Hansel and Gretel

At the edge of a great green forest stood a small wooden house. There lived a woodcutter and his wife, and their two children, Hansel and Gretel. Their home was not grand, but it smelled of bread and pine. Every night the mother kissed them and said, "Hand in hand, my little ones. Hand in hand, and you will find your way." "Hand in hand," they answered, and the father blew out the candle.

One fine morning, the father went to chop wood, and the children came along to pick berries. "Stay where you can hear my ax," he said. Hansel filled his pocket with bread, and he dropped a crumb here and a crumb there to mark the path. Then Gretel saw a little white bird. It hopped and it sang, and they followed it, just a little way, and then a little way more.

Soon they could not hear the ax at all. "Let us follow my crumbs," said Hansel. But the crumbs were gone. The forest birds had eaten every one! The trees all looked the same, and the light turned soft and gold. Gretel's lip trembled. Hansel took her hand. "Hand in hand," he said, and she nodded. Far away, the white bird sang again, and they walked toward the song.

In a clearing stood the strangest little house they had ever seen. Its walls were gingerbread. Its roof was cake. Its windows were clear, shining sugar. Hansel broke off a corner of the roof. Gretel licked a window. Then, from inside, came a creaky little voice. "Nibble, nibble, like a mouse, who is nibbling at my house?" The door swung open, and out came a tiny old woman in a purple shawl.

"Come in, come in," she said, and she gave them pancakes and put them to bed. But in the morning, her voice was not so sweet. "You ate my roof," she said. "Now you will stay and sweep my floors and stir my pots, for ever and ever!" She was a witch, and a bossy one. She locked the front door and hung the key on a hook. All day they worked. All night they whispered, "Hand in hand."

Gretel watched, and Gretel thought. There was a back door too, with a stiff wooden latch. One morning she stood beside it, looking very puzzled. "Please," she said, "how does this latch work? I cannot do it." "Silly child," snapped the witch. "You just step through, like so." And out she stepped, into the garden. Quick as a blink, Gretel pushed the door. Click! Down went the latch. The witch was on the wrong side of it.

"Open up!" she cried. She rattled and she stamped. But down from the trees came the forest birds, hundreds of them, for they had smelled the cake. Peck, peck, peck on the roof! "Shoo! Shoo! My house!" cried the witch, and she ran after them, over the hill and far away, and that forest never saw her again. Hansel took the key from its hook. Gretel filled her apron with gingerbread. Hand in hand, they ran out into the sun.

The white bird flew ahead, and they followed. Then, through the trees, they heard voices. "Hansel! Gretel!" Two lanterns came swinging along the path. Their mother and father had searched every day and every night, and they had never once stopped. Oh, the hugging! Oh, the kissing of noses! They walked home, hand in hand in hand in hand. There was gingerbread for supper, and soft, warm beds. The mother kissed them. The candle went out. Good night, little ones.