Once upon a time, when the days were longest and the sun shone brightest, two sisters drank ice-cold gin tonics in their backyard. While sipping their drinks on a sultry summer evening, the two girls were enthusiastically talking about their upcoming trip to a small but beautiful country. ‘I cannot wait to bike through the city together, even through the rain. I heard about the changeability of the weather, apparently, it's insane.’’ Gretel said with a smile on her face. ‘The ‘stroopwafels’ is what I cannot wait to try, I bet they are even better than grandmother’s homemade apple pie.’’ Hansel said. ‘Firstly, let grandmother not hear, secondly, I think she would love some as a souvenir!’ ’At the beginning of the year, the girls were surprised by their parents with the possibility to study abroad together. After weeks of researching and discussing together, they had made up their minds; they were going to follow a Creative Business study in the Netherlands.
The sisters had a very special relationship; they hardly spent time apart since they were extremely close, and no one ever could separate them. The sisters supported each other on their brightest and darkest days, as much as they could. The urge to take care of each other was not to ignore, even during their most intense fights. Because of course the two of them fought sometimes, they were sisters after all. The emotional connection that they had was unusual; whatever one of them felt, the other could feel it as well. This made them understand each other in ways that their parents were amazed by.
The promising summer holidays, wherein the two sisters spent almost every day together, were almost over. The two of them had lived those days to the fullest and gained tons of unforgettable experiences, which would turn into their most cherished memories. And to the delight of the two girls, they were about to make even more amazing memories.
The day of departure had arrived, and the two sisters were packing up some last things. Hansel and Gretel had filled up the car that would bring them to their destination with tons of bags and other stuff. Both of them secretly had very mixed feelings about that day, they had never felt more excited but sad at the same time. Saying their goodbyes to their family and friends was extremely hard, but fortunately, they would see them all again in Christmas Break. Besides that, those sad feelings quickly disappeared while driving and singing along with their favourite songs. Because of course, the girls had created an amazing, feel-good, sing-along car playlist.
Together, the girls had set up an Instagram account where they would post pictures and videos of what they were doing on their great adventure. It would take the girls about twelve hours to arrive in the Netherlands, so during the trip they posted plenty of stories; a picture of Gretel wearing silly sunglasses at the gas station, a picture of Hansel eating a huge hamburger at Burger King, and tons of other selfies. Their friends were following every breath they took on their Instagram, and they loved to see the amount of fun they had together.
After hours of driving, the girls finally arrived at their destination. On Facebook, they found an amazing apartment just outside the city. Two bedrooms, a spacious living room, a kitchen, and the best part; a roof terrace. Traveling had exhausted the two girls, so they decided to inflate their inflatable beds and go to sleep, leaving all the other stuff for the next day. ‘I have never felt this tired. I never knew about the effort driving for that long required.’’ Hansel said with a sigh. ‘Well, Hansel, I appreciate that effort a lot. Why don’t you sit down, I will blow up the air mattresses that mom bought.’’
The following days consisted of decorating, decorating, and decorating. The sisters pulled out all the stops since they both lived for aesthetics and making things look pretty. The sisters roamed through all the vintage shops they could find to search for the most exquisite room decor. ‘Hansel, we should put plants everywhere. I heard they refresh our air. It is good for your body, and it reduces stress. Hansel laughed at this; ‘You do whatever you want, as long as I may hang up Christmas lights, for some extra cosiness.’’ After days of hard work, their apartment was finally done. They had added beautiful artworks, golden accessories, and a vintage, Persian carpet with red tones. The sisters had outdone themselves, their place looked like a small palace.
The first weeks had been amazing, for both of the sisters. Every day, the sisters went to school very excited to learn more about the things they were already passionate about. The girls met a lot of interesting and fun people, and they had the time of their lives. Until one day, things started to change.
After a busy day full of schoolwork, Gretel could finally close all the open taps and shut off her laptop. She felt tired but at the same time very fulfilled because the results of all the work she and her group had done were amazing. Gretel was looking at the edited pictures they took of Hansel one last time before moving to the couch for a chill night with her. Her sister looked absolutely beautiful in the pictures, with her blonde hair shining in the sunlight. Just when Gretel decided to join Hansel in the living room, she hears her sister scream; ‘GRETEL, COME HER!’ Gretel got up immediately to find out what this was all about when she heard; ‘I am going to start a new career!’ Gretel walked into the living room, curiosity written all over her face ‘And what is that going to be?’ She asked. ‘Have a look, you are going to be as excited as me, I guarantee.’’ Hansel showed Gretel the DM and she was right, Gretel felt utterly happy for her sister that she got an opportunity like this. ‘Hansel, you are going to be an amazing model, I can feel it from within. We need to celebrate this, with tonic and some extra gin!’.
