The Story
Once upon a time, a poor woodcutter lived at the edge of a great forest with his two children, Hansel and Gretel, and their wicked stepmother. When food became scarce, the stepmother convinced the woodcutter to abandon the children in the forest.
Hansel overheard the plan. The next morning, as they walked into the forest, he secretly dropped pebbles along the path. When their parents left them, the children followed the shining pebbles home by moonlight.
The second time, however, Hansel had no pebbles — only breadcrumbs. The birds ate every crumb, and the children were truly lost in the dark, deep forest.
After wandering for hours, they found an astonishing cottage made of gingerbread and candy, with windows of clear sugar. They began to eat hungrily, when an old woman appeared at the door and invited them inside.
But the old woman was a wicked witch who captured children to eat them. She locked Hansel in a cage to fatten him up and forced Gretel to cook and clean.
Every day the witch checked Hansel's finger to see if he was fat enough. Clever Hansel stuck out a chicken bone instead, and the near-sighted witch was fooled again and again.
Finally, the witch grew impatient and heated the great oven. She told Gretel to climb inside to check if it was hot enough. Gretel pretended not to understand. "Show me how!" she said. When the witch leaned into the oven, Gretel gave her a great push and shut the door.
Gretel freed Hansel, and together they found the witch's treasure of precious stones. They filled their pockets and found their way home, where their father — who had regretted abandoning them ever since — welcomed them with tears of joy. The wicked stepmother had gone away, and the family was never hungry again.