Once upon a time, on the edge of a deep dark forest, lived a woodcutter named Jacob and his dark-haired wife Rebekah. They had two children, two beautiful blonde children, whom they named Hansel and Gretel.
There had been a great war in the country, and everyone was very poor. Rebekah and Jacob were the poorest of all. They hardly had enough food for the two of them, let alone their children.
So one night, when they thought their children were asleep, they went out into the yard and stood talking.
Jacob said, "We don't have enough food for our children, and nobody's buying wood. I don't want to get rid of them, but we have to do something. We can't starve."
Rebekah said, "I have a solution. My mother always told me tales about the land of milk and honey, which only the pure of heart may enter. It lies beyond the wood. If we send the children into the wood on an errand, maybe they would stumble upon the land and live happily there. We wouldn't be able to go with them, of course, but at least we would be happy knowing they are safe."
Jacob nodded. "I suppose we will have to send them away."
Now Hansel had been outside picking berries for his sister to eat, and when he snuck back into the house, he heard Jacob saying to his wife, "We will have to send them away." Hansel knew that they were talking about him and Gretel, of course, but he hadn't heard the rest of the conversation.
He crept into the bed that he and Gretel shared, and whispered, "Gretel, our no-good parents do not wish to share their food with us. They want to send us away into the forest, to be eaten by wild animals."
Gretel said, "Hansel, I will trust you to come up with a plan to save us."
So in the morning, Jacob announced to the children that they were to have a picnic. Rebekah spent the day making the children's' favorite foods, and at noon, they all went into the forest.
They walked deeper and deeper, taking long and complicated routes. Every so often, Hansel would stop to make a mark on a tree. When Rebekah asked her son what he was doing, he would say, "I am just checking to make sure that the trees have their bark on and everything is in order."
When she heard this, Rebekah beamed and said, "What a fine and industrious boy I have!"
When they got to a clearing, Jacob spread the blanket out, and Rebekah unpacked the food. Then Jacob said, "You children stay here and eat. I have to go cut some wood. Rebekah, will you come with me and gather the branches?"
So they went back home, and Hansel and Gretel were left all on their lonesome.
Gretel started to take a piece of cake, but Hansel swatted her hand away. "No! The food is probably poisoned. Remember, we cannot trust our parents. They want to get rid of us."
Gretel nodded and said, "Hansel, I always trust that you will save me."
So they walked back to the house, following the signs Hansel had made on the branches.
In the meantime, Jacob had gone to sleep, but Rebekah was sitting up, waiting for her children, hoping they would come back. When she saw the two heads of golden hair wending their way through the forest, she cried out and ran to greet them.
Gretel hugged her mother, but Hansel stood away, remembering the conversation he had overheard.
In the morning, Rebekah announced that they were going to have another picnic. They went out into the forest the same as yesterday.
Hansel had forgotten his knife, but he had stolen a little ball of thread from his mother's sewing basket. He let the thread trail behind him, and every so often, stopped to tie a bit of it to a tree branch.
Rebekah noticed this, and asked him what he was doing. Hansel said, "I'm making webs for the spiders so they don't have to wear themselves out catching flies."
Rebekah smiled and said, "What a kind and goodhearted boy I have!"
When they got to the clearing, Jacob again spread the blanket on the ground, and Rebekah set out the foods. Then Rebekah said, "I have to go out and pick berries. Jacob, will you come with me to carry them?"
And the two parents disappeared into the forest.
Hansel led Gretel home again, following the trail of string.
When they got home, nobody was waiting up for them, and the door was locked. So Hansel took a stone and threw it through a window. The glass shattered, and he picked it up and put the pieces in his pocket. Then he told Gretel, "If Mother or Father asks what happened, tell them that the king came along and broke the window."
Gretel said, "I trust you that you will give me the right excuse."
In the morning, Rebekah noticed this, and said, "Hansel, what happened?"
Gretel stepped up and said, "The king came by in the night and broke the window."
Jacob said, "Don't be silly. The kind would not come by in the night and break our window."
Hansel said, "But he took all our money from us. Why would he not break a window?"
Before Jacob could answer, Rebekah announced that they were going to have another picnic.
As they set out through the woods, Hansel dropped little bits of the glass on the ground. When Rebekah asked him what he was doing, he said, "I am sowing seeds for the next harvest of stars."
