Next to a great forest, there lived a poor woodcutter with his wife and his two children. The boy's name was Hansel and the girl's name was Gretel. He had but little to eat, and once, when a great famine came to the land, he could no longer provide even their daily bread.

One evening as he was lying in bed worrying about his problems, he sighed and said to his wife, "What is to become of us? How can we feed our children when we have nothing for ourselves?"

"Man, do you know what?" answered the woman. "Early tomorrow morning we will take the two children out into the thickest part of the woods, make a fire for them, and give each of them a little piece of bread, then leave them by themselves and go off to our work. They will not find their way back home, and we will be rid of them."

"No, woman," said the man. "I will not do that. How could I bring myself to abandon my own children alone in the woods? Wild animals would soon come and tear them to pieces."

"Oh, you fool," she said, "then all four of us will starve. All you can do is to plane the boards of our coffins." And she gave him no peace until he agreed.

"But I do feel sorry for the poor children," said the man.

• ⭕Woodcutter refuses. → Go to Page 46.
• ⭕Woodcutter goes along with his wife. → Go to Page 15.

"No," answered Gretel. "That would be too heavy for the duckling. It should take us across one at a time."

That is what the good animal did, and when they were safely on the other side and had walked on a little while, the woods grew more and more familiar to them. Finally, they saw the father's house in the distance. They began to run, rushed inside, and threw their arms around the father's neck.

The man had not had even one happy hour since he had left the children in the woods. However, the woman had died.

They showed the woodcutter the magic rocks. They did many wonderful things and performed witchcraft beyond plausible reality. But the more the family used them for their own good, the more everything started to stick. Soon, they would be thrust into a crazy plane of existence that was not there and had nothing of familiarity or logical reasoning.

In short, when using witchcraft read the manual or you'll completely go insane.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

The woman had died. Gretel shook out her apron, scattering pearls and precious stones around the room, and Hansel added to them by throwing one handful after the other from his pockets.

Now all their cares were at an end, and they lived happily together.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

She took them by the hand and led them into her house. Then she served them a good meal: milk and pancakes with sugar, apples, and nuts. Afterward, she made two nice beds for them, decked in white. Hansel and Gretel went to bed, thinking they were in heaven. But the old woman had only pretended to be friendly. She was a wicked witch who was lying in wait there for children. She had built her house of bread only in order to lure them to her, and if she captured one, she would kill him, cook him, and eat him; and for her, that was a day to celebrate.

Witches have red eyes and cannot see very far, but they have a sense of smell like animals, and know when humans are approaching.

When Hansel and Gretel came near to her, she laughed wickedly and spoke scornfully, "Now I have them. They will not get away from me again."

• ⭕Witch captures kids now. → Go to Page 5.
• ⭕Witch waits to capture kids. → Go to Page 49.

The witch lunged for Hansel, unable to resist her hunger for children. Hansel fell over on the ground with the witch on top of him as Gretel looked around for what to do. She saw the roaring fireplace and tried to pull out the fire poker to stab the witch with. While doing so, she knocked some wood out of the fireplace and the carpet started to light up. Gretel ran over and stabbed the witch right in the eye with the poker and the witch went stumbling back over the table. While this ordeal was happening, the house quickly caught on fire. Flames covered the windows and the door handle was too hot to grab.

The witch wanted them in the oven. They would have pushed her in the oven. This time, they are all in the oven.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

Hansel thought he could memorize his way home, he didn't need a trail to help him. Well, let's go through this quick then. Kids were left to make a fire as the parents went to work getting wood (but really were going to abandon Hansel and Gretel). Night comes and Hansel tried to recall the way home and instead got him and his sister lost. Hansel tripped and the stones fell out of his pocket. He landed headfirst on the stones and died quickly, Gretel cried loudly which attracted a bear that mauled her.

Moral of the story is to plan ahead. Confidence in your abilities could be your downfall.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

The two children had not been able to fall asleep because of their hunger, and they heard what the stepmother had said to the father.

Gretel cried bitter tears and said to Hansel, "It is over with us!"

"Be quiet, Gretel," said Hansel, "and don't worry. I know what to do."

• ⭕Hansel takes immediate action. → Go to Page 57.
• ⭕Hansel goes back to sleep. → Go to Page 14.
• ⭕Hansel confronts his parents. → Go to Page 45.

