Hansel and Gretel The Story

There once lived two children named Hansel and Gretel. They were not only brother and sister, but the best of friends. The pair resided in a cottage deep in the woods with their father, Otto, and with their stepmother.

Otto, a woodcutter, did his best to provide for his family, but the money he earned was barely enough to feed them. Despite their poverty, the two children were happy with their life. The stepmother, however, was a different story; she had nothing but complaints for her husband.

One day, the stepmother had had enough of being poor. She reasoned that if there were no children in the house, there would be more money and food for her. So she came up with a plan: when Otto went out to cut wood the next day, he should take Hansel and Gretel with him to the deepest part of the forest, and leave them there.

Otto didn't want to agree to this plan, but his wife kept insisting and insisting, and finally he gave in. Luckily, Hansel overheard their conversation; when he left the house with his father and sister the next morning, he was prepared. As the trio journeyed into the forest, the boy made sure to mark the path with some pebbles he had collected the day before.

At the first chance he had, the father slipped away from his children, ashamed at what he was doing. But Hansel and Gretel merely waited until it was dark, when they could see the pebbles glowing in the moonlight. Then they followed the trail all the way back to their house, and presented themselves, much to Otto's surprise and joy -- and their stepmother's dismay.

She, however, refused to give up. The following morning, it was she who took Hansel and Gretel out to the forest. Again, Hansel marked the path as they went further into the forest. Since he had not been able to collect more of the shiny pebbles (the stepmother had locked the children in their rooms after supper), the boy used bread crumbs instead.

As soon as she could, the stepmother slipped away from the children and returned to the house, triumphant. When it started to turn dark, Gretel started to look for the path. But the children discovered that the birds had eaten the bread crumbs -- leaving them without a way back home.

Gretel was frightened, and her brother was scared as well. But Hansel did his best to keep their spirits up; even without the path, he said, they should be able to return home. Since it was dark, the two decided to spend the night in the clearing, and get some rest.

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