Hansel and Gretel

Before a large forest lived a poor woodcutter with his wife and two children; the little boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel. He had little to eat, and once, when great famine came to the country, he could no longer afford even his daily bread. Now, as he pondered in bed at night and tossed and turned with worry, he sighed and said to his wife: "What is to become of us? How are we to feed our poor children, since we have nothing left for ourselves"? "You know what, man," replied the wife, "tomorrow, bright and early, we will take the children out into the forest where it is thickest. There we'll build them a fire and give everyone another piece of bread. Then we will go to our work and leave them alone. They won't find their way back home and we'll be rid of them." "No, woman," said the man, "I won't do that. How can I bring myself to do that and leave my children alone in the forest? The wild animals would soon come and tear them apart". "O fool," she said, "then all four of us must die of hunger. You can only plane the boards for the coffins," and gave him no rest until he consented. "But I do feel sorry for the poor children," said the man.

The two children had also not been able to fall asleep because of hunger and had listened to what the stepmother had said to the father. Gretel cried bitter tears and said to Hansel: "Now it's all over for us! "Hush, Gretel," said Hansel, "don't worry, I will help us." And when the old people had fallen asleep, he got up, put on his little skirt, opened the lower door, and crept out. The moon was shining brightly, and the white pebbles lying in front of the house shone like coins. Hansel bent down and put as many of them into his jacket pockets as there was room for. Then he went back again, said to Gretel, "Be of good cheer, dear little sister, and only go to sleep quietly, God will not leave us," and lay down again in his bed.