Hansel crumbled his pieces in his pocket, then often stood still, and threw crumbs onto the ground.

"Hansel, why are you always stopping and looking around?" asked his father. "Keep walking straight ahead."

"I can see my pigeon sitting on the roof. It wants to say goodbye to me."

"Fool," said the woman, "that isn't your pigeon. That's the morning sun shining on the chimney."

But little by little, Hansel dropped all the crumbs onto the path. The woman took them deeper into the woods than they had ever been in their whole lifetime.

Once again a large fire was made, and the mother said, "Sit here, children. If you get tired, you can sleep a little. We are going into the woods to cut wood. We will come and get you in the evening when we are finished."

When it was midday, Gretel shared her bread with Hansel, who had scattered his piece along the path. Then they fell asleep, and evening passed, but no one came to get the poor children.

It was dark at night when they awoke, and Hansel comforted Gretel and said, "Wait, when the moon comes up I will be able to see the crumbs of bread that I scattered, and they will show us the way back home."

When the moon appeared they got up, but they could not find any crumbs, for the many thousands of birds that fly about in the woods and in the fields had pecked them up.

Hansel said to Gretel, "We will find our way," but they did not find it.

• ⭕Well... story over then. → Go to Page 39.
• ⭕Wait! What happens next? → Go to Page 10.

The kids don't gather wood. They froze to death before they could even follow the rocks home that night.

Some extra layers could have done the trick. Didn't think about that, did you, kids?

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

They walked through the entire night and the next day from morning until evening, but they did not find their way out of the woods. They were terribly hungry, for they had eaten only a few small berries that were growing on the ground. And because they were so tired that their legs would no longer carry them, they lay down under a tree and fell asleep.

It was already the third morning since they had left the father's house. They started walking again, but managed only to go deeper and deeper into the woods. If help did not come soon, they would perish. At midday, they saw a little snow-white bird sitting on a branch. It sang so beautifully that they stopped to listen. When it was finished, it stretched its wings and flew in front of them.

• ⭕Follow. → Go to Page 35.
• ⭕Don't follow. → Go to Page 23.

After the full moon had come up, Hansel took his little sister by the hand. They followed the pebbles that glistened there like newly minted coins, showing them the way. They walked throughout the entire night, and as morning was breaking, they arrived at the father's house.

They knocked on the door, and when the woman opened it and saw that it was Hansel and Gretel, she said, "You wicked children, why did you sleep so long in the woods? We thought that you did not want to come back."

But the father was overjoyed when he saw his children once more, for he had not wanted to leave them alone.

Not long afterward, there was once again great need everywhere, and one evening the children heard the mother say to the father, "We have, again, eaten up everything. We have only a half loaf of bread, and then the song will be over. We must get rid of the children. We will take them deeper into the woods, so they will not find their way out. Otherwise, there will be no help for us."

The man was very disheartened, and he thought, "It would be better to share the last bit with the children."

But the woman would not listen to him, scolded him, and criticized him.

• ⭕Not again, children will stay. → Go to Page 17.
• ⭕2nd time's a charm. → Go to Page 31.

"You will climb in or you will face the consequences," the witch snarled, but Gretel was unmoved. The witch yanked at Gretel's arm and Gretel tried to whack the witch with her other arm. They soon got in a struggle as both tried to push the other closer to the oven.

"If you will not be dinner, then you can decorate my house," the witch cackled as she used witchcraft to transform Gretel into stone. The witch was, however, unable to break loose of Gretel's grip and soon also turned to stone.

The witch and Gretel eternally stood stiff. Hansel wasted away in his cage. And the parents probably still starved to death.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

Hansel and Gretel looked at each other. Fear lit up in both their eyes and they started to run. As they did, a flash of light appeared and both Hansel and Gretel became black piles of ash.

"You should have come in for a bite," the witch said. "While I can't eat you anymore, I can certainly use you as fuel in my oven!"

I didn't know witches could shoot lightning. But, then again, who really knows the true power of witches.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

Hansel, ignoring the rest of his sister's pleas, fell fast asleep. He dreamed that he and his family were rich beyond their wildest dreams. They lived in a golden castle and had all they could ever eat. He dreamed soundly all night as Gretel stayed up, worrying and crying.

