HANSEL and GRETEL 
Once upon a time, there was a wood-cutter in a far country. He lived near a big
forest. He had two children, a boy and a girl. His name was Hansel and his sister's name was Gretel. One day his
wife died and he married again. His first wife was a nice woman but his new wife was a bad woman. She did not like
Hansel and Gretel and she did not want them in the house. She said to her husband "You are a poor man. We
have got a little food and your children eat a lot. I don't want them at home any more. Take them into the forest
tomorrow. Leave them there and come back alone. The wood-cutter said"I can't do it. They can't live in the
forest. There isn't any food, and there are wild animals." His wife got very angry, and she said "We
have got very little food at home. All of us are going to die here soon." Hansel and Gretel were in the next
room. They were in bed, but they weren't sleeping. They listened to their father and step mother. They felt unhappy
and they cried. Hansel went out at midnight and he put a lot of small white stones in his pockets.
