Once upon a time. a poor woodcutter lived in a small cottage on the boundaries of a dark forest together with his twins, Hansel and Gretel. Their mother had died and the woodcutter’s 2nd wife did not care for children. She ill-treated the kids. So times were tough for Hansel and Gretel.
One night, the woodcutter’s wife said, “There is not sufficient food in the home for all of us all. We can not look after the children any longer. Take the kids to the forest and leave them there. “
Hansel and Gretel listened to their parents conversation and they were worried.
“Oh!” sobbed Gretel.
“Don’t cry, Gretel, ” said Hansel. If they leave us in the forest, we will discover the way to house. He came up with an idea and stepped out on the backyard path.
Hansel filled his pockets with tiny pebbles and crept back to the bed again.
Next morning, the unkind mother woke the kids very early. She offered them each a thick piece of bread and said, “You should go with us to the forest right now. “
As the woodcutter and his wife took them to the middle of the forest, Hansel dropped small pebbles on mossy green ground.
At a specific point, the woodcutter halted and said, “Children you must be tired. Both of you relax here until we collect some other wood. “
Hansel and Gretel were feeling very exhausted after having a long walk. They ate their slices of bread and shortly fell into fast asleep.
When they awoke, it was very dark and the woodcutter could not come back. Gretel started to sob bitterly. Hansel advised his sister, “Don’t worry, wait until the moon rises, I will take you home securely. “
When the moon had risen, the children set out, hand in hand, following the line pebbles back home.
The woodcutter and his wife were shocked to see the children back home. “You bad kids! ” cried their stepmother, but their father took them up in his arms.
The wicked stepmother, stifling with frustration locked the kids in their room and said to the woodcutter, “We must take them once again tomorrow and get rid of them. “
The kids lay shaking in their bedrooms as they heard their stepmother. They were worried now, Gretel felt really sad but Hansel comforted her again saying, “I will do something. “
Next early morning, the stepmother gave them two small pieces of hard bread and led the children deep inside the forest to drop them off once again.
Hansel crumbled the bread into smaller pieces and left a path of crumbs behind him all on the way.
This time they gone much further inside the forest. Once again, the woodcutter requested the kids to relax and again with the lame reason, the woodcutter and his wife left the children. Following another route, both of them reached back home.
When Hansel and Gretel awoke, they found them selves alone; they began to look for the breadcrumbs. But unfortunately for the children, the birds that lived in the forest had eaten up all of the breadcrumbs. Poor kids wandered and walked but could not find their way back home.
Through the night they spent roaming, and reached much deeper into the forest.
Each morning, they listened to the sweet chirp of birds and gathered some cherries that they found in the wood.
All of a sudden, hidden in the trees and shrubs they saw a unusual cottage. It was probably the most uncommon house. The house was made of gingerbread, candy, biscuits, chocolate and cakes.
The children Were so hungry that they started to eat the house at once.
While the children were enjoying a yummy food, a shrill voice knocked their ears saying: “Nibble, Nibble, mousekins Who’s nibbling at my housekins? “
The kids freezed with panic and saw an old witch hobbling outside the door. She said, “Dear little ones, come inside, you have nothing to fear. “
The old lady was really an wicked witch, whose most liked food was kids.
Early subsequent morning, she smudged her old hands and pounced on Hansel and locked him inside a little metal cage. Then the lady looked at Gretel and said, “You very lazy girl! Light the fireplace and help me to make the breakfast. I have closed your brother up in a cage I will fatten him and eat. “
Poor Gretel was so frightened and she did almost everything as the old witch asked her. At some point the witch dragged Gretel into the kitchen and said, “Light the fire till the oven is red very hot. I am going to cook your brother for dinner. “
With a heavy heart, Gretel lit the fireplace. “Is the oven ready? ” questioned the witch, after awhile.
“I don’t know, ” answered Gretel. Angrily, the witch yelled, “Useless girl! Let me look at for myself. “
As the witch bent down and poked her head inside to see if the oven was heated up, Gretel gave her an excellent push and after that bumped the oven door close.
The evil witch dropped inside and burned.
Gretel located the key of Hansel’s cage and saved her brother. Both the children danced with happiness and remained for some more days and nights there and consumed more of the house.
They discovered a pile of precious metal hidden in the witch’s cottage. Prior to they left, the two kids filled a bag with all the gold coins. They set out yet again into the forest to discover the way home.
This time, luck was with the children. They found a great lake where a white-colored duck asked them, “Do you want to go across the lake? “.
“Oh yes! We will be thankful, if you help us, ” answered Hansel.
The white duck carried Hansel and Gretel to the other bank of lake one at a time.
Very soon they noticed their own small hut and their father standing at the door.
“Your stepmother is dead. Come back home with me, my dear kids! ” said the woodcutter and held the kids in his hands.
Both Hansel and Gretel forgave their poor father and presented the gold coins to him. Now they had wealth enough and they all lived together ever right after.
