Long ago, in a poor little house at the edge of a great forest, there lived a woodcutter, his wife, and his two children, Hansel and Gretel. Times grew hard, and there was not enough food in the house. One night the stepmother said to the father, “We cannot feed them. We must take the children into the forest and leave them there.”
The father was grieved, but at last he gave in. Hansel heard everything. In the moonlight he slipped outside and filled his pockets with white pebbles. The next morning, as they walked into the woods, he dropped the stones one by one behind him. When the parents left the children alone, Hansel and Gretel followed the shining trail home.
But the stepmother was angry, and soon the children were led into the forest again. This time Hansel could gather only bread crumbs, and he scattered them along the path. Yet the birds ate the crumbs, and the children were lost.
At last they came to a strange little house built of gingerbread, cake, and sugar. Hungry and tired, they began to eat. Then out came an old woman with a smiling mouth and bright eyes. “Dear children,” she said, “come in. You will be safe here.”
But the woman was a wicked witch. She shut Hansel in a cage and made Gretel cook and clean. Each day she called, “Hansel, hold out your finger!” and, because he was clever, he held out a little bone instead, so she thought he still grew thin.
At last the witch grew impatient. “Gretel,” she cried, “I will light the oven. Get inside and see if it is hot enough.”
Gretel pretended not to understand. “I don’t know how,” she said.
“Simple fool!” said the witch. “The opening is wide enough.”
But Gretel gave a sudden shove, and the witch tumbled into the oven. Gretel slammed the door shut.
She ran to Hansel and unlocked the cage. In the witch’s house they found pearls and precious stones. They filled their pockets and hurried home through the forest.
When they reached the cottage, they found that their stepmother was dead, and their father wept for joy to see them alive. From then on they lived happily together, with no more hunger or fear.