Once upon a time, there was a woodcutter who lived with his wife and two children, Hansel and Gretel, from his first marriage. They lived in a tiny house and didn’t have much food to eat.
One night, lying in bed, the woodcutter worriedly asked his wife, “What will we do? We hardly have any food for our children.” His wife came up with a plan she thought was smart. She suggested, “Let’s take Hansel and Gretel deep into the forest tomorrow. They can take care of themselves, and then we’ll have enough food for us.”
The woodcutter didn’t like this idea at all because he loved Hansel and Gretel very much and didn’t want to leave them alone in the forest.
But his wife insisted, saying, “If we don’t do this, we’ll all get very sick because we have nothing to eat.”
Hansel and Gretel heard their dad and stepmom talking and started to worry about being left in the forest.
Gretel was very sad, but Hansel comforted her, saying, “Don’t cry, Gretel. I’ll make sure we’re okay.”
After their parents went to sleep, Hansel sneaked outside and picked up shiny stones from the garden, filling his pockets with them.
The next morning, their stepmom woke them up for a trip to the forest to gather wood. She gave them each a piece of bread for dinner and told them not to eat it until later.
As they walked, Hansel dropped the shiny stones along the way to mark the path back home.
In the forest, their dad asked them to collect wood for a fire. After making the fire, he and their stepmom left Hansel and Gretel to rest while they went to get more wood but didn’t come back.
It got dark, and Gretel was worried, but Hansel said they’d follow the shiny stones back home under the moonlight. And that’s what they did.
Their dad was overjoyed to see them when they returned, but their stepmom wasn’t happy at all. She pretended to be worried, but she was actually annoyed they found their way back.
Soon, their food situation got even worse.
One night, they overheard their parents again. This time, their stepmom wanted to take them even deeper into the forest. Their dad didn’t like the plan, but he didn’t stand up to her.
Hansel wanted to collect more stones, but their stepmom had locked the door this time!
Gretel cried, but Hansel reassured her, “We’ll be okay.”
The next day, they went deeper into the forest. Hansel dropped breadcrumbs this time, hoping to mark the path back. But when it was time to return, they discovered birds had eaten all the crumbs, and they were lost.
After three days, they found a cottage made of bread, cakes, and sugar windows. They were so hungry they started eating parts of it.
An old lady appeared and invited them in, offering them food and a place to rest. But she was a witch who trapped children to make them do chores forever.
She locked Hansel in a cage and made Gretel do endless chores.
One day, the witch wanted Gretel to bake bread. Gretel pretended she didn’t know how to use the oven. When the witch tried to show her, Gretel pushed her into the oven and locked her in!
Gretel freed Hansel, and they found precious gems and pearls in the cottage. They filled their pockets and ran away.
They reached a river and a friendly duck helped them cross one by one.
Soon, they recognized the way home. Their dad was so happy to see them. He told them their stepmom had left, and they were all alone now.
They showed their dad the treasures from the witch’s cottage. From that day, they were never poor or hungry again. They all lived happily ever after.
