Once upon a time, there lived two kids named Hansel and Gretel. They lived in a small house near the woods with their father, who was a woodcutter, and their stepmother. One day, when food was very low, their stepmother had a bad plan. She wanted to take the kids deep into the woods and leave them there. Their father did not like this plan, but she made him agree. Hansel heard them talking at night. He went to his sister Gretel, who was smart and kept many useful things in her apron pockets. "We must do something," said Hansel. "Yes," said Gretel. "But what can we do?"
Hansel and Gretel snuck outside in the moonlight. The white pebbles shone bright on the ground. They filled their pockets with the pretty stones. The next day, their stepmother woke them very early. "We are going into the woods to get wood," she said. As they walked deeper into the dark woods, Hansel dropped the white pebbles one by one. Gretel watched and smiled at her clever brother. They walked for a long time. The trees got bigger and darker. At last, their stepmother said, "Wait here. We will be back soon." But Hansel and Gretel knew they would not come back. The sun started to set. Gretel felt scared, but Hansel took her hand. "Look," he said. "The moon is coming up!" The moonlight made the white pebbles glow like tiny stars on the ground.
Hansel and Gretel held hands and started following the white pebbles. They glowed like little lights in the dark woods. "Step carefully," said Hansel. "We must not lose the path." Gretel kept looking back to make sure no one was following them. The woods were full of strange sounds. Owls hooted and branches creaked. But the pebbles led them true. Soon they saw lights from their house through the trees. They made it home! Their father ran out to meet them. He hugged them tight with tears in his eyes. "I am so happy you are safe!" he said. "I should never have left you." But their stepmother was not happy to see them. That night, Hansel heard her making another plan. This time, she would lock their door at night so they could not get more pebbles. The next morning, their stepmother gave them each a small piece of bread for breakfast. "We are going to the woods again," she said with a stern face.
Hansel and Gretel looked at each other. Gretel opened one of her many apron pockets, and they both put their bread inside. Their stepmother did not see. As they walked into the woods again, Hansel wished he had white pebbles. But he had a new idea. He broke tiny bits of bread from his piece and dropped them behind him. "The birds might eat the bread," Gretel whispered, worried. "It is all we have," Hansel whispered back. They walked deeper and deeper into the woods. The trees got darker and closer together. Their stepmother and father left them in a different spot this time. "Stay here," said their stepmother. "We will come back." But they knew she was not telling the truth. When the sun started to set, Hansel and Gretel tried to find the bread crumbs. But Gretel had been right! The birds had eaten all the bread. They were lost in the dark woods. "Look!" said Gretel. "I see something through the trees. It looks like... a light!"
Hansel and Gretel walked carefully toward the light. As they got closer, sweet smells filled the air. Their tummies rumbled - they had not eaten since morning. Through the trees, they saw something amazing! A little house made of candy and cake stood in a small clearing. The walls were made of gingerbread. The roof was covered in frosting. The windows were clear sugar, and the path was made of colorful candy drops. "Is it real?" whispered Gretel, reaching into one of her apron pockets for a small jar to collect some treats. "Only one way to find out," said Hansel, stepping closer. Just then, they heard a soft voice: "Come closer, dear children! Come taste my sweet house!" An old woman stood in the doorway. She smiled and held out her arms. She wore a gray dress and black shawl, but something about her shadow on the ground looked strange.
Hansel and Gretel walked up to the candy house. Their tummies were so empty, and the sweet smell was too good to resist. "Just one taste," said Hansel, breaking off a piece of the gingerbread wall. "Mmm!" said Gretel, picking a candy drop from the path. She put some in her apron pocket too. The old woman smiled wider. "Come inside, dear ones! I have more sweets inside, and warm beds for tired children." Inside, the house was even more wonderful. A table full of cakes, cookies, and candies waited for them. Soft beds with puffy pillows stood in the corner. "Eat! Eat!" said the old woman. "You are too thin!" But as Hansel and Gretel ate, the old woman's smile changed. Her shadow on the wall grew bigger and darker. It looked like a witch's shadow! The woman locked the door behind them. Now they could see she was really a witch! "Now I have you!" she cackled. She grabbed Hansel and put him in a cage. "You will be my dinner when you are fat enough!" Gretel pretended to cry, but her clever mind was already working. She felt all the useful things in her apron pockets.
The witch turned to Gretel with her mean smile. "You! You will help me fatten up your brother!" Gretel wiped her fake tears and nodded. "Yes, I will help," she said softly. She kept her clever thoughts hidden. Each day, Gretel helped the witch cook rich foods. She learned where the witch kept her magic things. She watched how the witch checked the oven's heat and where she put her keys. The witch made Gretel feed Hansel lots of sweets. But Gretel was smart. When the witch wasn't looking, she slipped the food into her apron pockets. Each night, she gave Hansel healthy food from her pockets instead. "Show me your finger," the witch would say to Hansel each morning. She could not see well. Hansel was clever too. He held out a small chicken bone from his dinner. The witch felt it and thought he was still too thin. After many days, the witch grew angry. "Why aren't you getting fatter?" she growled at Hansel. The witch turned to Gretel. "Tomorrow, we will use the big oven. I'm tired of waiting!" That night, Gretel whispered to Hansel through the cage. "Be ready," she said. "I have a plan." The next morning, the witch made Gretel help her heat the big oven.
The witch pointed at the hot oven. "Look inside," she told Gretel. "Is it hot enough?" But Gretel was ready. She had filled her apron pockets with water from the well. "I don't know how to look," she said. "Show me how." The witch sighed and bent down to look in the oven. Quick as a flash, Gretel threw the water on the witch's feet. The witch slipped! She fell right into her own oven, and the door closed behind her. Gretel ran to free Hansel. She had kept the key safe in one of her pockets. They hugged each other tight. "Look!" said Hansel. He pointed to a chest full of gold and jewels. They filled Gretel's empty pockets with treasures. Then they ran out of the candy house and into the woods. This time, they found their way home. The sun seemed brighter, and friendly birds showed them the path. Their father was there, waiting and hoping. Their stepmother had gone away. He hugged them close and promised never to leave them again. With their newfound riches, they lived happily ever after. And Gretel kept her useful apron with all its pockets, though now she filled them with treats to share instead of things to help them escape. The End.
