Hansel and Gretel

At the edge of a great dark forest there once lived a poor woodcutter with his wife and his two children. The boy was called Hansel and the girl was called Gretel. They had never had very much to eat, and when a great famine came over the land, the man could no longer find even daily bread. One evening, as he lay sleepless in his bed, he tossed about anxiously and sighed deeply. 'What is to become of us?' he whispered to his wife. 'How are we to feed our poor children when we have nothing even for ourselves?'

'Listen to me,' said the wife. 'Early tomorrow morning we will take the children deep into the forest where it is thickest. We will light them a fire and give each of them one last piece of bread. Then we will go to our work and leave them there. They will never find their way home again, and we shall be rid of them.' 'No, wife,' said the man, 'I will not do it. How could I bear to leave my own children alone in the forest, where the wild beasts will soon come and tear them to pieces?' But the wife scolded and nagged until at last he gave in, though his heart was heavy.

Hansel and Gretel had also lain awake from hunger and heard every word. Gretel wept bitter tears and whispered: 'Now it is all over with us, Hansel.' 'Do not be afraid, little sister,' said Hansel, 'I will find a way to help us.' And when the old folk had fallen asleep, Hansel put on his little coat, crept out through the door, and stood still on the step. The moon was shining brightly, and the white pebbles in front of the house glittered like silver pennies. Hansel stooped down and filled his pocket with as many as it would hold. Then he crept back inside and said to Gretel: 'Sleep peacefully, little sister. The good Lord will not forsake us.' And so they both fell asleep.

Early at daybreak, before the sun had even risen, the wife woke the children. 'Get up, you sluggards! We are going into the forest to fetch wood.' She gave each of them a small piece of bread and said: 'This is for your dinner, but do not eat it before then, for you will get nothing else.' Gretel tucked the bread under her apron, for Hansel already had his pocket full of pebbles. Then they all set out together toward the forest. Now and then Hansel stopped and looked back at the house. 'Hansel, what are you staring at?' asked his father. 'I am looking at my little white cat sitting on the roof and wanting to say goodbye,' answered Hansel. But secretly he was dropping one little pebble after another onto the path.