Hansel and Gretel
Once upon a time, there was a brother and a sister called Hansel and Gretel.
They lived in a small house by the forest with their father and stepmother, and they were very poor.
One evening, Hansel overheard the husband and wife talking…
Honey, we need to talk.
Problems? Sweetheart, if we continue like this we will all soon starve!
You are right, but I don’t know what we should do.
I have a plan. We have to leave the children in the forest.
Never! How can you say that? How? Tell me!
If we continue to live together, we will all starve.
This way, at least we can take care of ourselves.
But…….
In the end, the father agreed to abandon his children in the forest.
The children were so hungry they couldn’t sleep, and they heard everything their parents said.
The following morning, Hansel and Gretel were taken to the forest.
As Hansel already knew their parents’ plan,
he had collected some pebbles to drop along the way to mark their way home.
When they were deep in the midst of the forest, they finally stopped.
Children, wait here. Your father and I will go collect some firewood.
With that, their father and stepmother turned and left them all alone.
Hansel and Gretel waited and waited, but their parents did not return.
The forest grew darker and darker until the sun finally set.
Frightened and confused, Gretel started to cry.
Oh Hansel, our parents have abandoned us! How will we ever find our way home?
Don’t cry Gretel, look – the moon is rising. Soon, I will be able to find our way home.
As soon as the moon rose, the white pebbles Hansel had dropped along the way began to glow and sparkle in its light.
Hansel and Gretel could see them clearly, and were able to follow the moonlit pebbles all the way home.
When they reached home, their parents were stunned to see them.
How did they manage to find their way back?
Tomorrow, I will take them so deep they will never get out!
The next morning Hansel and Gretel were led back into the forest.
This time, Hansel didn’t have the chance to pick up any pebbles so he scattered breadcrumbs instead.
Soon after the children had been left alone again, the sun set and it became dark.
Hansel, how will we get home this time?
Don’t worry, I marked the trail again.
You did?
They stared to walk but the breadcrumbs were nowhere to be found!
The birds must have eaten them all up.
Hansel and Gretel were left alone in the forest not knowing how to find their way home.
They went deeper and deeper into the forest, almost losing all hope of ever finding the way out.
Suddenly, they came upon a very curious looking house.
When they came closer for a better look, they were amazed to realize that it was all made up of tasty treats.
Hansel, look! The windows are made out of cookies and the door is chocolate.
Wow! And there are candies in the walls instead of bricks!
Hansel and Gretel were very hungry by that time,
so they began to snatch cookies and candies out of the house and eat them.
Suddenly, the door creaked open and a fearsome old hag appeared.
Who is eating down my house?
We are sorry, but we were very hungry.
Oh my, you must be lost in the woods.
Help yourself to whatever you want, and then come inside for a nice nap.
Hansel and Gretel had as much as they wanted and came into the house.
The old woman was very kind to them, and offered them more delicious food.
They ate until they were stuffed, and fell asleep right there.
In fact, the ugly old woman was an evil witch.
She put Hansel in a cage, and forced Gretel do chores around the house.
Everyday the witch gave Hansel lots of tasty food.
She wanted to fatten him up because she was planning to eat him.
Each morning she would check on him to see if he was fat enough to eat yet.
Hansel, stick out your finger. I want to see how fat you are today.
But Hansel was very clever, and would always stick out a chicken bone instead.
The witch couldn’t see very well, so she believed the bone was Hansel’s finger.
Why aren’t you getting fat Hansel? I will have to feed you more.
Finally, the day came when the witch could wait no longer.
She decided she would eat Hansel whether he was chubby enough or not.
I will not wait any longer. Gretel, start the fire, I am going to cook Hansel!
Gretel was very scared, but the she remembered that the witch had bad eyes and decided to trick her.
She just sat in front of the oven without making a fire.
The witch began to grow impatient.
Why haven’t you started the fire?
I can’t get it to start.
Move aside, you stupid girl!
The witch couldn’t see the oven properly on account of her bad eyes, so she moved her face closer to the fire.
Desperate, Gretel seized the moment and shoved the witch into the oven!
…and the witch burned to a cinder in the flames.
Gretel immediately freed Hansel from the cage,
and when they entered the witch’s room, they realized it was filled with treasures!
Taking as much as they could carry, Hansel and Gretel left the witch’s house behind and went off again in search of their home.
They walked through the forest for many hours, and finally found the way back.
Dad! Stepmom! We’re back!
After abandoning their children, their father and stepmother continued to grow poorer and poorer.
They began to feel very guilty and miserable and tried their best to find the children but it was too late.
Now, they spent all their days crying over their misfortunes and hoping that the children would somehow find their way home.
Suddenly, Hansel and Gretel burst through the door.
Dad! Mom! We missed you so much.
Children, I am sorry for leaving you. I am so happy to see you again, alive and well!
Can you ever forgive me?
Mom, dad, look!
Hansel and Gretel showed their parents the witch’s treasures.
From that day forth, the family lived happily ever after.