text: Myself and my friend Julie set out for a hike in the woods. We had everything planned down to the finest detail. The only thing we hadn't planned on was the weather and a storm was fast approaching. As we searched around for the perfect spot to pitch our tent I came across a pile of trail mix, which led me to another and another. The trail was leading us somewhere as if somebody wanted us to find something. The trail eventually led us into a clearing. As we got to the clearing the trail suddenly stopped. A strong smell of ginger wafted through the air. Me and Julie followed the smell until we found the source of where it was coming from. We came upon a small wooden cabin. The light was on and smoke was coming from the chimney. Someone was cooking something and it smelled good. The rain was pelting down, so me and Julie decided to see if they would offer us shelter. Our bellies were empty and it was too wet and windy to pitch the tent. Julie knocked on the door as I peered through the window. The place seemed empty except for a pot of food cooking over an open fire in the centre of the room. Cold and hungry we decided to leave ourselves in. "Sure, if all comes to all I will offer to pay for their hospitality, " I said to Julie. I looked around the cabin for any sign of life. I walked over to the pot and lifted the lid. A smell of ginger rose up from the pot and into my nose. There were thick chunks of meat in the stew and it looked delicious. With my stomach growling, I grabbed two big bowls that were sitting by the pot. I served up two big hearty bowls of stew for myself and Julie. Julie sat by the window eating her stew. Something had caught her attention and she seemed more focused on what was outside then eating the stew. As I was eating my stew I started reading through a book I found in a drawer in one of the bedrooms. The book appeared to belong to a girl called Gretchen, it was some sort of diary with only a few entries. December 1: The winter freeze is setting in, food is sort. So my dad has to sell my horse for food and fuel. I hate him for it, he was my best friend. December 10 : The food is gone. I heard rumours that parents were eating their kids to survive. I'm too hungry to even care or be scared. December 11: My brother Hanson came into my room last night. He looked scared. He tucked me in and gave me a kiss on the cheek. He told me he had to go away and I was to follow him when it was safe to do so and he would leave a trail for me to find him. "Look for the trail and we can never be apart," he told me. December 13: We started eating well. For once there seemed to be plenty of food. I just wished Hanson could be here to share it with us. I asked my mom and dad where he was? They just smiled at me and told me he was gone to live in the Gingerbread house. A magical place with plenty of food to eat, and he sends us the food that he can't eat.. December 20: Food is getting low again and I'm really scared. I overheard my mother crying to my father, telling him I was all she had left. My father angrily telling her that we won't make it through the winter and definitely not with an extra mouth to feed. I heard him tell my mother that they were young enough to start over. December.21: I watched out the window as my father sharpened the axe. A smell of ginger floated through the air. I'm afraid this might be my last entry. Please pray for me. The entries just stopped and the rest of the diary was empty. As I leafed through the pages a piece of folded paper fell from the diary. My eyes widened as I read the text. It was some sort of recipe and instructions on how to splay meat from certain parts of the body. I felt my knees buckle and weakness washed over me as I read the writing at the end of the piece of paper. "If you scare the kids it taints the meat. If the meat tastes bitter, use plenty of ginger." I toss my bowl of stew across the room. I screamed at Julie to drop her bowl. She dropped it and called me over to the window. "At first I thought I was imagining it, but what is that outside by the trees, " said Julie as she pointed out the window. A flash of lightning lit up the forest outside the cabin. A little girl was standing outside waving at us. Every time the lightning flashed she got closer to the cabin. Before we knew it she was standing at the window smiling and waving at us. She didn't appear to have hands just stumps were her hands used to be. Then the lightning struck again and the little girl was standing in the cabin. The little girl pointed at the pot that was brewing on the fire with her stumpy arm. “How did I taste? I was scared so I might taste bitter, " laughed the little girl We heard a loud bang come from outside the cabin. The little girl turned to look at the door. The grin on her face turned to pure terror. I asked her what the noise was. She turned to me with tears in her eyes. “It’s my Dad and I think he is hungry.“ The little girl turned to Julie. “Are you scared? Please don't be scared, if you don't taste good my dad will be angry with me.