Twisted Fairytales

Jack and Jill Go Up the Hill

Today, Jack and I went up the dreaded Volcano Hill. As tradition goes, my brother, the soon heir to the throne, was to walk up to the well on his 12th birthday for a measly pail of water. I've never exactly understood why this is the action that determines a young tween boy's worthiness of royalty, but I do know that the hill is dangerous beyond belief. I have heard stories of boys who have gone up the hill and never returned home.

Nevertheless, my mom stood in the kitchen, preparing little Jack for his big day. "I don't see what your problem with the plan is, Jill," Mom said, mindlessly packing us a fair-sized picnic. "This has gone on for many generations of our beloved family with very little repercussions."

Yeah. Very little.

"You don't see why I don't want to send my twelve year old brother into the most dangerous place on Earth?" I hollered.

"Relax, Jill." Jack turned to me suddenly, his golden crown shimmering in the morning sunlight. "I mean, a live volcano is probably more dangerous." I doubted that he truly understood the meaning of danger, given the hint of uneasiness hidden in his tone.

Mom nodded in agreement. "And it's a good thing you're going with him, for safety's sake." She and I both knew that I would never let anything hurt Jack, ever. I had to be grateful that he didn't have to travel completely alone.

Jack hopped out of his chair clutching his favorite rusty pail- the one that Dad had gifted to him since... forever ago, it feels like. With his other hand, he latched onto my arm, snapping me out of my reminiscing.

"Don't worry, Jill," he giggled. "I'm not scared."

I adjusted his crown slightly, more as a nervous tick than anything. "I will keep you safe," I assured him. "I promise."

And with that, we bade our mother farewell and started our ascent. If I knew that was the last time we would see her, I would have stolen her favorite scarf to pack in our picnic basket as well, just to remember her by.

Quite honestly, our journey upwards was not a particularly difficult one. However, about halfway up, Jack needed desperately to rest for a bit on the side. He splayed himself out on the grass, tears falling slowly from his face.

"Pick up your head, Jack." In an attempt to be lighthearted, I adjusted his crown so it once again fit upright on his head. "You don't want your crown to fall, too." As you know, those who break their crown on the way to the well are not permitted to return home, ever.

"I just don't know if I can handle being King anymore," he wheezed. "If I can't climb Volcano Hill, what can I do?"

"Hey." I put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him. "This journey was never meant to be easy, but thank goodness you're not alone, huh? We'll get through this." Without any second thought, I picked him up over my shoulder and kept going. Time waits for no one, especially not for someone as strong as my brother.

The sun began to set just as we reached the summit, and nothing could stifle the joy we felt as we made it closer and closer to the well. We paused to celebrate, picnic basket at the ready. We ate our sandwiches in nothing but excitement, and I saw Jack truly smile for the first time since leaving our old world behind. If I knew that this could've been the last supper we would spend together, maybe I might have acted differently. Perhaps I would've listened to my intuition more and been extra cautious as Jack rose to the well alone.

"Relax, Jill," Jack called out. "I know I can do it! After all, I'm going to be King soon." But that's when he fell. In his pursuit of some water for his pail, he lost his footing and fell down the clumsily, crown and all. I dashed after him, performing a rather strange tumble of my own. I knelt beside my brother as he started to cry again, his body the host of many troubled scratches. He was alive, thank goodness, but his formerly crown gold crown was as red as blood, broken into jagged pieces beside him. The promise I made to him was now a mere pile of shattered metal, and my heart could not stop aching for him as he turned to face me ever so dismally. His voice, normally bubbly and lively, was now barely a hoarse whisper.

"I won't be able to go home now, will I?"

I lowered my head in defeat, letting my own tiara slip to the ground. "I'm sorry you had to learn danger this way."

♡