Close to a big forest on top of a small mountain

Wouldn’t it be a hill instead of a small mountain?
No because it was in between a mountain and a hill small like a hill but steep like a mountain.

So a rocky hill?
Yeah but no because it’s bigger than a hill.

Continuing on, There were two siblings by the name of Hansel and Gretel. They lived with their father who fell into poverty.

Why is he poor?

He was a lumberjack and people didn’t really need any wood

Anyways, They also lived with their stepmother.
All they had was a little bit of bread to feed themselves. Then one lovely day, or better say one awful day they ran out of bread.
The stepmother was a cruel lady, she couldn’t stand her stepchildren. During a long sleepless night she took advantage of her husband’s desperation and whispered to him “Leave the children in the forest. We can’t keep feeding them. If we keep them we’ll be diminished to dust.

Wait a minute wouldn’t the kids just come back?

The stepmother said to their dad to drop them on the side of the forbidden forest because they haven’t been that far before.

Oh so they wouldn’t know their way around.

Yeah anyway…

With hungry grumbling stomachs,Hansel and Gretel overheard their stepmom’s plan. Gretel bursted into tears, the youngest and most sensitive. Hansel, who already had a plan, comforted her. “Don’t worry dear sister, we’ll find a way tomorrow.”

Hansel sneaks out to the garden to stuff his pockets with small white pebbles.

Why small pebbles, why not food from the garden?
Because it was rotten so the food smelled strong so if he took it his stepmother would smell it on him.

Oh and so that’s why he didn’t get food because he didn’t want to get in trouble.

The luminous glow of the moon glistened against the pebbles.

In the morning the stepmother said “let’s have a picnic” and the family went into the forest.

If they new they were getting abandoned why did they go?

As the family was walking through the forest Hansel walked slowly behind their parents, dropping a white pebble every few steps.“Now children, your father and I will be back, we are going to collect berries so stay here” said the stepmother. The father kissed both the children as they walked away. As expected they didn’t come back ,Gretel started to sob. “Do not cry” comforted Hansel, “we’ll follow the pebbles that I dropped to find our way back home”. They followed the pebbles ,a few hours later they arrived home and saw the stepmother looking very angry with their father looking relieved. “Thank goodness you came home,” said the father, hugging them tightly.

“It was silly of you to get lost,” said the stepmother. Once Hansel and Gretel had gone to bed they had another talk. “We have to try it again,” said the tormenting stepmother.
“I can’t,” said the father, “I love my children.”
“We are doing it again tomorrow” the stepmother said with a firm hollow voice and this time Hansel and Gretel didn’t overhear them.

So why is the stepmom so mean to the kids?
She hated the kids because they ate too much and were too greedy.

The next morning the family once again walked into the forest. The stepmother handed Hansel and Gretel each a piece of bread. Once again Hansel walked slowly behind and he ripped his bread into pieces and left it on the path. Again the stepmother said “your father and I are going to go collect some berries, we’ll be back”. As expected they didn’t come back.

Why bread? Why not use the white pebbles like last time?
They ran out of white pebbles in their garden.

“Don’t worry” Hansel told Gretel, “we will follow the breadcrumbs back home”. They went to find the breadcrumbs but they were gone. The birds had eaten the breadcrumbs.

Birds eat bread?
Yeah the breadcrumbs they had was wheat bread so the birds liked to eat it.

Hansel and Gretel were now completely lost. They kept walking and tried to find a way home when suddenly they came across a house. It was a gingerbread house made out of gingerbread and candy. Through the children’s hunger they ran to the house and started eating it.

So if it was made of gingerbread, why didn’t the birds eat that?
The witch put a spell on the house so the birds wouldn’t eat it.

So then wouldn’t something happen to Hansel and Gretel?
It only worked for birds, not for good little kids.

Ok soo… The door opened and an old woman walked out. “Why children, how nice to see you”, she said.
“We are lost,” Gretel explained.
“I can see that,” the old woman said, “please come inside and have a good meal. I will take good care of you”.
Hansel and Gretel could not believe their luck. As soon as they stepped foot in the house the old woman changed, she was a witch. Hansel got thrown in a cage and Gretel was made to do all the housework. “When Hansel is fat enough” the witch said “I will eat him”.

Witches eat people?
They only eat bad children.

So I have to be a good child? Not to be eaten by the witch? *starts to cry horridly*

Everyday she checked to see if Hansel was fat enough. “Let me touch your finger,” the old woman said. The witch was almost blind so Gretel gave Hansel a chicken bone. The old woman touched the chicken bone. “ I don’t understand,” said the old woman. “I keep feeding the boy but he stays so thin”. “Well I’ve had enough of waiting,” the old woman said. “Thin or not, I’m going to eat him right now, Gretel turn on the oven.” Gretel opened up the oven. She had to think fast, “can you help me?” Gretel asked the old woman. “There is something at the back of the oven. The old woman stuck her head in the oven. “Where?” The old woman asked. With all her might, Gretel shoved the old woman in the oven then shut the door. Then she walked over to Hansel and unlocked the cage.

Wait, wait, wait… what happened to the witch when she got shoved in the oven? Did she turn into a pie?

Yup she turned into a pie.

“Quick, let’s go.” Gretel cried. They ran outside and a swan spoke to them. “You two look lost. I can take you home if you like. Hop on”.

A swan can talk? I want a talking swan.
They had so much sugar they started to hallucinate.

So Hansel and Gretel hopped on. The swan carried them home. When they got home, they found that their evil stepmother had left and only their father was home. “Can you forgive me?” the father asked them. “I looked and looked for you. I know what I did was wrong”.
“We forgive you,” said Hansel and Gretel. Soon the rain came again and the crops grew. There was enough food for Hansel, Gretel and their father. Hansel and Gretel lived happily ever after.

Oooo, what happened to the stepmother??
She was the witch and the witch got shoved in the oven so now she is dead.

How does that even work, Hansel and Gretel arrived at the witch’s house before the stepmom right?
When the stepmother went to get berries she went to the gingerbread house instead.

But she was with the dad wasn’t she?
She was but they went separate ways.

But the dad did ask where she was going?
She just said she was going to get berries in a different direction.

But wouldn’t the dad go find her after?
He was put under a spell by the stepmom condemned to do whatever she wanted.

Oh, well goodnight then… Can you read me another story tomorrow?
Not tomorrow, maybe next week.

Ok then… 🙁

The End