In the morning, Hansel woke up to find Gretel in a deep sleep. "Get up, lazybones, we must go to the woods to get some firewood," the woman said. She gave Hansel the bread since Gretel was sleeping. The woman tried to wake Gretel up but her long night of worrying had caused her to be in a very deep sleep this morning. As they headed out of the house, the woodcutter carrying Gretel, Hansel got an idea.

• ⭕Drop breadcrumbs to leave a trail. → Go to Page 28.
• ⭕Never mind, the idea was bad. I'll just keep walking. → Go to Page 18.

Are the children well-fed?

• ⭕Yes. → Go to Page 42.
• ⭕No. → Go to Page 7.

Hansel goes to investigate the noise, expecting to see his father. Instead, he sees his mother trying to cut down a tree near where Hansel was picking up twigs.

"Mother, what are you doing?" Hansel asked, perplexed.

"Well, I was going to give you some firewood, but I see you want to do it yourself," the woman said. "Let me help you."

The woman swung the ax above her head and let it fall quickly toward Hansel. Birds scattered from the area. The chopping went silent. When the woodcutter returned later, he found the woman by a small fire, clothes soaked in blood.

"What have you done?" the woodcutter asked in shock.

"Hansel found out and tried to attack me, I did what I had to," the woman said. "Now we will leave the sleepy one here and we will be rid of them both."

A literal side-splitting ending. As for Gretel, no fire would warm her. She woke up, she cried, she froze to death.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

"So, you would have us all starve, you're a fool of a husband," the woman said.

• ⭕"We will not all starve." → Go to Page 53.
• ⭕"Us, excluding you." → Go to Page 50.

Hansel dismissed his breadcrumb trail, thinking he could find his way home later with Gretel. When they got into the middle of the woods, Hansel was ordered to get twigs for a fire as his parents went off into the woods. Gretel was fast asleep on a log. Hansel soon built a fire for him and Gretel as evening approached, but his parents never returned.

Gretel awoke and Hansel took her hand. "I think I remember the way home, quickly follow me," Hansel said. They went running through the woods toward where they thought their home was. Nothing in the woods was distinct and both children got lost quickly. They soon gave up. No one would hear their cries for help.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

Gretel grabbed the kettle and started beating the witch with it.

"I won't let you cook my brother!" Gretel screamed as the witch was pushed back into the oven.

"How dare you do this to me, you welch," the witch bellowed as she burned alive. She smacked the kettle out of Gretel's hand and pounced on top of the girl. "Now you will join me in the pit of agony."

The witch put her hands around Gretel's throat as the fire burnt through both of them. It's hard to say whether the witch or the fire got Gretel first.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

"No," answered Gretel. "That would be too heavy for the duckling. It should take us across one at a time."

That is what the good animal did, and when they were safely on the other side and had walked on a little while, the woods grew more and more familiar to them. Finally, they saw the father's house in the distance. They began to run, rushed inside, and threw their arms around the father's neck.

The man had not had even one happy hour since he had left the children in the woods. However, the woman had died.

They had nothing but they embraced. They were back home and didn't care. Within a week, they would be dead as they could not afford any food and even though they didn't starve as quickly, they starved all the same.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

The witch locked Hansel behind a cage door. Cry as he might, there was no help for him.

Then she took Gretel and cried, "Get up, lazybones! Fetch water and cook something good for your brother. He is locked outside in the stall and is to be fattened up. When he is fat, I am going to eat him."

Gretel began to cry, but it was all for nothing. She had to do what the witch demanded. Now Hansel was given the best things to eat every day, but Gretel received nothing but crayfish shells.

Every morning, the old woman crept out to the stall and shouted, "Hansel, stick out your finger, so I can feel if you are fat yet."

But Hansel stuck out a little bone, and the old woman, who had bad eyes and could not see the bone, thought it was Hansel's finger, and she wondered why he didn't get fat.

When four weeks had passed and Hansel was still thin, impatience overcame her, and she would wait no longer. "Hey, Gretel!" she shouted to the girl. "Hurry up and fetch some water. Whether Hansel is fat or thin, tomorrow I am going to slaughter him and boil him."