Weeks passed and Gretel was having the time of her life, together with her sister. Gretel loved her studies and motivated and passionate she worked on every assignment. But, of course, leaving enough room for her and her sister to go out and meet their friends. Hansel was home a bit less often, but Gretel could see how much she loved her new modeling job and how good she was at it. Gretel felt happy and seeing her sister happy made her feel even more grateful for their new life in the Netherlands. One day, when Hansel would be home late because of a shooting day, Gretel decides to cook a lovely dinner for her hard-working sister. When Hansel was gone, Gretel made her favorite pasta and her favorite dessert; cookie dough ice cream with extra chocolate sauce. Shortly after Gretel finished her cookings and had set the table, Hansel came home. Gretel said hi to her sister and asked how her shoot was. ‘It was AMAZING, I did not think I would ever experience such a thing. I even met the designer of the clothing brand, she told me I had gorgeous hair when she gave me a hand.’’ Hansel’s face was filled with delight, even though she did seem a bit tired. ‘That sounds amazing indeed, But now, it is time to eat!’’ Gretel was not completely sure whether she had seen it right, but it seemed like what she said changed something in Hansel’s facial expression. But, before Gretel could say anything, Hansel’s face lighted up again. ‘Gretel, you are the best. I feel so blessed!’ During dinner, Hansel told Gretel everything about the shoot and all the people she had met. Gretel loved listening to Hansel’s stories but she loved seeing her enthusiasm even more. After they both ate more than they could have, Gretel asked Hansel whether she wanted to continue watching Gossip girl with her. Hansel said no and told her she was tired, and that's what she looked like. Hansel disappeared into the bathroom for a while and went to her bedroom after that.
The lovely summer days came to an end and you could tell the season was changing. The weather and the color of the leaves started changing but at the same time, Gretel saw something change in Hansel as well. Where Hansel used to love cookie dough ice cream with extra chocolate she now ate plain yogurt with a bit of honey. The caramel iced coffees they used to make each morning changed into green juices with spinach and all other kinds of fruit and vegetables. Instead of Gretel cooking for both of them, Hansel often prepared her own low-carb and fat-free recipes. But it was not only her eating habits that changed, she felt like their relationship changed as well. Before Hansel started her modeling career, they would do almost everything together. Now, it seemed as though Hansel had become more private and on her own, which isn’t like her at all. At first, Gretel thought it would just be a little phase, but now it had already been going on for a while. Gretel had wanted to ask her sister about it, but Hansel still seemed so happy and proud of her healthy lifestyle. ‘am I just being too concerned? I mean, what do I know about what is healthy. There is nothing I learned. Is this how all models eat? Only vegetables and fruits, without a treat?
Gretel’s concerns grew bigger as she saw her sister’s diet getting more extreme within days. Gretel could hear the scale hit the bathroom floor every morning. Hansel would often lie to her sister about her eating, or actually, about her not eating. Gretel could see the change in Hansel’s eyes; her eyes were like a starry sky at first, so sparkling. Now all she saw was a dull look or an obviously fake smile. ‘Hansel, why do you feel like you need to diet? You know how I feel about this, and I am not going to stay quiet.’’ Gretel said with an unmissably concerned voice. ‘It is not that I feel like I need to, I have just had this breakthrough. Eating healthy and exercising a lot, is good for your mental and physical health and whatnot. I can see you are concerned, which is really kind. But there is absolutely nothing to worry about, so I am going to continue my workout if you do not mind.’’ Gretel could tell her sister was lying to her but she could not blame her, something was completely wrong. Apparently so wrong, that she could not even tell her own sister. Gretel felt terrible for not taking action earlier and letting her sister treat herself like that.
One day, Gretel came up with an idea to make sure that Hansel was not doing as bad as she thought she was. While Hansel was out shooting, she prepared a delicious, three-course meal with all of Hansel’s favorite foods. Including doughnuts for dessert, of course. When Hansel came back, Gretel said; ‘You have been working so hard, and I am so proud. And I know, I have never really said that out loud. So I organized a surprise for you! I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do.’’ It was what Gretel already expected but it hurt when she found out it was true; as soon as she saw the table fully packed with food, panic was visible in her eyes. Of course, Hansel tried to hide it, but Gretel found out everything she needed to know. It was not just about being healthy, the thought of eating at all scared her already. Hansel was not planning to admit it yet, because she sat down at the dinner table with her sister. The first course was a few pieces of her favorite sushi, she ate all of them. The second course, a huge hamburger, just like the ones they used to eat at Burger King, got too much for Hansel. It took her only one bite to end up in a total mental breakdown. Tears started to fall down Hansel’s cheeks and before she knew it her sister was holding her in her arms, not just trying to comfort her but also to show her that she knows what she is going through. ‘Hansel, you do not have to explain. I think I know what you are going through, I could feel your pain. I can imagine how hard it has been for you, but this is something that, together, we can get through. I want you to realize, that you will only be fully happy with yourself when you love what’s inside. You have been defining your worth on your looks, but try to put that aside. You love me so much for who I am right? Do that with yourself as well, it will fill me with delight.’’
The two sisters talked hours and hours about how the past months had been for Hansel and what she had been through. And, in the end, Hansel started to realize how much more value her sister’s opinion had than every photographer that she had ever met. Hansel came to the realization of what she was doing to herself, she could not understand how she did not notice how wrong it was and how she was neglecting herself. Because of the help of her sister, she decided to go and find someone to talk to about how she felt. She wanted to restore the damage that she and the model industry had done to her. Hansel found a therapist, a real powerful woman with amazing energy who could make sure that Hansel could see how sincere and beautiful she was on the inside.
Recovery was not always easy, but in the end, every effort that she made had given her a positive, happy life filled with amazing opportunities. Hansel had always loved her sister so much, and now, she could say the same about herself.
From now, Hansel and Gretel could start to live the life in the Netherlands that they had been fantasizing about all summer, and both of them lived happily ever after.