The Forest of Sweets and Shadows

“Huh?! HUUUUUHHHHHH?!”

Erella blinked rapidly, her head spinning as she looked around. The familiar sight of her messy backyard was gone. Instead, she stood in the middle of a forest — trees towering high above her, their leaves whispering secrets to the wind. In her hands, she still clutched her long wooden broom.

“What in the world…?” she murmured, her voice trembling. Just a moment ago, she had been sweeping leaves behind their house. Now she was standing on a patch of moss surrounded by giant ferns and tall, eerie trees.

She rubbed her eyes, convinced she must be dreaming.

“Okay, Sandy,” she told herself — or rather, the Erella version of her. “Deep breaths. You’re probably just hallucinating because of hunger.”

She closed her eyes, counted to three, and opened them again.

Nope. Still trees. Still forest. Still holding a broom.

“What the heck happened?! Why am I in this isolated place?!” she shouted, turning in circles like a lost child. The forest echoed her voice back mockingly.

Erella crouched down, pressing her broom against the ground as her mind raced.

‘Wait a minute… this doesn’t make sense. There’s no teleportation magic in Cinderella’s story. Not once did they mention magic like this. Fairy Godmother, yes — teleportation, no!’

She frowned, crossing her arms. “Could it be… a machine?” she muttered. “Like some kind of teleporting vacuum or something?”

After a few seconds, she shook her head and sighed. “No, that’s impossible. This is a fairytale, not a sci-fi movie.”

Her eyes fell on the broom in her hands. Slowly, suspiciously, she tilted her head.

“…Did you do this?”

The broom didn’t answer, obviously.

“Wait… what if—what if I’m a witch now?!” she gasped dramatically, clutching her broom like a sword. “Did I just… accidentally fly here without realizing it?!”

She imagined herself soaring through the sky like Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service, hair fluttering, dress glowing in the moonlight.

Then she laughed nervously and shook her head again. “No way. This isn’t some magical broomstick. It’s literally covered in dust and dead leaves.”

She sighed, staring up at the canopy of trees. “Okay… maybe someone used magic on me.”

But if someone had, she hadn’t seen any glowing circles, no lights, no chants—nothing.

Then suddenly, it clicked.

“Wait. Before I ended up here…” she whispered, her brows furrowing. “Didn’t I wish for a place where my stepsisters couldn’t reach me?”

She remembered it clearly now — that brief moment when she was sweeping, thinking to herself I just want a quiet place where those witches can’t find me. Then, a sudden gust of wind had wrapped around her, and the next thing she knew—bam!—forest.

She stomped her foot.

“Okay, sure! This is definitely a quiet place! But DARN IT! This is not what I meant!” she shouted, biting the hem of her dress in frustration.

Then her eyes sparkled with realization.

“Wait, wait, wait. Did I just do that? Did I… transport myself here?”

Her heart started to race. “Oh my gosh! That means I have magic! WOAH! This is insane! Is this—like—a Cinderella in another world situation?!”

Excited, she held her broom proudly like a wand.

“So that means I can go home, no problem!” she declared triumphantly.

She closed her eyes again, concentrating hard. “Okay, focus. Think of home. Backyard. Dusty ground. Annoying stepsisters. Go home, Erella, go home.”

One minute passed. Nothing happened.

She frowned. Tried again. Two minutes. Still nothing.

By the fifth attempt, she groaned and flopped to the ground dramatically.

“My gosh! Did I use all my power just to teleport here?! Or worse—was it just my imagination?!”

Her complaint was cut short when a rustle echoed behind her.

Her head snapped toward the sound. The hair on her neck stood up.

“Nope. Nope, nope, nope—”

Before she could finish, she bolted like a frightened rabbit, her tiny legs moving faster than she ever thought possible. Branches scratched at her arms and twigs snapped under her feet as she ran. She didn’t dare look back.

Only when her lungs burned did she finally stop and glance behind her. Nothing. No monster, no witch, no wild animal. Just the sound of leaves swaying gently in the breeze.

She exhaled shakily, pressing a hand over her racing heart. “That’s it. I’m officially cursed with bad luck.”

Then, as if to confirm her misery, her stomach growled — loudly.

“Seriously?! Not now!” she whined, clutching her stomach. “I didn’t even get to eat lunch!”

She looked around helplessly. “Where am I supposed to find food in this creepy forest?”

And then… something wonderful happened.

A warm, sweet aroma floated through the air — soft, sugary, and buttery, like freshly baked cake.

Her head perked up. “Cake…?!”

Her nose twitched as she sniffed again. Oh yes. Definitely cake. Maybe even chocolate cake. Without thinking, she followed the smell like a zombie on a mission.

“Must… find… food…” she muttered, stumbling through the bushes.

Finally, she reached a tall wall of leaves and peeked through. Her jaw dropped.

“What… in the… sugary heaven…” she whispered.

Before her stood a cottage — but not just any cottage. The walls were made of vanilla sponge cake, the windows framed with sugar glass, and the roof glistened with caramel drizzle. Gumdrops lined the path like jewels, and a soda fountain bubbled at the side.

She wiped her mouth, realizing she was drooling.

“This… this is Hansel and Gretel’s story, isn’t it?” she whispered nervously.

Her heart pounded. She knew how that story ended — a witch lived inside that cake house, luring children to eat… and then eating them.

“JEEZ LOUISE! First I get teleported into a forest, then I’m starving, and now I stumble into a possible murder bakery?! What luck is this?!” she cried, slumping to the ground.

Her stomach growled again, louder this time, as if mocking her.

“Ugh… Fine! If I’m going to die, I might as well die with a full stomach!” she yelled, throwing her hands up dramatically.

With that, she sprinted toward the cake house, tore off a piece of the frosting wall, and stuffed it into her mouth.

“Oh my goodness… this is heaven,” she moaned, savouring the taste. She ate the cake walls, sipped from the soda fountain, and even took a bite of the cookie doorknob.

When she was finally full, she laid down on the soft grass, her belly content. “If this is a dream, don’t wake me up,” she mumbled blissfully.

But then — a dark shadow fell over her face.

Erella blinked. “Huh?”

She slowly looked up — and froze.

Two glowing red eyes stared down at her from above.

“KYAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!” she screamed, her voice echoing through the forest as a flock of birds burst into the sky.