Rebekah grinned and said, "What a sweet and cheerful boy I have!"
When they got to the clearing, Jacob set out the cloth and Rebekah unpacked the food. Then Gretel said, "Hansel and I want to gather wildflowers. Stay here and eat."
Rebekah said, "Oh, but I made all this food just for you!"
"We had a big breakfast," Hansel lied.
So Hansel and Gretel slipped away through the forest.
After the sun had set and the food was gone, Hansel and Gretel had still not come back. Rebekah said, "I suppose they have reached the land of milk and honey by now."
So they packed up the cloth and started home. But the path was filled with the broken glass that Hansel had scattered, and Rebekah, who had worked so hard preparing the food, cut her feet.
By nightfall, Hansel and Gretel happened to meet the king in the forest, hunting foxes. The king took one look at them and said, "Children, you must be hungry and tired. Come, I will take you back to my palace where you will be as prince and princess."
Gretel, who was very hungry and tired, wanted to go, but Hansel said, "No! You have bankrupted our land. Who is to think but that you would not do the same to us?" And he pulled Gretel away.
Gretel said, "I wanted to stay with that king, but I suppose you know better. I trust you to make the hard decisions."
Eventually, they came to a clearing where there was a huge stone house. Hansel opened the door and said to Gretel, "Come on in. I don't think there's anyone here."
So they crept upstairs, where there were two little beds, just their size, and they slept until morning.
At sunrise, the witch came in, riding on her broom. She was a squat and mean little thing, with a black moustache, but she cast a spell on you that made you think she was the most lovely and kind person in the world. And she hated people, and liked to eat them.
She saw Hansel and Gretel asleep in their beds, and she saw their golden hair, and she said to herself, "Oho! Children with hair of gold like this can't be human children. They must be fairy children. Maybe they can lead me to humans that I can eat, if I'm nice enough to them."
So she woke them up, and said, "You may stay here for as long as you like, and I will cook you food, but you must do everything I say."
Hansel thought this was a great idea. He said, "My sister and I will obey you in every way as long as you take care of us."
So the witch cooked them food, and they obeyed her every wish.
The king eventually rode out of the forest, where he met Jacob and Rebekah, who were sitting in the yard, weeping. He reined up his horse and said, "How now! Why are you so sad?"
Jacob said, "We left our little children in the wood so they could find the land of milk and honey. But now I cannot eat for grief, and my wife's feet are bleeding."
So the kind king bandaged up Rebekah's feet and gave them both food. Then he said, "I saw two beautiful children in the wood, and I offered to take them in, but the boy said he did not trust me."
"Oh! Those are our children," Rebekah cried.
"Then they must have been taken in by the witch," said the king. "she will eat them! We must save them." So Jacob and Rebekah got on the king's horse, and they galloped away to save Hansel and Gretel.
When they got to the house, the witch saw them. She said to Hansel and Gretel, "Quick! Your parents are here to take you away from me. Go outside and grab them."
Jacob and Rebekah dismounted from the horse, and ran toward the house, crying, "Hansel! Gretel! We are here to save you!"
Gretel ran toward her mother, and Hansel ran toward his father, and they hugged their parents so tight! Then they dragged them into the house, and threw them into the cages that the witch had prepared for them.
The witch cackled when she saw this. "Hansel! Gretel! Stoke up the ovens. We will cook your wicked parents, and have a fine feast."
The parents wept in the cages. "What have we done to you, our children, that you should treat us so?"
When the oven was ready, the witch opened the cages. "Hansel! Gretel! Throw your parents into the ovens."
When the king, who was waiting outside, heard this, he rushed into the house with his sword drawn. The witch took one look at him and dove out the window into a patch of wild thorns, which scratched her to death.
Hansel and Gretel dropped their parents and ran.
The king released the parents from their bonds. "You are fine parents and you don't deserve those brats. If you wish, I will take you to the land of milk and honey."
"But we cannot enter that land," Rebekah protested. "We are not pure, like our children."
"You are more pure than them, because you nearly gave up your lives to save your children," the king said. "Have they done as much? They would have thrown you into those ovens without a second thought." So he took them to the land of milk and honey.
When they were there, Rebekah asked the king, "You have been so kind to us. Won't you stay here, where there is plenty to eat?"
"No," the king said. "I must hunt down those infernal children of yours. But I give you my word that you will remain safe forever."
