely. Only after the child’s breathing in her arms died down, she lowered her head, made eye contact, and brought up the topic again.
“A man’s got a bird… It’s got something on it. You know what I mean, right?”
After checking Gretel, who was still in tears rolling down her face, nodding her head, she quickly searched the naked picture of the man on her cell phone and pushed it in front of Gretel. Gretel frowned disgustingly at the nakedness of the man.
“You have this hideous thing, too?”
“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.”
Gretel cried again and nodded.
“Check it out again!”
In the fright of Katarina, Gretel quickly checked through the dress and looked inside his underwear. Katarina took a deep breath as she looked at it.
I don’t think so. No way. Witch is a man. No, then you’re not a witch in the first place!
She asked with a little hope, raising the corners of his mouth forcefully.
“There isn’t, is there?”
“There is!”
Gretel burst into tears again, leaving only a screamy answer. Katarina looked blankly at Gretel’s wailing as she folded her body and lay on her seat with a blank look.
One of the witches is a man? I’ve never heard of such a story. Then there’s no way they’d call us witches in the first place.
She thought it might be edema or abscess (it’s a little scary), so she asked him if this was present since he was born, but he answered that it was always like that.
Is it a mutant? I’ll get sick if I eat something like that!
She doesn’t think it’s right to eat him anymore. Is there anything like a curse on the name Gretel? Why is it so hard to eat a child named Gretel? (Referring to the fairytale Hansel and Gretel)
Katarina took her black hair in distress. No, but it’s confusing. Why is he wearing women’s clothes?
Katarina looked around at Gretel’s dress. It was clean, but the wrist and the lower arm are slightly worn out. Even on the seam, the stitched part is noticeable.
Katarina remembered that Chris and Elaine had three girls.
Oh, this is what the girls used to wear. It’s probably because if they bought a boy’s clothes in that small, closed town, there would be strange rumors going around already.
So this kid was a boy from the beginning, but why didn’t he tell me that? Did they think I would not take her because I’m in a convent unless he was a girl? The thought of it made me feel really bad. As expected, humans….
“Katarina…”
She was in deep thought, but someone was pulling at the hem of her clothes which took her back to reality. It was Gretel, who was wearing a red dress. Katarina tried to get angry as usual, but when she saw his anxious eyes shaking, she held back her anger.
What’s wrong with him?
She can feel that her patience was slowly increasing. The usual Katarina did not care as much as a stone on the side of the road for those who had nothing to gain. She was surprised that she can do this.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
“…not your fault.”
He was going to cry again, so Katarina held him in his arms and soothes him, but he was still sniffling. She was annoyed, but deep inside, she felt more sorry than that.
She thought that this time, the witch ate Gretel by stew and lived a long and happy life, Katarina really thought the story would end like this.
Katarina patted Gretel on the shoulder.
“I’ll listen to you. I’ll dress up as a woman…Please let me be next to Katarina….”
“…….”
What should I do? Now I can’t tell you to go wherever you want because I don’t need you. Which train should I take to the far west and leave it? Should I drop him off in Alaska or something? But if he gets caught by a witch nearby and spills my name… Maybe even Rachel could get in trouble.
Katarina opened her eyes wide.
“Katarina…”
Gretel raises his face. His pretty face was now ruined by tears. Katarina carefully wiped the child’s tears with her hands to prevent wounds to his soft skin.
“Okay, let’s live together. I’ll take care of you.”
“Katarina!”
Gretel’s face, which was pale, quickly regained color. He even smiles with tears hanging from his eyes. Katarina smiled as she unwittingly followed him, and quickly looked stern.
Gretel slipped out of Katarina’s arms and wiped away her tears.
“Don’t let anyone know you’re a man instead.”
“Yes!”
“Listen to me. Always.”
“Yes!”
“You have to do the dishes and clean up, understood?”
“Yes!”
Gretel, who nods her head hard, feels commendable. Katarina patted Gretel on the head.
He’s a smart boy, and when he will be an adult, he’ll realize how dangerous situation currently I’m in, and he’ll go far away on his own. Until then, I can keep him at home and treat him like a housekeeper.
Katarina stood up with a big smile.
“Then shall you learn how to clean first?”
* * *
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