Hansel and Gretel, Level B (Grade Level 3-4)

Hansel and Gretel

            Near a great forest dwelt a poor wood-cutter with his wife and his two children. The boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel. There was little to eat. Once when great hunger fell on the land, he could no longer get even daily bread. He thought over this by night in his bed, and tossed about in his worry.

            He groaned and said to his wife: “What is to become of us? How are we to feed our poor children? We no longer have anything even for ourselves.”

            “I’ll tell you what, husband,” answered the woman. “Early tomorrow morning we will take the children out into the forest to where it is the thickest. We will light a fire for them, and give each of them one more piece of bread. Then we will go to our work and leave them alone. They will not find the way home again, and we shall be rid of them.”

            “No, wife,” said the man, “I will not do that. How can I bear to leave my children alone in the forest – the wild animals would soon come and tear them to pieces.”

            “O, you fool!” said she, “then we must all four die of hunger. You may as well plane the planks for our coffins.” She left him no peace until he agreed.

            “But I feel very sorry for the poor children, all the same,” said the man.

            The two children had also not been able to sleep for hunger. They had heard what their stepmother had said to their father. Gretel wept bitter tears.

            “Be quiet, Gretel,” said Hansel. “Do not worry. I will soon find a way to help us.” When the old folks had fallen asleep, he got up. He put on his little coat, opened the door below, and crept outside.

            The moon shone brightly, and the white pebbles which lay in front of the house glittered like real silver pennies. Hansel stooped and stuffed the little pocket of his coat with as many as he could get in. Then he went back and said to Gretel: “Be comforted, dear little sister. Sleep in peace. God will not leave us.” He lay down again in his bed.

            Before the sun had risen, the woman came and awoke the two children. “Get up, you sluggards! We are going into the forest to fetch wood.” She gave each a little piece of bread. “There is something for your dinner. Do not eat it up before then, for you will get nothing else.” Gretel took the bread under her apron, as Hansel had the pebbles in his pocket. Then they all set out together on the way to the forest.

            When they had walked a short time, Hansel stood still and peeped back at the house. He did so again and again. His father said: “Hansel, what are you looking at there and staying behind for? Hurry up.”

            “Ah, father,” said Hansel, “I am looking at my little white cat. It is sitting up on the roof, and wants to say good-bye to me.”

            The wife said: “Fool, that is not your little cat. That is the morning sun which is shining on the chimney.” Hansel, however, had not been looking back at the cat. He had been throwing the white pebbles out of his pocket on the road.

            When they had reached the middle of the forest, the father said: “Now, children, pile up some wood. I will light a fire to keep you warm.” Hansel and Gretel gathered brushwood together, as high as a little hill.

            The brushwood was lighted. When the flames were burning very high, the woman said: “Now, children, lay down by the fire and rest. We will go into the forest and cut some wood. When we are done, we will come back and fetch you away.”

            Hansel and Gretel sat by the fire. At noon, each ate a little piece of bread. They heard the strokes of the wood-axe, so they thought their father was near. It was not the axe, however. It was a branch which he had fastened to a withered tree, and the wind was blowing it backwards and forwards. Finally their eyes closed wearily, and they fell fast asleep. When at last they awoke, it was already dark night. Gretel began to cry and said: “How are we to get out of the forest now?”

            But Hansel comforted her and said: “Just wait a little, until the moon has risen. Then we will soon find the way.” And when the full moon had risen, Hansel took his little sister by the hand. They followed the pebbles which shone like silver coins, and found the way.

            They walked the whole night long, and by break of day came once more to their father’s house. They knocked at the door. When the woman opened it and saw that it was Hansel and Gretel, she said: “You naughty children, why have you slept so long in the forest – we thought you were never coming back at all!” The father, however, rejoiced, for it had cut him to the heart to leave them behind alone.

            Not long afterwards, there was once more great hunger throughout the land. The children heard their mother saying at night to their father: “Everything is eaten again. We have one half loaf left, and that is the end. The children must go. We will take them farther into the wood, so that they will not find their way out again. There is no other means of saving ourselves!”

