AN ADAPTATION of Hansel and Gretel; Please enjoy

The story begins in a fateful setting of the woodcutter’s house

who lives with a host of family members-his wife and two
children. The loveliest of the duo named Gretel and the young
lad, Hansel, who were both quite the most loved pair as the
woodcutter considered them very dear. But…
“I am most famished and there isn’t even a crumble to nibble
on,” whined Gretel as she sat on the remains of a pillow with a
glum expression and petty tears down her feeble and tender light
skinned face. Her eyes had a hue of shimmering blue, due to the
wetness. With an oversized slipper and a torn gown, she wept
and wept till her eyes got swollen.
The land soon got dry over the season and lacked even a drop of
water or rain. In no way did the season not affect the woodcutter
and his family. All that was left in the dark and minuscule store
room shelf was a cold, unhealthy loaf. Each person had one slice
to themselves before it all ran out.
“What is left of us now, there isn’t any more food left?” The
woodcutter sighed more to himself than anyone else. Sat on a
bed foam in a tiny segment of the house with just a single flame
to barely see.
“Oh! That won’t be much of a problem!” she exclaimed with glee
spread across her wrinkled face. Wearing a crumpled, old
material, she leapt up as the idea lit up in her head as she stood
before her husband and proposed.
“What do you mean, my newlywed?” Questioned the woodcutter.
“What I mean is…we could lead those two into the deep green
on the pretense of an outing into the woods, then with an excuse
we’ll leave them in their sleep.” She explained, mischief glowing
in her evergreen eyes.
“Is there something perhaps wrong with your thinking process?”
he exclaimed, while his wife put on an annoyed demeanor.
“How can you even imagine I’d do something like that to my own
children?” He argued. His wife left him with a sigh and silent
mumbles.
Hours went by and the woodcutter’s wife stopped at nothing to
convince her husband about her dubious plans. Eventually, the
woodcutter dived into her thoughts and obliged with the plans.
Meanwhile, the children had glued their ears to the door, listening
keenly to their parents.
“mfh….mfh,” Gretel sobbed quietly as she overheard the wicked
plan of her step mother.
“Don’t cry Grettie, it’ll be alright; I’ll be back,” Hansel slowly
sneaked into the out garden with an idea brewing in his
head. In the eerie yard, the ground upheld admirable stones
and pebbles that glimmered through the brightly moonlit
night. He gradually bent down noticing the attractive pieces
of earth.
One by one, he picked up the pebbles and sneaked them into
his pockets quickly and ran into the house. Snuggled in the
worn out material he soliloquized…
“This should be of much help to us tomorrow,” he grinned as he
held up the pebbles from his pocket and slowly went into
the overwhelming darkness of sleep.
The night went by quickly and soon the sun shone. It was a
peaceful morning on the outside of the woodcutter’s home;
birds were chirping and the grass stood green and strong
but on the inside…
Hansel and Gretel woke up with worry sprawled over their faces
as they remembered what was overheard yesterday when
their stepmother called out…
“Hansel! Gretel! Come out quick, we are all going on an outing!”
The woodcutter’s wife stood outside of their home with a
basket at hand that contained an old jug of water and a
blanket.
“What is in the basket? If I may ask.” The woodcutter questioned
his wife with a raised eyebrow.
“Oh, just some supplies that the children may need when we
leave them,” the woman explained with a roll of her eyes.
The woodcutter replied with just a sad sigh.
Slowly, the kids had come out and stood beside their parents
with glum faces.
“What took you two so long? We were waiting for you to come
out so we can go!” The woman shouted at the children.
They lowered their heads and apologized before they were
all soon off to the woods.
Step by step the woodcutter’s family advanced into the forest and
all the while clever Hansel had been dropping the pebbles in
his pocket unto the forest floor, creating a trail. Soon, they
stopped by an area, clear of bushes and fallen branches.
A fire was lit and the children were asked to sit by it and wait for
their return later that day. The supplies were given to them
and the adults were on their way.
Huddled in the blanket, the kids stayed close to the flames to
keep warm. Time went on and they often had few sips of
water and played mini games to pass by the day. Evening
fell and they were met with loneliness and zero signs of their
parents’ return. Hansel then recalled the rock trail he had left
on their way here and ran with hope that the rocks will still
 be there. He held unto his sister’s arm firmly and raced
through the bushes with only one path of moonlight in
search of the trail.
“Come on Grettie, run faster! We have to find the trail and head
back home!” He shouted to her with glee laced in his voice.
They hurried on, scanning the forest floor until the trail was
noticed.
“Yes we’ve found it! Let’s follow,” Hansel exclaimed. They
followed the trail through the night until the morning sun rose.
“Hansel! Gretel!” The woodcutter exclaimed while he jumped up
in happiness after seeing his children. With open arms, he
welcomed them.
“Father! I missed you sooo much,” cried little Gretel as she tears
of joy streamed down her face.
“I missed you too dear. I hope you’re both alright?” he stated as
concern filled his face, checking frantically around their bodies.
“We are just fine father,” Hansel assured. The step mother soon
came out to witness the reunion and gave a claim to be grateful
for their return.
Weeks passed and food dwindled in the poor logger’s house and
again the wife came with her bewitched plans.
“They made it home last time unexpectedly but this time we
should take them out and make sure they never return,” she
advised her husband with a scowl on her face. Again, the
children noted their conversation in distraught.
They thought once again of using the rocks to find their way but
to no avail was their mission successful as they were locked in