And Jacob and Rebekah had two more children, Noah and Anna. But that is another story altogether.
There had been a great war in the country, and everyone was very poor. Rebekah and Jacob were the poorest of all. They hardly had enough food for the two of them, let alone their children.
So one night, when they thought their children were asleep, they went out into the yard and stood talking.
Jacob said, "We don't have enough food for our children, and nobody's buying wood. I don't want to get rid of them, but we have to do something. We can't starve."
Rebekah said, "I have a solution. My mother always told me tales about the land of milk and honey, which only the pure of heart may enter. It lies beyond the wood. If we send the children into the wood on an errand, maybe they would stumble upon the land and live happily there. We wouldn't be able to go with them, of course, but at least we would be happy knowing they are safe."
Jacob nodded. "I suppose we will have to send them away."
Now Hansel had been outside picking berries for his sister to eat, and when he snuck back into the house, he heard Jacob saying to his wife, "We will have to send them away." Hansel knew that they were talking about him and Gretel, of course, but he hadn't heard the rest of the conversation.
He crept into the bed that he and Gretel shared, and whispered, "Gretel, our no-good parents do not wish to share their food with us. They want to send us away into the forest, to be eaten by wild animals."
Gretel said, "Hansel, I will trust you to come up with a plan to save us."
So in the morning, Jacob announced to the children that they were to have a picnic. Rebekah spent the day making the children's' favorite foods, and at noon, they all went into the forest.
They walked deeper and deeper, taking long and complicated routes. Every so often, Hansel would stop to make a mark on a tree. When Rebekah asked her son what he was doing, he would say, "I am just checking to make sure that the trees have their bark on and everything is in order."
When she heard this, Rebekah beamed and said, "What a fine and industrious boy I have!"
When they got to a clearing, Jacob spread the blanket out, and Rebekah unpacked the food. Then Jacob said, "You children stay here and eat. I have to go cut some wood. Rebekah, will you come with me and gather the branches?"
So they went back home, and Hansel and Gretel were left all on their lonesome.
Gretel started to take a piece of cake, but Hansel swatted her hand away. "No! The food is probably poisoned. Remember, we cannot trust our parents. They want to get rid of us."
Gretel nodded and said, "Hansel, I always trust that you will save me."
So they walked back to the house, following the signs Hansel had made on the branches.
In the meantime, Jacob had gone to sleep, but Rebekah was sitting up, waiting for her children, hoping they would come back. When she saw the two heads of golden hair wending their way through the forest, she cried out and ran to greet them.
Gretel hugged her mother, but Hansel stood away, remembering the conversation he had overheard.
In the morning, Rebekah announced that they were going to have another picnic. They went out into the forest the same as yesterday.
Hansel had forgotten his knife, but he had stolen a little ball of thread from his mother's sewing basket. He let the thread trail behind him, and every so often, stopped to tie a bit of it to a tree branch.
Rebekah noticed this, and asked him what he was doing. Hansel said, "I'm making webs for the spiders so they don't have to wear themselves out catching flies."
Rebekah smiled and said, "What a kind and goodhearted boy I have!"
When they got to the clearing, Jacob again spread the blanket on the ground, and Rebekah set out the foods. Then Rebekah said, "I have to go out and pick berries. Jacob, will you come with me to carry them?"
And the two parents disappeared into the forest.
Hansel led Gretel home again, following the trail of string.
When they got home, nobody was waiting up for them, and the door was locked. So Hansel took a stone and threw it through a window. The glass shattered, and he picked it up and put the pieces in his pocket. Then he told Gretel, "If Mother or Father asks what happened, tell them that the king came along and broke the window."
Gretel said, "I trust you that you will give me the right excuse."
In the morning, Rebekah noticed this, and said, "Hansel, what happened?"
Gretel stepped up and said, "The king came by in the night and broke the window."
Jacob said, "Don't be silly. The kind would not come by in the night and break our window."
Hansel said, "But he took all our money from us. Why would he not break a window?"
Before Jacob could answer, Rebekah announced that they were going to have another picnic.
As they set out through the woods, Hansel dropped little bits of the glass on the ground. When Rebekah asked him what he was doing, he said, "I am sowing seeds for the next harvest of stars."
Rebekah grinned and said, "What a sweet and cheerful boy I have!"
