A poor woodcutter lived near a large forest with his wife and two children, Hansel and Gretel. They were very poor, and during a time when food was scarce, they had nothing to eat.
One night, the woodcutter’s wife said, "We cannot feed the children anymore. Tomorrow, let’s take them deep into the forest, build a fire, and leave them. They won't find their way back, and we will be able to survive."
The father was very sad, but his wife kept arguing until he finally agreed. The children were so hungry that they were still awake, and they heard the whole plan. Gretel cried, but Hansel said, "Don't worry, I have a plan."
When the parents were asleep, Hansel went outside. The moon was bright, and the white pebbles on the ground shone like silver. He filled his pockets with the stones.
The next morning, the family set out for the forest. As they walked, Hansel stopped often to drop a white pebble on the path. When they were deep in the woods, the father built a fire and told the children to rest while they went to cut wood. Hansel and Gretel fell asleep, and when they woke up, it was dark night. Gretel was afraid, but when the moon rose, the white pebbles glittered on the ground. They followed the stones all the way back home.
Their father was happy to see them, but the wife was angry. Soon, the food was gone again. She told her husband they must leave the children even deeper in the forest. This time, she locked the door at night so Hansel could not collect pebbles.
In the morning, the mother gave them each a small piece of bread. As they walked, Hansel crumbled his bread in his pocket and dropped the crumbs on the path. Again, the parents left them by a fire and never returned.
When the moon rose, the children looked for the breadcrumbs, but they were gone. Thousands of birds had eaten them. Hansel and Gretel were lost. They walked for three days, getting hungrier and hungrier. Finally, they saw a beautiful white bird. They followed it until they reached a strange house.
The house was made of bread, the roof was made of cake, and the windows were made of clear sugar! The children were so hungry that they started eating the house. Suddenly, the door opened and an old woman came out.
"Oh, you dear children," she said kindly. "Come inside and stay with me." She gave them a delicious meal and comfortable beds.
But the old woman was actually a wicked witch who built the house to catch children. The next morning, she locked Hansel in a small cage and forced Gretel to cook food to make Hansel fat. "When he is fat enough, I will eat him," she said.
Every morning, the witch asked Hansel to stretch out his finger so she could feel if he was getting fat. But the witch had bad eyes, and Hansel was clever. He held out an old bone instead. The witch was confused because he stayed so thin.
After four weeks, the witch lost her patience. "Fat or thin, I will cook him today!" she shouted. She told Gretel to check if the oven was hot enough. Gretel realized the witch wanted to push her in and cook her, too.
"I don't know how to get in," Gretel said.
"Silly girl!" the witch screamed. "The opening is big enough. Look, even I can fit!" As the witch leaned into the oven, Gretel gave her a huge push. The witch fell all the way in, and Gretel shut the heavy iron door.
Gretel ran to Hansel and opened his cage. "We are free!" she cried. They explored the witch's house and found chests full of gold, pearls, and jewels. They filled their pockets and set off to find their way home.
After a long walk, they reached a large lake. A kind white duck carried them across the water one by one. Soon, they recognized the forest and found their father’s house.
When they ran inside, their father cried with joy. He had been miserable since he had left them, and his wife had died. Hansel and Gretel emptied their pockets, and the house was filled with gold and jewels. From that day on, they never went hungry again and lived together in perfect happiness.