Oh, how the poor little sister sobbed as she was forced to carry the water, and how the tears streamed down her cheeks. "Dear god, please help us," she cried. "If only the wild animals had devoured us in the woods, then we would have died together."

"Save your slobbering," said the old woman. "It doesn't help you at all."

The next morning, Gretel had to get up early, hang up the kettle with water, and make a fire.

"First, we are going to bake," said the old woman. "I have already made a fire in the oven and kneaded the dough."

She pushed poor Gretel outside to the oven, from which fiery flames were leaping. "Climb in," said the witch, "and see if it is hot enough to put the bread in yet." And when Gretel was inside, she intended to close the oven, and bake her, and eat her as well.

What did Gretel say?

• ⭕"I don't know how to do that. How can I get inside?" → Go to Page 40.
• ⭕"What's bread?" → Go to Page 22.
• ⭕"Looks a bit small for me." → Go to Page 58.
• ⭕"Check it yourself, I'm not going near there." → Go to Page 12.

"It's what you were stuffing in your fat face yesterday," the witch growled. "Just look at my house, the roof is half-eaten."

While the witch was looking toward her house, Gretel tried to run away. The witch was quick, however, and grabbed Gretel by the arm. Gretel turned to see the evil in the witch's eyes as the witch started to chant. The words seemed so crazy and foreign to Gretel and soon Gretel felt weightless. It wasn't long until Gretel's body has morphed into that of a rabbit that could no longer assess the situation.

"I guess I'll eat you, too. How about a side of rabbit stew?"

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

Hansel and Gretel decide not to follow the bird. They, instead, wander around in the woods on their own. The bird tried to make up for its misdeed of eating their path but they did not forgive it. Now they would keep wandering in the woods as the birds looked down on them and laughed.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

"No," answered Gretel. "That would be too heavy for the duckling. It should take us across one at a time."

That is what the good animal did, and when they were safely on the other side and had walked on a little while, the woods grew more and more familiar to them. Finally, they saw the father's house in the distance. They began to run, rushed inside, and threw their arms around the father's neck.

The man had not had even one happy hour since he had left the children in the woods. However, the woman had died.

Hansel and Gretel showed the woodcutter what they had found and for the moment he was overjoyed. But in a week, they would be starving again. While it wasn't as bad as when there were four of them, it was still a troubling situation.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

In every corner were chests of pearls and precious stones.

"These are better than pebbles," said Hansel, filling his pockets.

Gretel said, "I will take some home with me as well," and she filled her apron full.

"But now we must leave," said Hansel, "and get out of these witch-woods."

After walking a few hours, they arrived at a large body of water. "We cannot get across," said Hansel. "I cannot see a walkway or a bridge."

"There are no boats here," answered Gretel, "but there is a white duck swimming. If I ask it, it will help us across."

Then she called out: "Duckling, duckling. Here stand Gretel and Hansel. Neither a walkway nor a bridge. Take us onto your white back."

The duckling came up to them, and Hansel climbed onto it, then asked his little sister to sit down next to him.

• ⭕Gretel sits next to Hansel. → Go to Page 26.
• ⭕Gretel refuses to sit down. → Go to Page 51.
• ⭕Gretel tries to swim across. → Go to Page 36.

Gretel got on with Hansel and the duck took off. A few seconds later, the duck sunk under the weight of the kids. Hansel and Gretel drowned along with the duck as the fish had a nice meal to snack on.

They must have tasted really good after the visit with the witch. They slept with the fishes.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

In every corner were chests of magic stones of many different colors.

"These are better than pebbles," said Hansel, filling his pockets.

Gretel said, "I will take some home with me as well," and she filled her apron full.

"But now we must leave," said Hansel, "and get out of these witch-woods."

After walking a few hours, they arrived at a large body of water. "We cannot get across," said Hansel. "I cannot see a walkway or a bridge."

"There are no boats here," answered Gretel, "but there is a white duck swimming. If I ask it, it will help us across."

Then she called out: "Duckling, duckling. Here stand Gretel and Hansel. Neither a walkway nor a bridge. Take us onto your white back."

The duckling came up to them, and Hansel climbed onto it, then asked his little sister to sit down next to him.

• ⭕Gretel sits next to Hansel. → Go to Page 26.
• ⭕Gretel refuses to sit down. → Go to Page 2.
• ⭕Gretel tries to swim across. → Go to Page 36.