tightly enough not to be able to escape.
Again came sunrise and their stepmother was there again,
convincing them to follow the adults on an outing. Unknown to
her the children were aware of her motives. A slice of bread was
handed to everyone before they were off.
Behind Hansel’s back, he held his slice of bread and broke it
piece by piece into crumbs and poured unto the ground to leave
another trail that may lead them back home.
They walked and walked farther than they ever had before,
leaving the children waiting again while they left.
“Here Hansel, have some bread. I’m sure you must be hungry,”
Gretel stated asshe shared her slice of bread with her brother.
They ate and slept throughout the day till evening came.
Just as before, they began the search of their trail. They looked
through every nook and cranny on the path that was meant to
lead home, trying to retrace the bread crumbs but there was no
hope.
Hansel and Gretel’s faces were covered in horror as the birds
had eaten all the crumbs throughout the day. Exhausted and
hungry, they laid on the bare grass and slept.
Morning came and they woke upon dry leaves; with the sun
peeking through the trees and the sound of monkeys jumping on
the trees. Their backs to the ground, the pair noticed the
atmosphere of the sky as a plume of smoke loomed.
“Hansel, what’s that in the sky? It looks like smoke,” Gretel called
out to Hansel as they watched the sky.
“I think we should follow it. It may lead us to food,” suggested
Hansel. They quickly got up with the hopes of finding food as they
followed the smoke.
As they got closer, the sweet scent of baked food wafted the air
only to raise the children’s appetites. They eventually closed in on
a small hut that seemed to be made of gingerbread.
 Crusty candy bordering the house. Candy sticks plotted at every
corner. The isolated hut looked like it was made to be eaten. The
two took a piece of the house each to eat just to be sure it wasn’t
a fake endearment of sugar and surely it wasn’t. They continued
to eat and eat morsels to pieces to parts; They fed to their heart’s
content until they heard a voice…
“Who eats there?” an old, frail woman wobbled out. An apron
around her waist with a hair tie on her head and crooked glasses
loosely hung on her face.
“We’re sorry ma’am. We were just lost and extremely famished
and so we were tempted,” Gretel explained. The old woman
scanned them both with her eyes with a smirk on her face.
“Oh, well come on in there’s plenty for you to eat,” the woman
said cheekily and welcomed them in. Cookies and blankets were
given in plenty. Tea and many other snacks were fed.
A large oven, a stack of recipe books; bowls of candy and sacks
of flour. It was quite evident that cooking was the old woman’s
life.
Among others, they noticed boxes filled with bars of gold, sacks
overflowing with golden coins and many more treasures to
behold.
Thereafter, the woman led them to a set of twin beds to sleep on.
They had the softest wool sheets and ever-fluffy pillows to lay
their heads. After she tucked them in bed and made her way out
with a soliloquize.
“These two will make a good meal by tomorrow. I will feed them
till their purging with food” murmured the woman.
When the morning came, the witch threw Hansel in a cage;
rusted iron bars surrounded poor Hansel as he sobbed. The
witched flipped upon the pages of her cookbook until she
stopped at a peculiar page.
 “Hey, girlie! Feed up your brother till he’s nice and fat!” the old
hag shouted at Gretel. The poor girl shrieked in fear as she shed
tears.
Day by day, Gretel threw in more and more food into the oven.
Delicacies of all sorts, pies, hotdogs, steak, and so on. The witch
came by often to track Hansels progress though she had pitiable
eyesight.
“Hey, stick out your arm! Let me see how fat you’ve gotten,” the
witch commanded. Hansel, as cunning as he was, instead stuck
out a chicken bone for her to feel.
“What is this! You are as skinny as a broom stick!” she shouted.
“Feed him more! He’s not getting enough,” she directed.
Weeks and days passed and Hansel kept on with his deceit.
“That’s enough! I have had enough! I can’t wait anymore,” she
shouted. She dragged Gretel to her massive oven door.
“Get inside! Find out if it’s hot enough to roast your brother,” she
scolded Gretel.
“It’s too small, I won’t fit,” Gretel cried
“What nonsense! I could fit in perfectly and I’m way larger than
you,” the witch responded.
“I’m sorry but it doesn’t seem like you could fit either,” Gretel
laughed off.
“What do you mean? I would fit like a pickle,” the witch snapped
back.
“Then please prove it,” Gretel dared.
The witch opened the oven door wide and fit her arms,shoulders
and head into the oven; pushing hard to get in. Once her chance
arrived, she summoned courage to push the witch into the oven,
once done she hurried over to Hansel and released him from the
cage.
They hugged each other in gladness and glee. They carried
along lots of gold pieces and treasures as they exited the hut.
They dashed out of the cottage and into the forest, following the
familiar path clearing.
“The rock trail! I see it!” Hansel squealed with joy as he spotted
the previous rock trail. They followed it back home and arrived by
evening. Their father was found chopping wood with no sign of
another inhabitant in the house.
“Father! Father!” Hansel and Gretel screamed simultaneously as
their father fell to his knees and kissed both their heads.
“My children! You made it home again. Now I won’t let you go
ever again,” he promised
“What about step-mum?” they both asked their father.
“I sent her packing and never saw her again. Besides, she
deserved it.” He retorted.
“Surprise!” the kids screamed as they turned their pockets inside
out and several pieces of gold poured out.
“What fortune! This is so much; enough to keep us rich,”he
exclaimed
“All this can never be compared with the most valuable treasures
in my life; you two!” he declared.
The three, merrily went in the house and laughter sustained the
atmosphere.
As they say…then they all lived happily ever after

The End…
Thank you for reading one of the of Paula Mlumun
Agudu a.k.a. PMA QUEEN a.k.a. Prime writer.