Hansel and Gretel

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Hansel and Gretel lived with their father, a poor woodcutter, and their stepmother. There was not enough food, and one night the children heard their stepmother talking. "Tomorrow, we will take them deep into the forest and leave them there," she said. Their father did not want to do it, but he agreed.

Hansel was clever. That night, he went outside and filled his pockets with white pebbles. The next day, the family walked into the forest, and Hansel dropped a pebble every few steps. When the parents left, the moon came out, and the pebbles shone like little lamps. The children followed them home.

The stepmother was angry. The next night, she locked the door, so Hansel could not collect more pebbles. The next day, he had only a piece of bread. He dropped crumbs along the way, but the birds ate them all. This time, the children were really lost.

After three days, they saw a little house. The walls were made of bread, the roof was made of cake, and the windows were made of sugar. They were so hungry that they began to eat the house. Suddenly, an old woman opened the door. "Come in, come in," she said sweetly. "There is plenty to eat."

But she was a witch. She locked Hansel in a cage and made Gretel work for her. Every day, she told Hansel to show his finger, because she wanted to know if he was fat enough to eat. Hansel showed her a thin chicken bone instead, and the witch, who could not see well, thought he was still thin.

One day, the witch lost her patience. "Gretel, look inside the oven and see if it's hot!" Gretel answered, "I don't know how. Can you show me?" The witch bent down, and Gretel pushed her in and closed the door. Then she ran to free her brother.

The children found jewels in the witch's house and filled their pockets. After a long walk, they saw their father's house. He ran out, crying with joy. The stepmother was gone, and there was food on the table at last.