Hansel started to drop breadcrumbs from the loaf he was given, to provide him and Gretel a way of returning home. He tried his hardest to make sure his parents weren't watching but eventually, he slipped up. The woman saw what he was doing and knew that one of her kids had known what was happening.

When they got into the woods, Gretel was set down on a fallen log to sleep as Hansel was told to retrieve twigs for a fire to keep themselves warm. The woodcutter went deep into the woods to find good firewood as Hansel began his search, unaware he was being watched. Hansel eventually found a big pile of fallen twigs and began to try and pick them up. As he did, he heard an ax cut into a tree.

• ⭕Go to investigate. → Go to Page 16.
• ⭕Keep picking up twigs. → Go to Page 32.

In every corner were chests of nothing.

"These have nothing in them," said Hansel, disappointed.

"I guess we must leave," said Gretel, "and get out of these witch-woods."

After walking a few hours, they arrived at a large body of water. "We cannot get across," said Hansel. "I cannot see a walkway or a bridge."

"There are no boats here," answered Gretel, "but there is a white duck swimming. If I ask it, it will help us across."

Then she called out: "Duckling, duckling. Here stand Gretel and Hansel. Neither a walkway nor a bridge. Take us onto your white back."

The duckling came up to them, and Hansel climbed onto it, then asked his little sister to sit down next to him.

• ⭕Gretel sits next to Hansel. → Go to Page 26.
• ⭕Gretel refuses to sit down. → Go to Page 20.
• ⭕Gretel tries to swim across. → Go to Page 36.

Hansel and Gretel knocked on the door and waited a while. They thought they saw the curtain move inside the window but dismissed it and kept waiting. Before the door opened, they were crushed by a piece of the roof cake and were pinned to the ground. All they could do was squirm while a woman approached them.

"Now I have you and you will be forced to eat through this roof. Then after, I will cook you up," the woman said with a horrible cackle.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

He who says A must also say B, and because he had given in the first time, he had to do so the second time as well. The children were still awake and had overheard the conversation. When the adults were asleep, Hansel got up again and wanted to gather pebbles as he had done before, but the woman had locked the door, and Hansel could not get out. But he comforted his little sister and said, "Don't cry, Gretel. Sleep well. God will help us."

Early the next morning, the woman came and got the children from their beds. They received their little pieces of bread, even less than the last time.

On the way to the woods...

• ⭕Look back again. If it worked once, it will work again. → Go to Page 8.
• ⭕I have memorized the way home. No need for the path. → Go to Page 52.

Hansel went about his business picking up twigs. He, however, kept listening in and eventually heard the tree begin to fall. It sounded very close and Hansel wanted to see it collapse. He turned to see a giant tree trunk only a few inches above his head.

I guess someone should have shouted timber, maybe they didn't intentionally. Gretel would wake later in the evening to find her parents gone, her brother crushed, and would eventually go running terrified into the woods, where she would stumble into a river and sink below the water.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

Hansel and Gretel decided not to tread forward. Though enticed, there was a feeling of dread and terror that seemed to radiate from the house. They went off back into the woods. They continued to search for a way out of the forest. Eventually, they stumbled out of the forest into a valley clearing. They didn't recognize the surroundings but decided to go forward anyway. Out there, they would find somebody. If not their parents, then others who would take care of them.

This is what would have happened if they weren't mauled by wolves a minute later.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

In every corner were chests of bread and candy.

"These are better than pebbles," said Hansel, filling his pockets.

Gretel said, "I will take some home with me as well," and she filled her apron full.

"But now we must leave," said Hansel, "and get out of these witch-woods."

After walking a few hours, they arrived at a large body of water. "We cannot get across," said Hansel. "I cannot see a walkway or a bridge."

"There are no boats here," answered Gretel, "but there is a white duck swimming. If I ask it, it will help us across."

Then she called out: "Duckling, duckling. Here stand Gretel and Hansel. Neither a walkway nor a bridge. Take us onto your back."

The duckling came up to them, and Hansel climbed onto it, then asked his little sister to sit down next to him.

• ⭕Gretel sits next to Hansel. → Go to Page 26.
• ⭕Gretel refuses to sit down. → Go to Page 24.
• ⭕Gretel tries to swim across. → Go to Page 36.