            The man’s heart was heavy, and he thought: “It would be better for you to share the last mouthful with your children.” The woman, however, would listen to nothing that he had to say, but scolded him. And he gave in again.

            The children, however, were still awake. They had heard their parents talking. When the old folks were asleep, Hansel again got up. He wanted to go out and pick up pebbles as he had done before, but the woman had locked the door, and Hansel could not get out. Still, he comforted his little sister. “Do not cry, Gretel. Go to sleep quietly. The good God will help us.”

            Early in the morning the woman came. She took the children out of their beds. Their piece of bread was given to them, but it was still smaller than the time before. On the way into the forest Hansel crumbled his in his pocket, and often stood still and threw a morsel on the ground. “Hansel, why do you stop and look round?” said the father. “Go on.”

            “I am looking back at my little bird which is sitting on the roof, and wants to say good-bye to me,” answered Hansel.

            “Fool!” said the woman, “that is not your little bird. That is the morning sun that is shining on the chimney.” Hansel, however, little by little, threw all the crumbs on the path.

            The woman led the children still deeper into the forest. Then a great fire was again made, and the mother said: “Just sit there, you children. When you are tired you may sleep a little. We are going into the forest to cut wood. In the evening when we are done, we will come and fetch you away.”

            At noon, Gretel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, who had scattered his. Then they fell asleep and evening passed, but no one came to the poor children. They did not awake until it was dark night. Then Hansel comforted his little sister and said: “Just wait, Gretel, until the moon rises. Then we shall see the crumbs of bread which I have strewn about, they will show us our way home again.” When the moon came they set out, but they found no crumbs. The many thousands of birds which fly about in the woods and fields had picked them all up.

            Hansel said to Gretel: “We shall soon find the way,” but they did not find it. They walked the whole night and all the next day too from morning till evening, but they did not get out of the forest. They were very hungry, for they had nothing to eat but two or three berries that they found. When they were so weary that their legs would carry them no longer, they lay down beneath a tree and fell asleep.

            It was now three mornings since they had left their father’s house. They began to walk again, but they always came deeper into the forest. If help did not come soon, they must die of hunger and weariness. When it was mid-day, they saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a branch. It sang so delightfully that they stood still and listened to it. When its song was over, it spread its wings and flew away. But they followed it until it landed on the roof of a little house. When they reached the little house they saw that it was built of bread and covered with cakes. The windows were of clear sugar. “We will have a good meal,” said Hansel. “I will eat a bit of the roof, and you Gretel, can eat some of the window. It will taste sweet.” Hansel reached up above, and broke off a little of the roof to try how it tasted. Gretel leant against the window and nibbled at the panes. Then a soft voice cried from the house:

“Nibble, nibble, gnaw,

Who is nibbling at my little house?”

The children answered:

“The wind, the wind,

The heaven-born wind.”

They went on eating. Hansel, who liked the taste of the roof, tore down a great piece of it. Gretel pushed out the whole of one round window-pane and sat down to eat it.

            Suddenly the door opened, and a woman as old as the hills, who supported herself on crutches, came creeping out. Hansel and Gretel were so terribly frightened that they let fall what they had in their hands. The old woman, however, nodded her head, and said: “Oh, you dear children, who has brought you here? Do come in, and stay with me. No harm shall happen to you.”

            She took them both by the hand, and led them into her little house. Then good food was set before them: milk and pancakes, with sugar, apples, and nuts. Afterwards two pretty little beds were covered with clean white linen, and Hansel and Gretel lay down in them. They thought they were in heaven.

            But the old woman had only pretended to be so kind. She was really a wicked witch. She lay in wait for children, and had only built the little house of bread in order to bring them there. When a child fell into her power, she killed it, cooked and ate it.

            Witches have red eyes, and cannot see far, but they have a keen scent like the beasts, and are aware when human beings draw near. When Hansel and Gretel came into her neighborhood, she laughed wickedly. “I have them,” she said. “They shall not escape me!”

