It was a very late bitterly cold evening outside of the village of Povost.  The people were gathered to watch a young woman named Gretel wearing thick brown coat and shabby green dress with white frills standing barefoot on a wooden stool that was sitting on a bale of hay.  A rope was strung around a tree with the noose around her neck.  The people were shouting, “Kill the witch!  Kill the witch!”

            Tears were rolling down her face as she felt the insults towards her.  The village leader walked up and stood at the edge of the hay bales in front of her.

            “Gretel,” he said, “you are guilty of witchcraft.”

            “I am innocent,” she wept.

            “So,” he quickly interrupted, “you continue with your lies.  I condemn you to a brutal death.”

            “I am not a witch,” she pleaded as two men carrying torches approached her.  “You have no witnesses, just accusations.”

            The two men lit the hay on fire, and the hay began to burn.  Tears continued to roll down her face as she felt helpless as she saw the fire grow and as the people continued to insult her.

            Two men came walking out carrying a wooden window frame with the shutters closed.  They set the window frame down behind her, and they walked away.  The people continued to shout out insults.  The window shutters opened, and a man stepped out with a fire hose hosing down the fire until it was completely out.  The people were silenced.

            “Kill him!” the village shouted pointing at him.

            The people took out their swords, and they charged the man.  The man just stood there as three combat soldiers jumped out of the window.  They took their AKA47’s and they shot up all of the village people not leaving one standing.  Gretel was astounded at what she just saw.  The man laid down the hose.  He climbed up to Gretel.

            “You are safe now,” he said as he removed her noose from her neck.

            Gretel was speechless.

            “I am George of Sand Sop,” he said shaking her hand.  “I could not see these people condemning you for a crime you did not commit.  Therefore, I came to change the story.”

            “You… ah…” Gretel pondered.

            “I must be going now,” George smiled.  “We have other outcomes to rescue.”

            George began to go to the window.

            “How did you…?” Gretel tried to ask as she saw George and the three combat soldiers climb into the window pulling the shutters closed behind them.

            Two men came, and they began to carry the window away.  She walked up to the two men.

            “What just happened?” she asked them.

            “That which just happened,” the one man said as they were walking away.

            “Can you explain what just happened?” she pleaded.

            The two men went into the ground.  She could not believe what she just saw.  She looked back, and she saw that the village was gone along with the bodies of the people.  She looked around her, and she found herself standing on a mountain.  She looked down and saw the line of trees below her.  She took a step, and she stepped onto a tiny sharp rock that cut into the bottom of her foot.  She started hobbling around to a fallen log, and she sat down.  She looked at the bottom of her foot, and she saw the gash near her big toe with blood flowing out.  A large nearby rock rolls away, and a man wearing a doctor’s cloak walks over to her.

            “Gladly to introduce myself,” the man quickly shook her hand.  “I am the doctor.”

            “Where did you come from?” Gretel looked around wondering how he got there.

            He picked up her foot.

            “That is a very bad cut.  It looks like the piggy that went to the market will survive.”

            He took out a band aid, and he put it over the cut.

            “That should take care of it.  Have a good day,” he said as he walked away.

            “But where did you come from?” she asked as the rock rolled back over the doctor.

            She looked at the bottom of her foot, and she saw the band aid.  She felt a cold strong wind.  She saw herself in an icy crevice, and she was sitting on a block of ice.  She stood up, and she looked at the high icy cliffs above her.  She took a step and another and another until she slipped, and she found herself sliding down an icy slope.  She looked ahead, and she saw that she was about to go over a cliff into a very deep ravine, but she landed into a soft bed.  She sat up, and she looked around, but she felt something around her feet.  She lifted up the blanket, and she saw a rattlesnake wrapped around her foot.  She shook with extreme fear.  The rattlesnake turned to look at her.  It hissed and wildly rattled its tail.  A maid snatched the snake and threw it away.

            “Sorry about that,” the maid said.  “Is there anything I can take care of?”

            Gretel was terrified as she shook in fear.  She looked at her feet, and she wiggled her toes.

            “I will let you rest,” the maid smiled at her.  “Just call if you need me.”

            The maid walked out of the room, and she pulls the door behind her.

            Gretel looked around and saw herself in an upscale hotel room.  She moved to sit at the side of the bed, and her bare foot touched the velvet carpet on the floor.  She stood up, and she saw the curtains closed on the window.  She walked towards the window, and she began to free fall very fast as she saw herself in a ravine with rocky cliffs on each side.  She saw that she was about to come upon the sharp rocks at the bottom.

            “Stop!” a man shouted, and she stopped in the air just above the rocks.  She looked below her, and she was very confused.

            “Gladly to introduce myself.” The man shook her hand.  “I am George Dyingson, the great explorer who had never been exploring in his life.”

            She stood up, and her feet touched the rocks.

            “I hope that you are fine,” George Dyingson said.  “I will move on.”

            George Dyingson walked away.  Gretel sat down on a rock, and she felt sand between her toes.  She looked around and found herself sitting on a beach chair at a tropical beach.  She took off her coat.  She stood up, and walked to the water.  The waves crashed over her feet, and it made her smile.

            “Prepare to walk the plank,” a pirate said with a sword to her neck.

            “Where am I?”  Gretel looked around and saw that she was standing on a plank.  “How did I get here?  Who are you?”

            “That is not your concern.”  The pirate nudged his sword against her neck.  “Now walk!”

            She slowly stepped on the plank until she came to the end.  The pirate pushed, and she fell, and she kept falling in the air.  A skydiver grabbed her.

            “I got you!”  The skydiver gripped her very tight.  He opened the parachute, and they freefell onto a grassy field.  She turned to look at him.

            “Glad you’re safe.”  The skydiver waved.  “Have a good day.”  He took off his chute and walked away.

            She looked over and saw her house.  She began to walk towards the house, and it began to rain hard.  Mud was building up between her toes.  She stepped through the mud, and the rain turned into snow.  She arrived at the house.  She stepped onto the porch, and it became bright and sunny.  She peeked down at her feet and saw that they were clean.  The door opened, and a man in a white suit appeared.

“Come in,” he said. “We have been waiting for you.”

She saw herself in a shiny white laced dress.  She looked down at her toes and moved them around.  She looked at the man, and she went inside.