Hansel and Gretel Once upon a time a very poor woodcutter lived in a tiny cottage in the forest with

his two children, Hansel and Gretel. His second wife often ill-treated the children and was forever nagging the woodcutter. "There is not enough food in the house for us all. There are too many mouths to feed! We must get rid of the two rats," she declared. !nd she "ept on trying to persuade her hus and to a andon his children in the forest. "Ta"e them miles from home, so far that they can never find their way ac"! #ay e someone will find them and give them a home." The downcast woodcutter didn$t "now what to do. Hansel who, one evening, had overheard his parents$ conversation, comforted Gretel. "%on$t worry! &f they do leave us in the forest, we$ll find the way home," he said. !nd slipping out of the house he filled his poc"ets with little white pe les, then went ac" to ed. !ll night long, the woodcutter$s wife harped on and on at her hus and till, at dawn, he led Hansel and Gretel away into the forest. 'ut as they went into the depths of the trees, Hansel dropped a little white pe le here and there on the mossy green ground. !t a certain point, the two children found they really were alone( the woodcutter had pluc"ed up enough courage to desert them, had mum led an e)cuse and was gone. *ight fell ut the woodcutter did not return. Gretel egan to so itterly. Hansel too felt scared ut he tried to hide his feelings and comfort his sister. "%on$t cry, trust me! & swear &$ll ta"e you home even if +ather doesn$t come ac" for us!" ,uc"ily the moon was full that night and Hansel waited till its cold light filtered through the trees. "*ow give me your hand!" he said. "We$ll get home safely, you$ll see!" The tiny

white pe les gleamed in the moonlight, and the children found their way home. They crept through a half open window, without wa"ening their parents. -old, tired ut than"ful to e home again, they slipped into ed. *e)t day, when their stepmother discovered that Hansel and Gretel had returned, she went into a rage. .tifling her anger in front of the children, she loc"ed her edroom door, reproaching her hus and for failing to carry out her orders. The wea" woodcutter protested, torn as he was etween shame and fear of diso eying his cruel wife. The wic"ed stepmother "ept Hansel and Gretel under loc" and "ey all day with nothing for supper ut a sip of water and some hard read. !ll night, hus and and wife /uarreled, and when dawn came, the woodcutter led the children out into the forest. Hansel, however, had not eaten his read, and as he wal"ed through the trees, he left a trail of crum s ehind him to mar" the way. 'ut the little oy had forgotten a out the hungry irds that lived in the forest. When they saw him, they flew along ehind and in no time at all, had eaten all the crum s. !gain, with a lame e)cuse, the woodcutter left his two children y themselves. "&$ve left a trail, li"e last time!" Hansel whispered to Gretel, consolingly. 'ut when night fell, they saw to their horror, that all the crum s had gone. "&$m frightened!" wept Gretel itterly. "&$m cold and hungry and & want to go home!" "%on$t e afraid. &$m here to loo" after you!" Hansel tried to encourage his sister, ut he too shivered when he glimpsed frightening shadows and evil eyes around them in the dar"ness. !ll night the two children huddled together for warmth at the foot of a large tree. When dawn ro"e, they started to wander a out the forest, see"ing a path, ut all hope soon faded. They were well and truly lost. On they wal"ed and wal"ed, till suddenly they came upon a strange cottage in the middle of a glade.

"This is chocolate!" gasped Hansel as he ro"e a lump of plaster from the wall. "!nd this is icing!" e)claimed Gretel, putting another piece of wall in her mouth. .tarving ut delighted, the children egan to eat pieces of candy ro"en off the cottage. "&sn$t this delicious0" said Gretel, with her mouth full. .he had never tasted anything so nice. "We$ll stay here," Hansel declared, munching a it of nougat. They were 1ust a out to try a piece of the iscuit door when it /uietly swung open. "Well, well!" said an old woman, peering out with a crafty loo". "!nd haven$t you children a sweet tooth0" "-ome in! -ome in, you$ve nothing to fear!" went on the old woman. 2nluc"ily for Hansel and Gretel, however, the sugar candy cottage elonged to an old witch, her trap for catching unwary victims. The two children had come to a really nasty place. "3ou$re nothing ut s"in and ones!" said the witch, loc"ing Hansel into a cage. & shall fatten you up and eat you!" "3ou can do the housewor"," she told Gretel grimly, "then &$ll ma"e a meal of you too!" !s luc" would have it, the witch had very ad eyesight, an when Gretel smeared utter on her glasses, she could see even less. ",et me feel your finger!" said the witch to Hansel every day to chec" if he was getting any fatter. *ow, Gretel had rought her rother a chic"en one, and when the witch went to touch his finger, Hansel held out the one. "3ou$re still much too thin!" she complained. When will you ecome plump0" One day the witch grew tired of waiting.

",ight the oven," she told Gretel. "We$re going to have a tasty roasted oy today!" ! little later, hungry and impatient, she went on( "4un and see if the oven is hot enough." Gretel returned, whimpering( "& can$t tell if it is hot enough or not." !ngrily, the witch screamed at the little girl( "2seless child! !ll right, &$ll see for myself." 'ut when the witch ent down to peer inside the oven and chec" the heat, Gretel gave her a tremendous push and slammed the oven door shut. The witch had come to a fit and proper end. Gretel ran to set her rother free and they made /uite sure that the oven door was tightly shut ehind the witch. &ndeed, 1ust to e on the safe side, they fastened it firmly with a large padloc". Then they stayed for several days to eat some more of the house, till they discovered amongst the witch$s elongings, a huge chocolate egg. &nside lay a cas"et of gold coins. "The witch is now urnt to a cinder," said Hansel, "so we$ll ta"e this treasure with us." They filled a large as"et with food and set off into the forest to search for the way home. This time, luc" was with them, and on the second day, they saw their father come out of the house towards them, weeping. "3our stepmother is dead. -ome home with me now, my dear children!" The two children hugged the woodcutter. "5romise you$ll never ever desert us again," said Gretel, throwing her arms round her father$s nec". Hansel opened the cas"et. ",oo", +ather! We$re rich now . . . 3ou$ll never have to chop wood again." !nd they all lived happily together ever after. The End