Chapter 4, Hansel and Gretel.
Once upon a time a poor woodcutter lived with his two children and his wife, their stepmother, in a little cottage beside a great forest.
The little boy was called Hansel, and his sister's name was Gretel.
The family was very poor.
One day the woodcutter could no longer afford even bread.
He sighed and said to his wife, how will we take care of the children when we have no food to eat?
The stepmother said, when the sun comes up tomorrow, we will take them deep into the woods.
We will leave them with a warm fire and a stale crust of bread.
They will never find their way home.
Then we can get on with our lives without them. could never do that, the woodcutter said.
They would be torn to pieces by wild beasts.
Foolish man, she said.
We will all just starve then.
The stepmother spoke of nothing else but her plan.
Eventually, the woodcutter agreed that it was the only thing they could do.
I will never forgive myself, though.
You should know that I will think of them every day, the woodcutter said to his wife.
The family cottage was so small that the children heard every word the parents said.
Gretel cried on her brother's shoulder.
Hansel patted his sister on the back and said, Hush, my dear.
I have an idea.
It will be okay.
Try to get some sleep.
Their stepmother woke them up early the next morning.
She gave them each a small bit of bread crust.
Hansel crushed the bread in his pocket.
As they walked deeper and deeper into the forest, he left a tiny trail of breadcrumbs.
They finally stopped walking.
The family had reached a part of the forest they had never been in before.
Hansel and Grethel's stepmother gathered small twigs and leaves and lit a fire.
She told the children to take a nap while she and their father gathered some wood.
We will come back to get you when we are done.
The children sat down by the fire.
Grethel shared her bread crust with Hansel, then they fell asleep.
When they woke up, it was night.
Hansel said to his sister, we will wait for the moon to shine and then follow my trail of breadcrumbs back home.
When the moonlight was bright enough, they tried to find the path home.
Hansel and Grethel looked all around for the breadcrumbs and went farther and farther into the forest.
The birds must have eaten the breadcrumbs I dropped, Hansel said to Grethel.
Oh no, she cried.
What should we do now?
Don't worry, Grethel, Hansel said.
We will find our way.
I know we will.
The children walked day and night for the next three days.
Hansel and Grethel grew weary from hunger.
By the afternoon of the third day, the children were too tired and hungry to go on.
Ready to give up, they slumped down at the bottom of a very tall tree.
Then they heard a sweet white bird singing a pretty song.
The children followed her down a path that led to a little house, and they looked closer at the house.
They saw that its walls were made of bread.
The roof was made of cake.
The windows were made of sparkling sugar.
The children were so excited.
Hansel stepped forward.
Let's have a taste, he said to his sister.
I'll taste the window, and you can try a piece of the wall.
The children broke off bits of the house to eat.
They ate happily and greedily munched away.
Then they heard a voice come from inside.
Nibble, nibble, where's the mouse?
Who's that eating my house?
Hansel replied, just two children who are very hungry.
Hansel knocked out an entire sugar window pane.
Grethel tore another large piece of bread from the wall.
The children were so busy eating they didn't notice that the door of the house had opened.
Very old, ugly woman stepped outside.
She leaned on a crutch, wagged her finger and said Well well, dear little children, how in the world did you get here?
Come in, come in.
No harm will come to you in my house.
The old woman led them inside.
She fed them a great meal of apples, pancakes, and nuts.
There were two tidy, comfy beds for them to sleep into.
Soon, brother and sister were tucked in and sleeping soundly.
But the old woman was really a wicked witch, only pretending to be kind.
She had been walking in the forest when she saw the children slumped down by the tall tree.
She had said to herself, they will be tasty to eat.
So she charmed a bird and let it guide them back to her house.
Before they arrived, she cast a spell that turned her cabin into sweet treats.
Early the next morning, the witch stood by their beds.
She thought, what a tasty meal they will make.
When Hansel woke up, the old witch grabbed him and locked him in the shed.
He cried and cried, but no one could hear him.
Grathel then woke up too.
The witch told her, get some water to cook your brother some breakfast.
He needs to fatten up so I can eat him.
Grathel began to cry.
She was scared of the witch, so she obeyed her demands.
She made Hansel a fattening breakfast and only ate crumbs herself.
Each day the witch would go out to the shed to see how fat Hansel was getting.
Stick out your finger, Hansel, so I can see how fat you're getting, the old witch demanded.
Hansel stuck out an old bone through the barred door.
He knew the witch would eat him when he got fat, so he tried to trick her into thinking he was skinny.
It worked.
The old witch's eyesight was terrible.
She couldn't tell the old bone from Hansel's own finger.
I'm feeding you and feeding you, the witch said.
Why don't you grow any fatter?
Your fingers are so bony.
From now on, you'll be getting even larger portions.
Days passed, and soon the old witch grew tired of waiting.
Gretel, she called, get some water and be quick about it.
I will be cooking and eating hustle today.
Grathel filled up the kettle and lit the fire.
She was shaking so much that she could barely work.
Tears streamed down her cheeks, adding to the salty water in the kettle.
The witch said, First we need to do the baking.
I've already got the dough ready.
She pushed Grathel near the oven.
Crawl in and see if the oven is warm enough for the bread.
Grathel said to the witch, I don't know how to crawl inside.
Would you please show me?
Silly girl, the witch said.
There's plenty of room.
She crawled into the oven and said, See, I can get right in.
Quickly, Grethel slammed the oven door, shut it and locked it.
The old nasty witch howled and screamed.
Grethel ran outside and released Hansel from the shed.
She shouted to him, Hansel!
It's okay.
I put the wicked old witch in the oven.
Now we are free, Hansel said.
Now that there's nothing to fear, let's see what we can take from the old witch's house.
Maybe if we go home with riches, our stepmother won't try to leave us in the forest again.
Then we will be able to stay with father.
I miss him terribly.
They searched every corner of the house and stuffed their pockets full of gold, pearls, and jewelry.
Then they ran away, far from the witch's house.
Hansel and Gretel walked for hours, trying to find their way home.
Finally, they could see their father's house in the distance.
Hansel and Gretel ran toward it.
They threw open the front door and ran into their father's arms.
Oh, children, he cried, I am so happy to see you.
I have been looking for you since we left you in the forest.
Where have you been?
Hansel and Grethel explained what had happened in the forest at the witch's house.
What a terrible adventure you've had, their father said.
The old woodcutter hugged both his children as if he never wanted to let them go.
Where's our stepmother, Hansel said.
She'll be pleased that we've brought such riches home.
Here, let us show you.
They pulled the gold, pearls, and jewelry from their pockets.
You've been gone so long, the father said.
Your stepmother became very sick soon after we left you.
She grew weak very quickly.
Now she's gone.
Hansel and Grethel's father looked sad, so they hugged him again.
Their father continued, but with all of these riches we will no longer be poor or hungry.
He was right.
The little family lived together in happiness.
Never again did they live hungry or apart from one another.
