Hansel and Gretel

This story is called Hansel and Gretel, adapted from the Grimm Fairy Tale, and narrated by Ryan Aoto. This is a Librarycall recording. It was a dark and stormy night. Molly didn't mind. She was warm; she was happy; she was safe. Molly got into her bed and pulled her blanket up to her chin. “All set Sweet Pea?” her grandfather asked. “Yep,” she said. “Grandpa, will you read me a story?” “Oh,” Grandpa said. He started patting his pockets. “I don’t think I have my glasses. Eh, I don’t need them. I know lots of stories. Do you want to hear my favorite story from when I was your age?” “Sure!” Molly chirped. Grandpa walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. “It’s called Hansel and Gretel. It’s a Grimm Fairy Tale.” Molly frowned. “Doesn’t grim mean bad?” she asked. “How do you know that word?” Grandpa chuckled. “Mama says it sometimes when she’s watching TV. She looks sad and says, ‘That’s grim.’” “That’s the news for ya. You are a clever little one,” Grandpa said while giving Molly a little kiss on the forehead. “Yes, grim means ‘not pleasant.’ But that’s not what I meant. Grimm is also a name. There were two brothers, whose last name was Grimm, just like your last name is Miller. They collected lots of stories and fairy tales that became famous.” “Oh. So this story isn’t bad?” “Right.” “It will be fun?” “I think so.” “And nothing bad happens?” “Well…,” Grandpa trailed off. “Something bad does happen!” Molly accused. “Just let me tell the story,” Grandpa chuckled. “Once upon a time, there were two young children named Hansel and Gretel. They lived deep in the woods with their stepmother and father. Their father was a woodcutter. They were very poor. Their father was having trouble providing food for his family. His wife feared they would all starve. One night when the kids were asleep, she told their father that they should lead Hansel and Gretel deep into the woods, and abandon them there.” “What?” Molly exclaimed. “Be calm, Sweet Pea. This is supposed to be a bedtime story.” “She wants to leave the kids in the woods, like forever?” “Yes.” “That’s terrible.” “Yes it is. Horrible. Well maybe this story is a little too scary. Never mind. I can tell it to you when you’re older maybe. I can come up with a different story.” “No wait… I want to hear it. Keep going.” “If you’re sure. Just remember, in fairy tales stepmothers are usually mean.” “Why?” “I’m not sure. Seems pretty unfair now that I think about it.” “People should be nice.” “That’s true, but that’s not how this story goes. Would you like me to keep going?” Molly nodded. “Ok, well, if you’re sure…. Now then, the woodcutter didn’t want to lose his children. But the stepmother was insistent and persuasive. She said there was a chance someone would find the children and take them in. If they stayed home, all four of them would surely starve. They would have a better chance out in the woods than at home, she said. Eventually, one night, the woodcutter agreed, though it broke his heart. Hansel and Gretel overheard their stepmother’s plan. Hansel quickly came up with a plan of his own. He filled his pockets with small stones. In the morning, their stepmother said they must go for a walk in the woods. But, as the stepmother led them deep into the forest, Hansel secretly dropped the pebbles one at a time. Once the stepmother had led them far enough away, she ran off, certain that they wouldn’t be able to find their way back. Thanks to the pebbles, though, Hansel and Gretel were able to follow their path back to their house. The stepmother was furious. She immediately took them right back into the woods. This time they weren’t able to grab any pebbles. Gretel did manage to sneak a loaf of bread from the kitchen. She dropped crumbs as they were taken even deeper into the woods, hoping the trail of breadcrumbs would lead them back like the stones did.” Unfortunately, once the stepmother ran off, Hansel and Gretel found their bread crumb trail had vanished. The birds had eaten all the crumbs. With nothing to lead them home, Hansel and Gretel wandered through the forest for hours. They were scared, hungry, and tired. Eventually, they came across an unbelievable sight. In a small clearing there was a full sized gingerbread house. They could not believe their eyes. The house was the same size as their own home, only completely made of gingerbread. The roof was thick with frosting, and gumdrops the size of watermelons decorated the walls. Hansel and Gretel’s stomachs growled at the sight. They couldn't help themselves, they ran up to the giant gingerbread house, and started to eat it. After a few bites, an ugly, old woman came out of the house.” “That’s not nice.” “What?” “You shouldn’t call her ugly.” “Oh,” Grandpa paused. “Hmm, let me keep going. Hansel and Gretel were startled when they saw her, suddenly ashamed that they had been eating the woman’s house. But she gave them a warm smile. ‘You poor dears,’ she said. “You must be so hungry. Please come in and I can make you much better food than this old house. And you look tired. I have some extra soft beds you can rest in.’ Hansel and Gretel were tired. They quickly thanked the old woman and went inside. The old woman showed them to her spare room where there were two beds, with big fluffy pillows, and thick, soft mattresses. Hansel and Gretel climbed in and fell asleep immediately. When Gretel woke up the next morning, Hansel was nowhere to be seen. She got up and went out into the kitchen. The old woman was stacking some gingerbread on a plate. ‘Good morning,’ Gretel said. ‘Have you seen my brother?’ “He’s out in the garden,’ the old woman replied. ‘Take this food to him.’ Gretel took the plate and went out the back door. Suddenly, she dropped the food and stared in horror. Her brother was in the back, locked in an iron cage!” “Hhhh!” Molly gasped. “You see,” Grandpa continued, “the ugly old woman was really a witch! She lured the kids in with her gingerbread house. She said that Gretel had to be her servant now. If Gretel didn’t do everything she said, the witch would kill her brother!” “That’s awful!” Molly cried. “I know,” Grandpa agreed. “See, that’s why she is ugly, she’s a bad witch.” Molly crinkled her nose. “What is it, Sweet Pea?” “You still shouldn’t call people ugly.” “But she’s a witch.” “So?” “She’s a bad witch.” “Are all bad people ugly?” “Noooo,” Grandpa said slowly. “Are all pretty people nice?” “Noooo,” Grandpa repeated. “But in stories that is often the case.” “Well, I don’t like it. We shouldn’t tease people because of what they look like.” “That’s true,” Grandpa sighed. “Now no more interruptions!” Molly nodded. “Gretel had no choice but to be the witch’s servant. The witch made her do chores all day. Gretel was only given the smallest scraps of food. Hansel, on the other hand, trapped in his cage, was being fed piles of gingerbread. Gretel tried to think of ways to free her brother, but the witch was always in the garden. Even if Gretel saw the witch go to the front of the house, when Gretel darted back to the cage, there the witch would be, sitting and knitting. One day, while Gretel was delivering gingerbread to Hansel, he whispered to her, ‘I think the witch is trying to fatten me up. The other day, she asked to feel my finger. She squeezed it a bunch and mumbled that I wasn't ready yet. She’s going to eat me!’ Gretel was shocked by this. ‘Ever since then, I’ve been tricking her,’ Hansel continued. ‘Her eyesight isn’t great. So, the next time she asked for my finger, I grabbed this stick. It worked, she thought it was my finger.’ He handed it to Gretel and she took a closer look. ‘Hansel,’ she said slowly, ‘this isn’t a stick, it’s a bone. A human bone….’ The horror of their situation became clear. They did not have much time. They needed to escape. Hansel continued to use the bone to trick the witch into thinking he was not gaining weight. After a week, the witch was tired of waiting. Even though she thought Hansel was too skinny, she was getting hungry. She decided it was time to cook and eat him anyway. She made Gretel help her start the fire for the oven. When the witch asked Gretel to check if the oven was hot enough, Gretel tried to stall by telling the witch that she wasn’t sure. The witch got frustrated, and went to do it herself. As soon as the old witch was right in front of the oven, Gretel kicked her in and slammed the door shut! The witch screamed and pushed, but Gretel held the door closed with all of her might! As soon as she was sure the witch was dead, Gretel found the key to the cage and freed her brother. Then they looked through the witch’s house and found a box full of treasure. They also found a map of the forest. They filled their pockets with the treasure and used the map to find their way home. When Hansel and Gretel got home, they found their father sitting sadly on the porch. He leapt up for joy when he saw them, and grabbed them in a big hug.” Grandpa hugged Molly to demonstrate. She giggled wildly. “He had been so sad when they went missing. Their stepmother had claimed that they ran off on their own, but he knew the truth. He had sent the stepmother away, for good. Now, with the treasure from the witch, the three of them could live happily ever after.” Grandpa kissed Molly on the forehead. She smiled for a moment, but then started to frown. “What’s wrong, Sweet Pea? Did you like the story?” “Yes,” Molly said quietly. “But?” “I would tell it differently.” Grandpa laughed. “Okay, how would your version go?” “I think the stepmom should be nice.” “Okay, but then why would she take the kids out to the woods?” “Maybe she just made a poor choice.” “Okay, they were starving. Even nice people can make bad choices when they’re desperate.” “Yes, but she feels bad immediately, and goes to find them, but can’t, but she keeps looking for them. And the old witch is nice too. She finds them, and gives them gingerbread, and they help her around the house.” “So, she doesn’t try to eat them?” “No! She’s just lonely, that’s why she makes all the gingerbread, so people will come and eat with her! She helps Hansel and Gretel find their dad and stepmom and they become a family! The witch makes the magic gingerbread, the woodcutter gives her wood for her oven, and Hansel and Gretel help her with her chores!” “That’s a lovely version. But I wonder, if I had told you that version, do you think you’d still remember it when you’re old?” Molly looked confused. “What do you mean?” “Your version is wonderful, because everyone is kind and nothing is scary. But I think I still remember Hansel and Gretel, after all these years, because it was scary.” “So? “So…,“ he started to say, and then paused. He was about to say there was a lesson to be learned from that. Suddenly, he realized he was not sure if the lesson was for her, or for him. Instead he said, “So, it’s late. Time for bed!” “Goodnight Grandpa.” “Goodnight Sweet Pea.” Grandpa turned off the lights and sat in the living room. He had loved that story when his mother used to tell it to him, even though it scared him. He sat, trying to remember all the other old stories that he’d heard as a kid, and drifted off to sleep in his chair. That night, for the first time in years, he had nightmares about witches and evil stepmothers. Molly, warm in her bed, dreamt that her family lived in a giant gingerbread house. This has been Hansel and Gretel, adapted from the Grimm Fairy Tale, and narrated by Ryan Aoto. This has been a Librarycall recording.