Hansel and Gretel

During a great famine, a poor woodcutter's wife convinced him to abandon his two children, Hansel and Gretel, deep in the forest, since there was no longer enough food to feed the whole family. Hansel, overhearing the plan, secretly dropped a trail of white pebbles on their way into the woods, and the two children found their way home safely that same night, following the moonlit trail.

The second time, with no pebbles left, Hansel dropped breadcrumbs instead — but birds ate every crumb, and the children found themselves truly lost. Wandering hungry through the forest, they discovered an astonishing cottage built entirely of bread, cake, and sugar-paned windows, and began eating eagerly.

The cottage belonged to a wicked witch who lured children exactly this way, and she quickly locked Hansel in a cage to fatten him for eating, forcing Gretel to cook and clean. When the witch bent to check the oven, believing it hot enough for baking, clever Gretel pushed her inside instead and slammed the door shut, freeing her brother. The children filled their pockets with the witch's hidden treasure and found their way home at last, where their father, having regretted his decision bitterly, welcomed them back with joy.