At the edge of a great forest stood a small house with a leaning roof. In that house lived Hansel and Gretel, along with their father and the woman who kept the house. One evening, when the cupboard gave back only the sound of its own empty boards, the woman sat by the table and said, “By morning there will be less than little. The forest must keep what we cannot.”
The father lowered his head into his hands. Hansel and Gretel lay awake on their straw bed behind the thin wall, hearing every word. Gretel pulled the blanket tight under her chin, but Hansel slipped from the bed, lifted the latch without a sound, and went outside. The moon had laid white pebbles all over the yard. Hansel filled his pocket with them, gathering them one by one until they clicked together like tiny cups.
In the morning, their father led them into the forest. Gretel carried a crust of bread in her apron, while Hansel walked a little behind. Each time the branches opened to the light, he let one pebble fall, leaving it to land among roots, fern stems, and dry needles, as bright as a drop of milk. When the sun stood high, their father made a small fire of twigs and told them to rest. Then he went deeper among the trunks, and the sound of his axe knocked once, twice, and then no more.
The children waited until the little fire became ash with …
6 chapters
