Hansel and Gretel

There once lived a poor woodcutter who had two children, Hansel and Gretel. Their mother had died, and their stepmother was an unpleasant woman. The family was very poor, and soon there was little money or food left in the house.
One night, the stepmother said to the woodcutter, "We cannot live like this any longer. If we did not have the children, we would fare better. Tomorrow, we must take them deep into the forest, and leave them there. "The wood cutter was horrified, but the more he argued against the plan, the angrier the stepmother became.
Hansel and Gretel heard the cruel words of their stepmother. Gretel cried bitterly, but Hansel said, "Dont cry. I have an idea that'll help us find our way back home."
When the cottage was quiet, Hansel got out of bed, and went silently out of the back door. He picked some pebbles from the garden, and put them into his pocket.

Next morning, the stepmother took the children to the forest as they were going to help their father. Hansel dropped the pebbles behind him as they walked along, to mark their way back to home. When they were deep in the forest, they sat down to rest. The stepmother told the children to start gathering sticks.

The children were so busy that they did not see their parents quietly move away. Gretel became very frightened. But Hansel led her through the trail of pebbles and they returned home safely. The stepmother was not pleased to see them.

The stepmother tried to get rid of the children again. The next day, she gave Hansel a slice of bread and sent the children off with the woodcutter. Hansel crumbled his slice of bread and dropped the crumbs behind him as he walked into the woods. 

But alas! When they tried to find the way home, the children discovered that birds had eaten all the crumbs.

The children were frightened and lonely in the deep, dark forest. Clasped in each other's arms they slept through the night. In the morning, they came across a tiny house made of ginger bread. The Children ran into it and started eating food found there. The door of the house flew open, and out came an old woman.

"Come in and stay with me, dear children," she said. "Eat as much as you wish." The children started tucking in to a delicious feast. The old woman showed them into the sweetest little bedroom, and when they lay in the soft white beds, they quickly fell asleep.

The Old woman was really a wicked witch. She pulled Hansel from his bed, and locked him in a cage. Next day the witch told Gretel, "I shall eat him first and then I will eat you." Poor Gretel cried for mercy. But she didn't mind. 

One morning, the witch told Gretel that she was going to eat Hansel that day. 

"Creep inside the oven, child," she told Gretel, "and see if it is hot enough."

But Gretel, realizing that the witch meant to roast her, pretended to be stupid, and said she did not know how. So the witch climbed in to show Gretel, who pushed her in and shut the oven doors. Then, she set Hansel free.

They filled their pockets with many chests of jewels they found in the house, and set off to find their home. When they reached their cottage, they found their father alone, for their stepmother had died. The father was overjoyed to see them and with all the riches they lived in comfort and were very happy.