They followed it until they came to a little house. The bird sat on the roof, and when they came closer, they saw that the little house was built entirely from bread with a roof made of cake, and the windows were made of clear sugar.

• ⭕Let's eat. → Go to Page 44.
• ⭕Let's knock. → Go to Page 30.
• ⭕Let's take and run. → Go to Page 38.
• ⭕Let's not go forward. → Go to Page 33.

"I don't think we can fit on the duckling together," Gretel said. "Don't worry though, I can just swim across. How hard can it be?"

"Gretel, no," Hansel said, but Gretel already jumped in and started flailing wildly.

"Help, Han...," Gretel said before she fell under the water. Hansel bent down to grab Gretel but her flailing caused him to fall in as well. Both the children couldn't swim and quickly sunk beneath the water.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

Both Hansel and Gretel bolt into the forest away from their parents.

"Well, that was easier than expected, let us return home now that we are rid of them," the woman said.

The woodcutter was sad but also perplexed why his children had run off into the woods. Well, we know for certain that they aren't coming back.

Unless Hansel dropped another path or rocks to return to this very spot. Wait, he had no more rocks.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

Hansel and Gretel tried to break off a piece of the house and go. Hansel turned to leave but was grabbed by the witch who lived in the house who pulled him inside.

"Come get your brother," the witch cackled at Gretel. Gretel, who was too scared by the witch, ran off further into the forest. She felt as if the witch was right behind her. She ran faster and faster and didn't realize the ground was about to end. She stumbled out of the forest onto the edge of a cliff and fell over while trying to stop herself.

Hansel was served with beans. Gretel laid in a ravine.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

Really? Want to end it there? I'm not against that, but there is still a whole second half of this story to get through. But, if you chose this option then you're not that interested to find out what else happens. Okay, then, and they both lived ever after, I guess.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

"Stupid goose," said the old woman. "The opening is big enough. See, I myself, could get in." She crawled up and stuck her head into the oven.

What does Gretel do next?

• ⭕Run to save Hansel. → Go to Page 43.
• ⭕Push the witch in the oven. → Go to Page 54.
• ⭕Beat the witch with the kettle. → Go to Page 19.

Without any sort of cover on what he is doing, Hansel lets go of the stones from his pockets. Because he didn't care to hide his actions, the woman quickly noticed what he was doing.

"Hansel, don't go playing with rocks, you could have hurt yourself badly with these," the woman says as she makes Hansel remove the stones from his pockets. Hansel had nothing to make a trail with for the rest of the trip. The kids were unable to find their way home during the evening and eventually starved in the woods.

Should have at least coughed or pretended to vomit then drop a stone.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

The children are not hungry and are fast asleep, unable to hear their parents. The next morning they are unprepared when they are abandoned in the woods and have no hope of finding their way back home.

Also, they are probably eaten by a bear. Maybe mauled by raccoons. You said they were well fed so they are probably good eats for any animals.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

Gretel bolted to the house while the witch was occupied in the oven.

"Gretel, quick, undo the lock," Hansel said, and Gretel grabbed onto the keys. She unlocked Hansel from his cage, who gave her a big hug.

"Now, let's get out of here," Hansel said. Both turned to see the witch in the doorway, who was scowling.

"You thought you could pull a fast one on me," the witch said. "If you aren't going to be properly cooked, I guess I'll have to have you raw." The witch started to transform. Claws replaced fingernails, wings grew out of her back, and her eyes started to glow orange. Let's just say that what happened next could only really be described in a rated-R story.

Too bad it's PG. More like PG-13. If you saw the first six endings, you'd know that this is already bordering on the horribly violent. Then again, all classic stories are violent. In the original Pinocchio, he gets himself hanged on a tree. But let's get back on topic. This is a bad ending.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

Let's help ourselves to a good meal," said Hansel. "I'll eat a piece of the roof, and Gretel, you eat from the window. That will be sweet."

Hansel reached up and broke off a little of the roof to see how it tasted, while Gretel stood next to the windowpanes and was nibbling at them. Then a gentle voice called out from inside: "Nibble, nibble, little mouse. Who is nibbling at my house?"

The children answered, "The wind, the wind."

