Hansel and Gretel” follows the story of a brother and sister who must
use their cunning to outsmart an evil witch intent on consuming
them. In the beginning of the story, a great famine sweeps across
the land, leaving little food or resources to spare. Hansel and
Gretel’s stepmother leads the children into the woods intent on
leaving them there to die. However, when Hansel hears of her plan,
he collects a pocket full of white pebbles, dropping them as a trail for
he and his sister as their stepmother attempts her plan the next day.
When the duo makes their way home, the stepmother decides to
bring them deeper into the woods. Hansel takes a slice of bread with
him, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs behind. This time, birds eat the
crumbs, destroying the trail back. Hansel and Gretel wander into a
clearing, where they find a cottage made of treats. As they eat the
house, the elderly woman who lives there invites them inside, where
they discover she’s not a generous, old lady after all—she’s a witch
with a particular taste for children.