            Early in the morning before the children were awake, she was already up. When she saw both of them sleeping and looking so pretty, with their plump and rosy cheeks, she muttered to herself: “That will be a dainty mouthful!”

            She seized Hansel with her shriveled hand. She carried him into a little stable, and locked him in behind a grated door. Scream as he might, it would not help him. Then she went to Gretel and shook her till she awoke. She cried: “Get up, lazy thing, fetch some water, and cook something good for your brother. He is in the stable outside, and is to be made fat. When he is fat, I will eat him.” Gretel began to weep bitterly, but it was all in vain. She was forced to do what the wicked witch told her.

            And now the best food was cooked for poor Hansel, but Gretel got nothing but crab-shells. Every morning the woman crept to the little stable, and cried: “Hansel, stretch out your finger that I may feel if you will soon be fat.” Hansel, however, stretched out a little bone to her. The old woman, with her blind red eyes, could not see it. She thought it was Hansel’s finger, and was astonished that there was no way of fattening him.

            Four weeks had gone by, and Hansel still remained thin. The witch was full of impatience and would not wait any longer. “Now, then, Gretel,” she cried to the girl, “stir yourself, and bring some water. Let Hansel be fat or lean, tomorrow I will kill him, and cook him.” Ah, how the poor little sister did cry when she had to fetch the water, and how her tears did flow down her cheeks!

            “Dear God, do help us,” she cried. “If the wild beasts in the forest had but eaten us up, we should at any rate have died together.”

            “Just keep your noise to yourself,” said the old woman, “it won’t help you at all.”

            Early in the morning, Gretel had to go out and hang up the pot with the water, and light the fire. “We will bake first,” said the old woman. “I have already heated the oven, and kneaded the dough.” She pushed poor Gretel out to the oven. Flames of fire were already darting from it. “Creep in,” said the witch, “and see if it is properly heated, so that we can put the bread in.” Once Gretel was inside, she intended to shut the oven and let her bake in it. Then she would eat her, too.

            But Gretel saw what she had in mind. “I do not know how I am to do it,” she said. “How do I get in?”

            “Silly goose,” said the old woman. “The door is big enough. Just look, I can get in myself!” and she crept up and thrust her head into the oven. Then Gretel gave her a push that drove her far into it. She shut the iron door and fastened the bolt. Oh then the witch began to howl quite horribly, but Gretel ran away. The evil woman was cooked.

            Gretel ran like lightning to Hansel and opened his little stable. She cried: “Hansel, we are saved! The old witch is dead!” Then Hansel sprang like a bird from its cage when the door is opened. How they did rejoice and hug each other, and dance about and kiss each other! And as they had no longer any need to fear her, they went into the witch’s house. In every corner there stood chests full of pearls and jewels.

            “These are far better than pebbles!” said Hansel, and thrust into his pockets whatever fit. Gretel said: “I, too, will take something home with me,” and filled her apron. “But now we must be off,” said Hansel. “We must get out of the witch’s forest.”

            When they had walked for two hours, they came to a great stretch of water. “We cannot cross,” said Hansel, “I see no foot-plank, and no bridge.”

            “And there is also no ferry,” answered Gretel, “but a white duck is swimming there. If I ask her, she will help us over.” Then she cried:

“Little duck, little duck, dost thou see,

Hansel and Gretel are waiting for thee?

There’s never a plank, or bridge in sight,

Take us across on thy back so white.”

            The duck came to them, and Hansel seated himself on its back, and told his sister to sit by him. “No,” replied Gretel, “that will be too heavy for the little duck. She shall take us across, one after the other.” The good little duck did so. When they were once safely across and had walked for a short time, the forest seemed to be more and more familiar. At length they saw from afar their father’s house. Then they began to run, rushed into the house, and threw themselves round their father’s neck. The man had not known one happy hour since he had left the children in the forest. The woman, however, was dead. Gretel emptied her apron until pearls and jewels ran about the room. Hansel threw one handful after another out of his pocket to add to them. Then all worry was at an end, and they lived together in perfect happiness.