Deep in a forest, where the trees grew so tall they tickled the clouds, lived a woodcutter with his two children, Hansel and Gretel, and their stepmother. Times were tough. So tough, that one night, the stepmother whispered a terrible idea to the woodcutter: "There's not enough food. We must take the children deep into the forest and leave them." The woodcutter's heart ached, but he felt he had no choice.

Hansel, who was a clever boy, overheard their plan. He tiptoed out that night and filled his pockets with shiny white pebbles from the garden.

The next morning, as they walked deep into the woods, Hansel dropped a pebble every few steps. When their stepmother and father left them by a small fire, Hansel and Gretel waited until the moon shone brightly. The moonlight made the pebbles sparkle, and they followed the trail all the way home.

Their stepmother was furious to see them. A few weeks later, when the hunger was even worse, she insisted they try again. This time, she locked the door so Hansel couldn't get pebbles. All Hansel had was a small piece of bread. As they walked into the forest, he broke off tiny crumbs and dropped them to mark the way.

But alas! The little birds of the forest, who were also very hungry, had eaten every single crumb. When Hansel and Gretel tried to find their way home, the path was gone. They were truly lost.

They wandered for three whole days, their tummies rumbling like distant thunder. Just when they felt they couldn't walk another step, they saw a little white bird singing on a branch. It flew ahead, and they followed it, until they came to a clearing. And there, stood the most amazing little house! It was made of gingerbread, with a roof of cake, and windows of clear sugar!

"Wow!" cried Gretel, and they both ran to it and started nibbling.
Suddenly, a sweet voice called from inside, "Nibble, nibble, little mouse, who's nibbling at my little house?"
A little old woman with a kind smile peeked out. "Oh, you poor dears," she cooed. "You must be starving. Come in, come in!"

She gave them warm milk, pancakes with sugar, apples, and nuts. Then she tucked them into soft little beds. Hansel and Gretel thought they had found paradise.

But this old woman wasn't as sweet as her house. She was a tricky old witch who built her gingerbread house to trap children. The next morning, she grabbed Hansel and locked him in a little cage. "You're too thin!" she cackled. "I'll fatten you up, then I'll eat you!" She made Gretel do all the chores, sweeping and scrubbing, and cooking food for Hansel.

Every day, the witch, who had very bad eyesight, would go to Hansel's cage and say, "Stick out your finger, Hansel, let me feel if you're fat yet." But clever Hansel held out a little chicken bone he found in his cage.
"Still too thin!" the witch would grumble.

After a few weeks, the witch grew impatient. "Fat or thin," she declared, "I'll cook you today!" She told Gretel to light a fire in the big oven. "Peek inside, Gretel," she cackled, "and see if it's hot enough."

Gretel knew the witch planned to push her in and bake her too. So she said, "Oh, I don't know how. The door is so small. Could you show me?"
"Silly girl!" snapped the witch. "It's easy!" And she leaned forward, sticking her head into the oven.
Quick as a flash, Gretel gave the witch a big PUSH, and slammed the oven door shut!

Gretel quickly freed Hansel from his cage. "We're free, Hansel!" she cried. They explored the witch's house and found chests filled with pearls, jewels, and gold coins – more than they had ever dreamed of! They filled their pockets.

"Now we must find our way home," said Hansel. They walked and walked, and soon the forest began to look familiar. At last, they came to a big stretch of water. "How will we get across?" worried Gretel.
Just then, a friendly white duck swam by. "Little duck, little duck," called Gretel, "can you help us cross?" The kind duck let them climb on its back, one at a time, and carried them safely to the other side.

From there, it wasn't far to their cottage. Their father was overjoyed to see them! He had missed them terribly and regretted leaving them every single day. The wicked stepmother, they learned, had gone away and never came back.

And so, Hansel, Gretel, and their father lived happily together, their days of hunger long gone, all thanks to their bravery and a little bit of cleverness.

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