Stories – Gretel and Hansel

Bedtime stories for kids – Gretel and Hansel

Once upon a time, there were two brothers named Hansel and Gretel who lived in a hut in the forest with their father. Their father was a poor woodcutter. His wife, their mother, passed away when their two children were very young. Their father thought he would no longer be lonely when he remarried. But the new stepmother makes life extremely difficult for Hansel and Gretel. The children were not allowed to eat until the stepmother had taken everything she wanted off the plate. Most of the time, only a crust of bread remains. And all day long they have to do difficult work.

Hansel and Gretel tried to tell their father about this but he did not hear them. It seems like the only person he listens to is his wife. And all the stepmother told was how much trouble it would be to have children in the hut and how she wished they would go away forever.

There is less and less food for boys and girls to eat. Yet their stepmother gave them more and more difficult jobs. One day, Gretel begged her father: “Dad! We worked hard all day and we were hungry!” But her stepmother slapped her in the face. “You ungrateful bunch!” She shouted. “You will eat us out of the house!”

That night the two children were not allowed to sleep in the tent. It was cold outside, they shivered and tried to keep each other warm. Winter is coming, and the clothes they wear are so thin that it feels as if they are not wearing any clothes at all.

They shivered and tried to keep each other warm.

The next morning, as the sun rose, Gretel turned to look at her younger brother. “Hansel,” she said, “we can’t stay here. Today we must escape to the forest now! Surely we will find more things to eat when we are alone than what we have at home.”

“Do you think?” Hansel said. “But what if we get lost?”

“We won’t!” Gretel said. “I’ll get the bread. We will leave the breadcrumbs behind us. If necessary, we can follow the debris home.”

So the two went into the forest and left their difficult lives behind.

They went deeper and deeper into the forest. Gretel carefully dropped each crumb, then a moment later added another.

But alas! They look for any sign of something to eat – an apple tree, a pear tree, some nuts on the ground, or even dried berries. There’s nothing to eat! They get hungrier and hungrier. Finally, poor Hansel and Gretel knew that they had to return to their hut or they would surely starve to death. They just need to find the piece of bread and that will lead them home. However, when they searched for breadcrumbs, they found nothing – all the breadcrumbs were gone!

A bird soared into the air and in its beak was a large crumb. Hansel and Gretel were extremely sad – the birds must have eaten all their breadcrumbs! A wolf howled in the distance. The sun was setting. Hansel and Gretel are lost and hungry. Now they are also scared.

“Gret,” Hansel whispered fearfully, “what are we going to do?” She didn’t know what to say. All she could do was hug her brother. Every minute it gets darker and darker. Once again, a wolf howled in the distance.

Suddenly, Gretel saw a small beam of light shining in the distance. Could this be someone’s hut deep in this forest? “We have to find out!” Gretel exclaimed. “Maybe the people who live there will be kind and will take us in.”
Ezoic

The two children ran as fast as they could towards the light.

When they got close, they couldn’t believe their eyes! As you can imagine – from top to bottom the hut is made entirely of candy! From its gingerbread roof, with frosting covering the walls and candies tucked into the mantle, it’s a sight to behold!

“Gretel!” Hansel exclaimed. Before Gretel could say, “I bet we just need a little taste,” they both took small bites and licked the sweet candy.

A sharp voice!– “Who is gnawing at my house?” Hansel and Gretel return. An old witch!

Stunned, Gretel could only bow. “Please, ma’am,” she said, as sweetly as she could. “There’s a lot of candy in your house. And we’re so hungry!”

“You’re right, MY house!” interrupted the witch. Her voice lowered. “Then,” said the witch in a softer voice, “come inside. I’ll get you something to eat.”

Hansel and Gretel looked at each other happily. They jumped into the witch’s hut.

They skipped into the witch’s hut.

A delicious meal of soup and bread. As they licked the last crust of bread and looked around the hut, what the brothers saw made their hearts turn cold. Piles of bones and piles of bones in the corners! Yet the two children were so tired that they fell asleep.

The next morning when they woke up, Hansel found himself locked in a cage. The witch roared, “That’s where your brother will be! Every day I will fatten him up. He will make me a delicious dinner soon!” She smiled happily and rubbed her hands. “Until then,” she said sharply to Gretel, “you will work for me.”

Indeed, Hansel was well fed and Gretel worked hard for the witch all day long.

Every morning, the witch said to the boy: “Show me your finger. I will feel how fat you are getting.” Because the old witch couldn’t see clearly. Hansel held out his finger when told. The witch smiled as she felt him getting plumper.

“Gret,” Hansel whispered in fear. “What should we do? Soon I will be full and the witch will want to eat me!” His sister wished she had a plan, but couldn’t think of anything.

“Gretl,” Hansel whispered in fear.  “What are we to do?”

One night, while the witch was sleeping, Gretel had an idea. She picked up a bone from one of the piles on the floor and woke her brother. “Hansel,” she said, “next time the witch asks to see your finger, give her this bone instead.”
Ezoic

The next morning, he did just that. “Hmm!” said the witch, touching the bone and thinking it was the boy’s finger. “This is going to take longer than I thought!”

“At least I have more time,” Gretel thought. But she still couldn’t think of a way for them to get out of there.

Every morning when the witch said, “Show me your finger,” Hansel held out the thin bone. One day the witch shouted: “I will not wait another day! The boy will be my dinner tonight, no matter how skinny he is!” The witch orders Gretel to light the fire in the furnace immediately. She must be very hot. Gretel worked as slowly as possible. Why was the witch looking at her with such a sly smile?

“Become a darling,” the witch said with a slow frown. “Let’s go into the oven, okay? Let me know if it’s hot enough.”

Gretel’s heart skipped a beat. If she did, the witch could push her in and she would eat them both!

She looked down. “I’m not sure how to say it.”

“Go inside the oven, won’t you?”

“Unreasonable!” said the witch. “Nothing could be easier. Just come in!”

“Um,” Gretel said slowly, “can I see it first, please?”

“Stupid girl!” the witch shouted. Muttering and grumbling, she entered the oven. The moment the witch stepped inside, Gretel quickly slammed the door shut.

“Gretel!” Hansel exclaimed: “You saved us!”

The older sister tried to think quickly. “Where is your cage key?” She looked and looked. Finally, she found it at the bottom of a vase. She freed her brother from the cage immediately. Then she returned to that vase. Why do you feel under the key? Why, the vase has precious gems inside!

Then she returned to that vase.

With their pockets full of jewelry, they ran out as fast as they could.

In the daylight, they soon found a small path and followed it. It leads to a wider path and that path leads to a road. They waited on the side of the road hoping someone would pass by. When a rider came running, Hansel and Gretel waved. When the horseman stopped, the children gave one of the little gems and the horseman happily drove them home.

When the two brothers opened the door to their house, their father was overjoyed to see them. He had been worried and searching for them day and night since they disappeared. They learned that their stepmother had passed away very soon after they left. For many years afterward, Hansel and Gretel lived happily with their father in a hut in the middle of the forest.

The End