Hansel and Gretel

Once upon a time, two children called Hansel and Gretel lived with their father and stepmother in a little house beside the forest. The family was very poor and had barely enough food. One night, worried about their lack of money, the stepmother suggested leaving the children in the woods to fend for themselves. Their father, although unhappy, eventually agreed.

The following morning she took them deep into the forest, pretending they were going to gather firewood. Before leaving, Hansel had guessed what might happen and filled his pockets with little white stones. As they walked, he dropped them to mark the way home.

Once they were far inside the woods, the stepmother left them, promising to return soon. Tired, they fell asleep beneath a large tree. When they woke, it was night and she had not returned. Thanks to Hansel’s stones, they found their way home.

Furious to see them, the stepmother decided to take them even deeper into the forest the next day. This time Hansel had no chance to gather stones, so he left breadcrumbs instead. But the birds ate them all, and when darkness fell, the children were lost.

They wandered for hours until they found a strange house. It was made of sweets, with biscuit walls, sugar windows and a chocolate roof. Very hungry, they went closer and began to eat.

Suddenly the door opened and an old woman appeared. She was really a wicked witch.

“Welcome, little ones! You’ve come just in time for supper,” she said softly.

Behind her apparent kindness she hid terrible plans. She tricked them into entering, then locked Hansel in a cage and forced Gretel to work for her.

Every day she fed Hansel delicious meals to make him plump, while Gretel did the housework. The witch intended to cook and eat Hansel when he was fat enough.

One day she decided the time had come and prepared the oven. She ordered Gretel to check whether it was hot. But Gretel understood that the witch meant to push her inside and pretended not to know how.

“I’m too little to reach,” she said.

Impatiently, the witch bent down to show her. Gretel gathered all her courage, pushed her inside and shut the door. The witch shouted furiously but could not escape.

Now safe from her, Gretel freed Hansel. Exploring the house, they discovered treasure and jewels. They filled their pockets and decided to return to their father.

After many adventures and a long journey through the forest, they found their way home. Their father welcomed them with open arms, full of regret for abandoning them. Their stepmother had disappeared and was never seen again.

With the treasure, Hansel, Gretel and their father lived happily and never went hungry again. The children had learnt the value of courage, clever thinking and family love.