When they got to the clearing, Jacob set out the cloth and Rebekah unpacked the food. Then Gretel said, "Hansel and I want to gather wildflowers. Stay here and eat."
Rebekah said, "Oh, but I made all this food just for you!"
"We had a big breakfast," Hansel lied.
So Hansel and Gretel slipped away through the forest.
After the sun had set and the food was gone, Hansel and Gretel had still not come back. Rebekah said, "I suppose they have reached the land of milk and honey by now."
So they packed up the cloth and started home. But the path was filled with the broken glass that Hansel had scattered, and Rebekah, who had worked so hard preparing the food, cut her feet.
By nightfall, Hansel and Gretel happened to meet the king in the forest, hunting foxes. The king took one look at them and said, "Children, you must be hungry and tired. Come, I will take you back to my palace where you will be as prince and princess."
Gretel, who was very hungry and tired, wanted to go, but Hansel said, "No! You have bankrupted our land. Who is to think but that you would not do the same to us?" And he pulled Gretel away.
Gretel said, "I wanted to stay with that king, but I suppose you know better. I trust you to make the hard decisions."
Eventually, they came to a clearing where there was a huge stone house. Hansel opened the door and said to Gretel, "Come on in. I don't think there's anyone here."
So they crept upstairs, where there were two little beds, just their size, and they slept until morning.
At sunrise, the witch came in, riding on her broom. She was a squat and mean little thing, with a black moustache, but she cast a spell on you that made you think she was the most lovely and kind person in the world. And she hated people, and liked to eat them.
She saw Hansel and Gretel asleep in their beds, and she saw their golden hair, and she said to herself, "Oho! Children with hair of gold like this can't be human children. They must be fairy children. Maybe they can lead me to humans that I can eat, if I'm nice enough to them."
So she woke them up, and said, "You may stay here for as long as you like, and I will cook you food, but you must do everything I say."
Hansel thought this was a great idea. He said, "My sister and I will obey you in every way as long as you take care of us."
So the witch cooked them food, and they obeyed her every wish.
The king eventually rode out of the forest, where he met Jacob and Rebekah, who were sitting in the yard, weeping. He reined up his horse and said, "How now! Why are you so sad?"
Jacob said, "We left our little children in the wood so they could find the land of milk and honey. But now I cannot eat for grief, and my wife's feet are bleeding."
So the kind king bandaged up Rebekah's feet and gave them both food. Then he said, "I saw two beautiful children in the wood, and I offered to take them in, but the boy said he did not trust me."
"Oh! Those are our children," Rebekah cried.
"Then they must have been taken in by the witch," said the king. "she will eat them! We must save them." So Jacob and Rebekah got on the king's horse, and they galloped away to save Hansel and Gretel.
When they got to the house, the witch saw them. She said to Hansel and Gretel, "Quick! Your parents are here to take you away from me. Go outside and grab them."
Jacob and Rebekah dismounted from the horse, and ran toward the house, crying, "Hansel! Gretel! We are here to save you!"
Gretel ran toward her mother, and Hansel ran toward his father, and they hugged their parents so tight! Then they dragged them into the house, and threw them into the cages that the witch had prepared for them.
The witch cackled when she saw this. "Hansel! Gretel! Stoke up the ovens. We will cook your wicked parents, and have a fine feast."
The parents wept in the cages. "What have we done to you, our children, that you should treat us so?"
When the oven was ready, the witch opened the cages. "Hansel! Gretel! Throw your parents into the ovens."
When the king, who was waiting outside, heard this, he rushed into the house with his sword drawn. The witch took one look at him and dove out the window into a patch of wild thorns, which scratched her to death.
Hansel and Gretel dropped their parents and ran.
The king released the parents from their bonds. "You are fine parents and you don't deserve those brats. If you wish, I will take you to the land of milk and honey."
"But we cannot enter that land," Rebekah protested. "We are not pure, like our children."
"You are more pure than them, because you nearly gave up your lives to save your children," the king said. "Have they done as much? They would have thrown you into those ovens without a second thought." So he took them to the land of milk and honey.
When they were there, Rebekah asked the king, "You have been so kind to us. Won't you stay here, where there is plenty to eat?"
"No," the king said. "I must hunt down those infernal children of yours. But I give you my word that you will remain safe forever."
And Jacob and Rebekah had two more children, Noah and Anna. But that is another story altogether.