Once upon a time, there lived a brother and a sister named Hansel and gretel at the edge of a forest.
They were living with their father and their stepmother.
Their father was a poor wood-cutter.
One year, it was so cold even in summer that all of the crops died.
There was no longer enough food to feed everybody in the family.
The stepmother was at a loss and said to her husband.
"Listen,
we should take the children out into the deep forest and leave them alone.
Otherwise, we will starve to death."
Hansel and Gretel heard what their stepmother said to their father by chance.
"Don't worry, Gretel. I will find a way to help us." said Hansel,
and went out of the house to pick up pebbles.
He stuffed his pocket with many pebbles.
He was planning to drop the pebbles one by one on the road.
Next morning, the family went into the forest.
When they reached the middle of the forest,
the father made a fire and the stepmother went to gather firewood,
never to come back.
Hansel and Gretel fell asleep by the fireside.
When they woke up, nobody was there.
"Oh, Hansel, what should we do?" said Gretel.
"I dropped the pebbles on our way from the house. We can follow the pebbles to go back home"
said Hansel.
Thanks to the pebbles, they could find the way back home.
The father was very happy to see Hansel and Gretel again
since he was regretting he had left his children in the forest alone.
The stepmother, on the other hand, was vexed.
"We only have a half loaf of bread.
We should try again and leave them farther into the forest this time" said the stepmother.
"I would rather share the last slice of bread with children" said the father.
"Oh, you fool! All of us would die of hunger!" said the stepmother.
The father had no choice but to obey the stepmother.
Next day, they took the children far into the forest.
Hansel had a small piece of bread in his pocket.
He tore it into small pieces and dropped the crumbs one by one on the path while walking.
When they reached the far end of the forest, the stepmother and the father were gone somewhere.
The children fell asleep again.
When they woke up, it was already dark.
"Oh, Hansel. What should we do?" said Gretel.
"Don't worry. I dropped the crumbs of bread on the way.
They will show our way home again."
But they could not find any crumbs on the path.
"Oh my gosh, the birds had eaten them up!"
They had no choice but to wander about to find the path.
They were very hungry and tired.
They were scared they might starve to death.
Then, suddenly, a little house came into their sight.
To their great surprise, the house was built with bread and sweets!
Hansel and Gretel were so hungry that they started eating the house of sweets with joy.
They ate the biscuit roof, the chocolate windows, and the candy bricks.
Suddenly, the door of the house opened, and an old lady who looked like a nice person came out.
"Well, well, dear children. You look very hungry.
Why don't you come in and make yourself at home.
There are more delicious food inside. Do come in." said the old lady.
In reality, the old lady was a wicked witch!
When the children woke up the next morning,
the witch locked Hansel up in a little stable and made Gretel work hard for her.
"Fetch some water right now, and cook good meal for your brother!
I should make him fatter.
He is so thin that I cannot enjoy eating him yet. " said the wicked witch.
Hansel, however, just pretended he had eaten a lot, and never got fat.
The wicked witch could no longer wait, and decided to eat Gretel first.
"Girl, do the rest of housework later.
Now go and see if the oven is properly heated.
I'm going to bake bread."
Gretel sensed that the wicked witch were going to eat her,
and said,
"I don't know how I can get into the oven."
"Oh, you silly girl! It is so easy.
Just bend your body a little.
Anybody can get in by doing like this." said the wicked witch,
and thrust her head into the oven.
Then Gretel gave her a great push from behind and dropped her inside of the heated oven,
and shut the door.
The wicked witch was burnt to death.
Gretel hurried to the little stable and helped Hansel out of it.
"Hansel, the old witch is dead. We are saved!" said Gretel.
They looked around the witch's house, and found a lot of jewels and pearls.
They put as many of them as possible in their pockets, and went out of the forest.
Hansel and Gretel found the way home.
When they reached their house, the father was so delighted to see them again.
The stepmother, however, was dead after she left the children far into the forest alone.
The father and the children lived happily ever after.