Hansel and Gretel

Once upon a time, there lived a brother and sister named Hansel and Gretel. They lived with their father and stepmother in a small house near a dense forest. The family was so poor that they barely had enough food to survive. One day, their stepmother cruelly suggested abandoning the children in the forest, so she and their father would have fewer mouths to feed. Though heartbroken, their father reluctantly agreed because of their desperate circumstances.

Before being left in the forest for the first time, Hansel cleverly collected white pebbles and dropped them along the path. This way, after being left behind, they could follow the trail of pebbles back home. The plan worked perfectly. That night, when their stepmother and father were asleep, Hansel and Gretel followed the shiny pebbles and safely returned home.

The second time, the stepmother was determined to abandon them deeper in the forest. Hansel had no more pebbles, so he used crumbs of bread to mark the path. Unfortunately, birds ate all the crumbs, and when night fell, Hansel and Gretel could not find their way home and became lost in the forest.

Exhausted and hungry, they stumbled upon a magical house made entirely of bread, candy, and icing. Unable to resist, they began nibbling on the walls. Little did they know, the house belonged to a wicked witch who lured children to eat them. The witch captured Hansel and locked him in a cage to fatten him, while forcing Gretel to do chores around the house.

Every day, the witch checked Hansel to see if he had gained weight. Hansel cleverly used a chicken bone instead of his finger, tricking the witch into thinking he was still too thin. Meanwhile, Gretel watched closely, looking for a way to save her brother. Eventually, the witch demanded that Gretel crawl into the oven to bake Hansel. Quick-thinking Gretel pushed the witch into the oven instead, closing the door and killing her, freeing both herself and Hansel.

After the witch was gone, Hansel and Gretel discovered a treasure of gold and jewels inside her house. They brought it back to their father. Upon returning home, they found that their cruel stepmother had died, and the family lived happily ever after, never again struggling for food. The story ends with a powerful lesson about courage, cleverness, and the unbreakable bond between siblings.