Hansel and Gretel Fairy Tale

Once upon a time, there was an old man and his wife who lived in a small cottage deep in the forest. They had two children: Hansel and Gretel. The family was very poor, and they didn’t have enough food to eat. One year, a great famine hit the land, and their situation grew even worse. The old man and his wife were very worried about how they would feed the children. One day, the wife said to her husband:

— Let’s take the children into the forest and leave them there. It will be better for all of us. The old man, though reluctant, agreed, but his heart ached. He could not bear the thought of abandoning his children, but under his wife’s insistence, he reluctantly agreed to the plan. The next morning, they took Hansel and Gretel into the forest. The old man promised them they would be gathering firewood, but it was a lie. Along the way, Hansel sensed that something was wrong, and he secretly gathered small white pebbles, dropping them along the path.

He hoped the pebbles would help them find their way back. When they reached the deepest part of the forest, the parents left the children and walked away. Hansel and Gretel were left alone, frightened and unsure what to do. But Hansel remembered the pebbles he had dropped, and he quickly gathered them and followed them back, finding their way home. When they returned, their father was overjoyed, but their mother was silent. The next morning, however, Hansel and Gretel woke up and found themselves back in the forest once again. This time, Hansel couldn’t find the pebbles, but he noticed breadcrumbs on the ground. He began to drop them along the path, but to their horror, the birds ate all the crumbs. 

Now, they were truly lost. As they wandered through the forest, they discovered a house made of bread, cakes, and candies. Gretel immediately began to nibble on the candy, but at that moment, they were spotted by an old witch who lived in the house. She invited them inside and offered them food. 

— You look hungry, my dears, — the witch said, smiling. Hansel and Gretel felt something was wrong, but they were too hungry to refuse. The witch told them to stay with her, but Hansel immediately suspected that she was evil. The witch locked Hansel in a cage and told Gretel to help her with the housework. The witch’s plan was to fatten Hansel up and eat him. But Gretel did not give up. She came up with a clever plan to deceive the witch. The witch asked Hansel to show her how fat he had gotten.

But Gretel cleverly offered her a chicken bone instead of Hansel’s finger. The witch didn’t notice the trick and continued to wait for Hansel to become fat. One day, she decided Hansel was ready and prepared the fire to cook him. Gretel, seeing this, waited for the right moment and shoved the witch into the oven. The witch screamed as she fell into the fire, and was no more. Hansel and Gretel were free, and they found many treasures in the witch’s house. They took the treasure and headed home.

When they returned, their father was overjoyed to see them, and their mother was shocked. She no longer had the heart to hurt them, and everything ended happily. The children returned to their home, and their lives were no longer poor. They lived happily ever after, free from hunger and want.