After they had wandered for some time, they got quite hungry and decided to start back home. They began following their path of bread crumbs, but it soon ended. Alas, Hansel was not as cunning as he thought, for the birds and other forest animals had eaten the crumbs!
The more Hansel and Gretel tried to find their way home, the more they wandered deep into the woods. They were hopelessly lost! Not to mention frightened and hungry. And they knew their parents would be sick with worry!
But as it grew dark, they had no choice but to huddle together for warmth and try to sleep.
The next morning they tried again to reach home. After many hours, they came upon a fabulous sight - a house made of gingerbread and candy! Hansel and Gretel were so busy eating pieces of the house that they did not hear a voice saying, "Nibble, nibble like a mouse. Who's that nibbling on my house?"
When they finally looked up, they saw an old woman in the doorway, who led them into her house. But what Hansel and Gretel did not know was that she was really a witch who liked to eat young children, especially naughty ones!
The old witch tricked Hansel into getting inside a cage and then locked it. Then she set about the task of fattening the boy up, so he would be tender and juicy. Gretel quickly realised that the old hag could barely see without her eyeglasses. And so Gretel hid them.
Every morning the witch would check on Hansel's progress by squeezing his finger to see if it had gotten any fatter. Gretel gave her brother a chicken bone to fool the witch into thinking it was his skinny finger.
This went on for days, until the old witch could wait no longer. She ordered Gretel to start a large fire. When it was blazing and crackling, the old hag went to check on it. And as she poked her head in the oven, Gretel gave her a swift kick in the behind and slammed the oven door shut.
Then she unlocked Hansel's cage and the two of them fled into the sunshine. A magical white bird appeared and led the two safely home.
Their parents were overjoyed at the sight of their children, and one thing you can be sure: Hansel and Gretel learned their lesson and never, ever, disobeyed their parents again!