"The heavenly child."

They continued to eat, without being distracted. Hansel, who very much liked the taste of the roof, tore down another large piece, and Gretel poked out an entire round windowpane. Suddenly, the door opened and a woman, as old as the hills and leaning on a crutch, came creeping out. Hansel and Gretel were so frightened that they dropped what they were holding in their hands.

But the old woman shook her head and said, "Oh, you dear children, who brought you here? Just come in and stay with me. No harm will come to you."

• ⭕Hansel and Gretel leave. → Go to Page 13.
• ⭕Witch leads them inside. → Go to Page 4.

Hansel burst into the room his parents were in.

"We heard everything, you can't abandon us," Hansel protested.

"Well, seems like someone was snooping around," the woman said. "I guess now that you know, there is no reason to abandon you in the woods."

The woman grabbed Hansel and Gretel and dragged them screaming outside. She took them to the woodshed where the woodcutter kept all the firewood. The night was alive with the sounds of children crying in terror. A few moments after they went into the woodshed the noise died down substantially. A minute later and silence once again returned to the night. The woodcutter sobbed all the while listening.

Well, at least now he won't starve for sure. He may have to do some spring cleaning in his shed, however.

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"No, I won't abandon my children at any cost," said the man, unmoved.

"Then we shall all starve," the woman said.

"Nonsense, I can provide for us," the man said.

The woodcutter was unable to provide for his family and a month later they all lay dead.

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The woman entered the room and embraced Hansel and Gretel. "Oh, you were in the forest," the woman said. "We were starving but now with these jewels and pearls you brought back, we will never starve again."

The woman was overjoyed but not by Hansel and Gretel's return, but with what they brought back. She would use the jewels to buy whatever she wanted as she had complete control over the house. And when they ran out of money and they began to starve once more, you'd bet she would be ready to abandon the children once more.

Maybe she should abandon the woodcutter next time. When has he ever brought back jewels? Anyway, they all lived happily ever after, maybe.

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Hansel and Gretel gathered together some twigs, a pile as high as a small mountain.

The twigs were set afire, and when the flames were burning well, the woman said, "Lie down by the fire and rest. We will go into the woods to cut wood. When we are finished, we will come back and get you."

Hansel and Gretel sat by the fire. When midday came each one ate their little piece of bread. Because they could hear the blows of an ax, they thought that the father was nearby. However, it was not an ax. It was a branch that he had tied to a dead tree and that the wind was beating back and forth. After they had sat there a long time, their eyes grew weary and closed, and they fell sound asleep.

When they finally awoke, it was dark at night. Gretel began to cry and said, "How will we get out of the woods?"

Hansel comforted her, "Wait a little until the moon comes up, and then we'll find the way."

• ⭕Wait until the moon rises. → Go to Page 11.
• ⭕Go looking for the path home. → Go to Page 55.

Early the next morning, before they awoke, she got up, went to their beds, and looked at the two of them lying there so peacefully, with their full red cheeks.

"They will be a good mouthful," she mumbled to herself. Then she grabbed Hansel with her withered hand and carried him to a little stall, where she...

• ⭕Cooked him immediately. → Go to Page 59.
• ⭕Locked him in a cage. → Go to Page 21.

Well, the woodcutter had had enough with the woman. She was cast out of the house and the woodcutter, Hansel, and Gretel lived happily ever after. They may have had to ration food a bit more but they all were content and happy.

Sadly, however, this isn't the real ending. I mean all the stuff people remember about Hansel and Gretel isn't even in the story if this was the ending. What about the sweet house? What about the breadcrumb trail? What about the witch? This story had no moral and the conflict was weak. Well, you can take it as a victory, but this is a bad ending.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

"No," answered Gretel. That would be too heavy for the duckling. It should take us across one at a time."

That is what the good animal did, and when they were safely on the other side and had walked on a little while, the woods grew more and more familiar to them. Finally, they saw the father's house in the distance. They began to run, rushed inside, and threw their arms around the father's neck.

The man had no had even one happy hour since he had left the children in the woods. But what had happened to the woman?

• ⭕She's dead. → Go to Page 3.
• ⭕She's in the next room. → Go to Page 47.

