Hansel and Gretel

At the edge of a great forest lived a woodcutter and his two children, Hansel and Gretel. One year food became scarce, and worry filled their little house. The children knew that the grown-ups were troubled, but they also knew that they were strongest when they looked after each other.

One morning, the family went deep into the woods to gather firewood. Hansel tucked small white pebbles into his pockets, remembering how easily the forest paths twisted and turned. When the adults moved ahead among the trees, the children lost sight of them.

Gretel felt frightened. 'What if we cannot find the way back?' 'We will think carefully,' said Hansel.

'And we will stay together.' They followed the pebbles Hansel had dropped behind them and reached home before dark. But on another trip, when Hansel had only a little bread to mark the path, the birds ate every crumb.

That evening the children were lost again. They sheltered beneath a broad oak tree, listening to owls call in the dark. In the morning they followed a bright bird through the forest.

Beyond a clearing stood the strangest cottage they had ever seen. Its roof looked like gingerbread, its windows shone like sugar, and its walls were decorated with colourful sweets. Hungry and tired, the children tasted a corner of the fence.

A woman appeared at the door. 'Come inside, little ones,' she said sweetly. 'I have plenty of food.'

At first the cottage seemed cosy. But the woman was a witch who had built the house to lure travellers. She locked Hansel behind a wooden gate and ordered Gretel to work in the kitchen.

Gretel was afraid, but she did not give up. She watched carefully, searching for a way to free her brother. Each day the witch asked Hansel to hold out a finger so she might see how well he was being fed.

Hansel offered a little twig instead. The witch could not see clearly, and she grumbled that he was still too thin. One morning the witch ordered Gretel to light the great oven.

'Is it hot enough?' she demanded. 'I cannot tell,' Gretel said.

'Would you please show me how to check?' The witch leaned close to the oven, and Gretel quickly shut its heavy door, trapping the witch safely inside the cold outer baking chamber. She grabbed the key from the hook, unlocked Hansel's gate, and took his hand.

They hurried away before the witch could follow. In a cupboard near the door, the children found a pouch of coins and bright stones that belonged to travellers the witch had tricked. They carried it with them, hoping to return the treasures to their owners.

A white duck helped them cross a broad stream, and soon they recognised the familiar trees near home. Their father came running to meet them. He hugged them tightly and promised that they would face hard times together from then on.

The children told their story, and the villagers helped make the forest paths safer. The recovered treasure helped families who had lost their belongings. Hansel and Gretel never forgot the dark woods or the gingerbread house.

But they remembered something more important: when they listened to each other, stayed brave, and worked as a team, even a confusing path could lead them home.