Hansel and Gretel

Once upon a time, there lived a woodcutter in a luxurious house along with his children, whose names are Hansel and Gretel, and his second wife.

The woodcutter was a successful wealthy man and he loved his children so much. Hansel was the older child, he was a naïve young boy. While Gretel was the younger, the difference was that she was smarter than her older brother. The wife of the woodcutter however, despised both the children so much and wanted to dispose both of them so that her plan to rob the woodcutter’s fortune won’t be hindered.

One day, when the woodcutter went to work, the wife secretly contacted her acquaintance who was an evil witch to help her put demise to the children.  In exchange, the witch would eat them up for her dinner. It was during after lunch that day when the wife called the children.

“Hansel, Gretel come here for a second!”

Both children, still young and curious, responded to their stepmother.

“Is there something wrong mother?”

The wife then explained to them that she had ordered candies from her “friend”, and she wanted them to pick it up.

“I need you two to pick up the candies I ordered back then, you may eat them after you retrieve them,”

Said the wife with a cunning smile.

“Why, thank you very much mother! In that case, we shall make haste now!”

Said both children gleefully.

Unknowingly by the children, the witch’s house was located in the middle of a haunted forest. It is said that whoever stray into the forest will be affected by the witch’s spell and they would never found their way home again.

As expected, the children lost their way in the middle of the forest and it was in the night. They were both starved and exhausted. Then suddenly, they found an eccentric house made of sweets and cakes. The children were astounded by the bizarre sight. Being curious, they decided to enter the house.

Once they were inside, an old woman greeted them.

“Why hello there sweeties, you two look exhausted. How about some cakes and tea?”

Said the witch, offering them snacks.

Hansel, unable to resist the sweet scent of the cakes, proceed to eat them without hesitation. His sister Gretel however, being cautious as ever, pretended to eat the cake when actually she threw away the cake. After finishing his meal, suddenly Hansel fell unconscious. His sister soon followed him, but it actually was just an act.

The witch laughed happily and said,

“Heeheehee, foolish children! At last, now is the time for dinner!”

Then she prepared a giant cauldron filled with boiled water and began to stir it.

It was during this time thet Gretel, who pretended to lose consciousness, stand up and kicked the witch from behind into the cauldron. The witch, caught off-guard, fell inside the massive cauldron and screamed loudly to her demise. She was burned alive.

Now that the witch had died, the magic affecting Hansel and the entire forest had dispersed. As soon as Hansel woke up, he and her sister quickly got out of the house, but not before taking the witch’s treasures.

On their way home, they met their father who were worried about them,

“Hansel! Gretel! Thank god you two are alright!”

They hugged each other tightly, and then he explained that their evil stepmother was no more. Her nefarious scheme was revealed during the time when the children absent from the house,

“Don’t worry my children, I already killed her. There will be no more suffering for you two. Let’s go home now,”

And then they all lived happily ever after.

Andy P