Hansel and Gretel

Once upon a time, at the edge of a great forest, there lived a poor woodcutter with his two children, Hansel and Gretel, and their stepmother.

Times were hard, and there was never enough food. One night, the stepmother said, "We must leave the children in the forest. We cannot feed them anymore."

The woodcutter was heartbroken, but he was too weak to argue.

Hansel heard everything. That night, he crept outside and filled his pockets with shiny white pebbles.

The next morning, the family walked deep into the forest. But clever Hansel dropped pebbles along the way. When the parents left them, Hansel and Gretel followed the pebbles home by moonlight.

The stepmother was furious. She locked them inside so Hansel couldn't gather more pebbles. The next day, Hansel could only drop breadcrumbs as they walked—but the birds ate every one!

This time, the children were truly lost. They wandered for three days until they came upon an amazing sight: a house made entirely of candy!

The walls were gingerbread, the roof was frosted cake, and the windows were clear sugar. The hungry children began to eat.

"Nibble, nibble, little mouse, who is nibbling at my house?" called a croaky voice.

An old woman appeared at the door. "Come in, come in, dear children!" She seemed kind and fed them a wonderful meal.

But the old woman was really a wicked witch! The next morning, she locked Hansel in a cage.

"I'll fatten you up and eat you!" she cackled. "And you, girl, will cook for him!"

Each day, the witch checked if Hansel was fat enough to eat. But clever Hansel held out a thin bone instead of his finger, and the witch—who had poor eyesight—thought he was still too skinny.

Finally, the witch grew impatient. "Fat or thin, I'll eat him today! Girl, climb into the oven and see if it's hot enough."

Brave Gretel knew this was a trick. "I don't know how," she said. "Can you show me?"

When the witch bent down to look into the oven, Gretel pushed her in and slammed the door shut!

Gretel freed Hansel, and they found the witch's treasure—chests full of pearls and jewels! They filled their pockets and found their way home.

Their father wept with joy. The stepmother was gone, and with the treasure, they never went hungry again.

The End