Hansel is confident this time he knows the way home. Too bad they go deeper into the woods. And too bad that it's hard to see anything in the evening. Even with the moonlight, nothing looks distinct. A path wasn't such a bad option, use one next time. Too bad Hansel and Gretel don't have a next time.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

But they did all starve. This reminds me of what Thomas Malthus said: "The superior power of population cannot be checked without producing misery or vice."

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

Gretel gave the witch a shove, causing her to fall in. Then she closed the iron door and secured it with a bar. The old woman began to howl frightfully. But Gretel ran away, and the godless witch burned up miserably. Gretel ran straight to Hansel, unlocked his stall, and cried, "Hansel, we are saved. The old witch is dead."

Then Hansel jumped out, like a bird from its cage when someone opens its door. How happy they were! They threw their arms around each other's necks, jumped with joy, and kissed one another. Because they now had nothing to fear, they went into the witch's house.

In every corner were chests full of...

• ⭕Pearls and jewels. → Go to Page 25.
• ⭕Bread and candy. → Go to Page 34.
• ⭕Magic stones. → Go to Page 27.
• ⭕Nothing. → Go to Page 29.

"We got to go back as soon as possible," Gretel said, storming off. Hansel went after her and both ended up moving away from where the path was. They stumbled, instead, into a cave. In the cave, Gretel screamed since she was scared and lost. Hansel ran in to find bats swarming around Gretel. He screamed for the bats to stop, not knowing that there were more above him.

Whether they lived or died, they failed to follow the path. No one saw those beautiful glowing rocks in the moonlight. Too bad Gretel couldn't be patient.

• 💀Try Again → Go to Page 1.

Hansel began stopping again and again and looking back toward the house.

The father said, "Hansel, why are you stopping and looking back? Pay attention now, and don't forget your legs."

"Oh, father," said Hansel, "I am looking at my white cat that is sitting on the roof and wants to say goodbye to me."

The woman said, "You fool, that isn't your cat. That's the morning sun shining on the chimney."

However, Hansel had not been looking at his cat but instead had been dropping the shiny pebbles from his pocket onto the path. When they arrived in the middle of the woods, the father said, "You children gather some wood, I will make a fire so you won't freeze."

• ⭕Don't gather the wood. → Go to Page 9.
• ⭕Gather the wood. → Go to Page 48.
• ⭕Run away into the forest. → Go to Page 37.

As soon as the adults had fallen asleep, he got up, pulled on his jacket, opened the lower door, and crept outside. The moon was shining brightly, and the white pebbles in front of the house were glistening like silver coins. Hansel bent over and filled his jacket pockets with them, as many as would fit.

Then he went back into the house and said, "Don't worry, Gretel. Sleep well. God will not forsake us." Then he went back to bed.

At daybreak, even before sunrise, the woman came and woke the two children. "Get up, you lazybones. We are going into the woods to fetch wood." Then she gave each one a little piece of bread, saying, "Here is something for midday. Don't eat it any sooner, for you'll not get any more."

Gretel put the bread under her apron, because Hansel's pockets were full of stones. Then all together they set forth into the woods. After they had walked a little way...

• ⭕Hansel looks back then drops stones. → Go to Page 56.
• ⭕Hansel continues forward. → Go to Page 6.
• ⭕Hansel starts dropping stones while facing forward. → Go to Page 41.

"Nonsense, look and see," the witch said, quickly grabbing Gretel by her hair. In a pinch, the witch flung Gretel into the oven and slammed the iron door shut. Gretel was in much agony as she looked out at the witch cackling in delight.

Who would have thought that Gretel went first in a tale called Hansel and Gretel? Expectations subverted.

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The witch threw Hansel in the oven immediately. Unable to handle her hunger, she turned on the oven and started to cook Hansel alive. Gretel screamed and kicked at the witch. The witch backhanded her to the ground and said, "He is just the first to cook. Keep it up and you'll be next."

The witch opened the oven to see if Hansel was done and Gretel ran and tried to push her in the oven. Instead, they both fell inside and started to cook up. The oven raged all day and, soon, the fire and ash that sprang from it lit up the entire forest. Soon, everything in a five-mile radius was burning.

Oregon? I would say they are gone. This time, everyone died. The moral is if you do anything bad to anyone, then you'll burn for eternity. That's just my interpretation.

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