HANSEL AND GRETEL

~This is the story of Hansel and Gretel~

Once upon a time to lived a poor Woodcutter, his wife

and his two children, Hansel and Gretel. One day, the
woodcutter went to the forest to cut down trees, and then sold
them to get enough money to buy food. But the money wasn't
enough to buy more than a loaf of bread.
That night, the woodcutter's wife saw her husband giving
the children whole bread to eat. It makes women angry,
because her husband loves children more than her.
Stepmother :
“There is only one thing to be done.”
“Tomorrow, I will take the children deep into the forest, and
leave them there. Then I will no longer have to go hungry.”
In the corner of the room, Hansel opened one eye, he had
heard his Stepmother's words and knew he must do something.
When his stepmother was asleep, Hansel sneaked out of the
house quietly, and collected as many shiny white pebbles as he
could find, and put them in his pocket. Creeping back into the
house, he crawled into bed beside Gretel.
The next morning, even before the sun rose, the
Woodcutter's wife awoke the children.
Stepmother :
“Come, come, your father works hard, and today we will let
him rest. We will go and cut the wood ourselves.”
Hansel and Gretel followed their stepmother out of the
house and into the forest. While their stepmother was focused
on walking, Hansel dropping white pebble from his pocket.
When they were deep in the forest.
Stepmother :
“Now, you wait here.”
“I will gather the wood, and come back for you.”
All day, Hansel and Gretel waited but their stepmother
did not return. As the moon Rose over the woods, Gretel began
to cry.
Gretel :
“She is left us! and now we will never find our way home.”
Hansel just smiled. Taking her hand, he pointed at the
shiny white pebble that he had scattered. They shone in the
moonlight showing the children the way home.
All night the children walked until at last they reached
their small cottage. At the site of Hansel and Gretel, The
Woodcutter burst into tears, for his wife had told him the
children had been eaten by a wolf.
The next morning, the Woodcutter's wife again woke the
children early.
Stepmother :
“Children, your father is tired from worrying about you. Come,
we will cut the wood for him, and bring it home.”
Hansel and Gretel knew it was a trick, but what choice
did they have. As they followed her out the door, Hansel
grabbep the rest of the bread, that was on the table. Again their
stepmother led them deep into the forest. And this time hansel
left a trail using breadcrumbs. When they were deep in the
woods.
Stepmother :
“Now, you wait here”.
“I will gather the wood, and come back for you.”
All day Hansel and Gretel waited, but their stepmother
did not return. As the moon Rose over the woods, Gretel began
to cry.
Gretel :
“She is left us again! Now we will never find our way home.”
Hansel just smiled :
“Don't worry sister. I've left us a trail to follow.”
But when Hansel look for the trail of breadcrumbs, he
found it gone. It had been eaten by all the Woodland creatures.
Now Gretel began to cry even harder.
Gretel :
“What would we do?”
Hansel :
“We'll just have to find a way home, on our own.”
 Taking her hand, Hansel began to walk, on and on the
two went, all night and well into the next day. As the sun began
to set on them again, they found a strange house whose walls
were made of gingerbread, held together with frosting, spun
sugar of all colors made up the windows, and gumdrops lined
the roof.
Hansel grabbed at a window, while Gretel pulled off a
chunk of the wall, then they put the pieces of the house in their
mouths and ate them like greedy children until their cheeks
were full.
Then from inside there came a voice :
“Nibble, nibble little mouse, who's that nip at my house?”
Out of the strange house looked an old woman. She
squinted at the children as if she couldn't see them. Startled
Gretel dropped the piece of wall she was holding.
Gretel :
“Oh no..! I’m so sorry, it's just that we're lost and was so so
hungry.”
Old woman :
“Oh dear children, why did you not just knock? I have plenty of
good food inside. Come, come, I will feed you dinner the likes
of which you have never seen.”
Actually, Hansel and Gretel had been warned to be
careful of strangers, but they were very hungry because they
had not eaten for two days. They hurried after the old woman
and it was true that she did serve the best dinner they had ever
seen. Roast mutton with gravy, biscuits dripping with butter,
and for dessert, the sweetest apple pie.
Old woman :
“Poor children.”
Watching as they gobble down the food :
“You must be tired, come, tonight you will rest. Tomorrow I
will help you find your way home.”
Grateful the children followed the woman to a bedroom
and in no time they were fast asleep. The next morning Gretel
woke to find the woman standing over her.
Old woman :
“Get up you lazy fool..!”
Gretel jumped from the bed :
“Whe.. Where’s Hansel..?” She stammered.
Kekekekeke~~~
Cackling the witch pointed at a bony finger at a cage in
the corner of the room, Hansel sat inside crying softly to
himself.
Old woman :
“A tasty muscle he will be, when we get some meat on those
bones. Now quick girl to the kitchen, there is much work to be
done if we are to fatten up your brother.”
And so it was that day after day, Gretel made the tastiest
meals. And day after day, Hansel ate like a king, while Gretel
only got bones to noron. Each morning the old witch hobbled to
hansel's cage and each morning she spoke the same words.
Old woman :
“Point a finger, let me feel if you are fit for my meal, for these
eyes no longer see whether a thin or fat you be.”
But Hansel was clever instead of holding out a now
chubby finger he held out a thin bone. It's been a week and the
witch still can't find a hand big enough to eat.
Then one day, she declared that she had waited long
enough, pointing at the oven she told Gretel.
Old woman :
“Fetch that kindling fill it up, the time has come for me to stop.
Bill the fire nice and hot, we'll throw your brother in the pot.”
Scared Gretel did as she was told. When the fire in the
oven was as hot as could be, the old witch again turned to her.
Old woman :
“Now climb in, and test the heat, let's see if it is hot enough.”
Gretel took one step forward and then stopped :
“Please, I'm not quite sure how. Perhaps you could show me.”
Old woman :
“Silly child step aside, I'll show you how to check inside.”
Then the old woman walked over to the oven to check the
heat. But as she approached the oven, Gretel pushed her hard.
The old woman screamed in the Fire, Gretel slammed the oven
door and locked it.
 Without wasting any time, gretel quickly opened Hansel's
cage and hurried off. When they walked out of the strange
house, they found piles of jewels and coins in every room. Then
they took as many jewels and coins as they could carry. Then
rushed into the forest and looked for a way home. A few days
later, they finally got to their own cottage. At the door, their
father was seen crying and when their father saw his children
he cried even harder.
The Woodcutter :
“Oh children how I searched for you, when I learned what your
stepmother had done I banished her from our home but I
thought I'd lost you forever.”
The Woodcutter listened in Wonder as Hansel and Gretel
told him of their Adventure. Then slowly they pulled the old
woman's jewels and coins from their pockets.
The Woodcutter's eyes grew wide at the site, thanks to his
children, the family would never go hungry again and with
their stepmother gone the family lived happily ever after.
~THE END~