Страшные сказки / Scary stories

“It will be better for you to share the last mouthful with your children”.

The woman, however, did not listen to him, but scolded and reproached him. But he who says A must say B.

The children, however, were still awake and heard the conversation. When the old wood-cutter and his wife were asleep, Hansel again got up, and wanted to go out and pick up pebbles. But the door was locked, and Hansel could not get out. Nevertheless he comforted his little sister, and said:

“Do not cry, Gretel, go to sleep quietly, the good God will help us”.

Early in the morning came the woman, and took the children out of their beds. She gave them their piece of bread, but it was still smaller than the time before. On the way into the forest Hansel crumbled his in his pocket, and often stood still and threw a morsel on the ground.

“Hansel, why do you stop and look round?” said the father, “go on!”

“I want to look back at my little pigeon which is on the roof, and wants to say goodbye to me”.

“Fool!” said the woman, ‘that is not your little pigeon, that is the morning sun on the chimney”. Hansel, however little by little, threw all the crumbs on the path.

The woman led the children still deeper into the forest. Then they made a great fire again, and the stepmother said:

“Just sit there, you children, and when you are tired you may sleep a little. We will go into the forest to cut wood. We will come in the evening and fetch you away”.

When it was noon, Gretel shared her piece of bread with Hansel, who scattered his by the way. Then they fell asleep and evening passed, but no one came to the poor children. They did not awake until it was dark night. Hansel comforted his little sister and said:

“Just wait, Gretel, until the moon rises, and then we shall see the crumbs of bread. They will show us our way home again”.

When the moon came they set out, but they found no crumbs, for the many thousands of birds which fly about in the woods and fields picked them all up. Hansel said to Gretel:

‘We shall soon find the way,’ but they did not find it.

They walked the whole night and all the next day too from morning till evening, but they did not get out of the forest. They were very hungry, for they had nothing to eat but two or three berries, which grew on the ground. And as they were so weary that their legs carried them no longer, they lay down beneath a tree and fell asleep.

They spent three mornings in the wood. They began to walk again, but they always came deeper into the forest. If help doesn’t come soon, they will die of hunger and weariness!

When it was midday, they saw a beautiful snow-white bird on a bough. The bird sang so delightfully that they stood still and listened to it. And when its song was over, it spread its wings and flew away before them. The children followed it until they reached a little house, on the roof of which it alighted. When they approached the little house they saw that it was built of bread and covered with cakes, but that the windows were of clear sugar.

“We will set to work on that[5 - will set to work on that – примемся за это]”, said Hansel, “and have a good meal. I will eat a bit of the roof, and you Gretel, can eat some of the window, it will taste sweet”.

Hansel reached up above, and broke off a little of the roof to try how it tasted. Gretel leant against the window and nibbled at the panes. Then a soft voice cried from the parlour:

‘Nibble, nibble, gnaw,
Who is at my little house?’

The children answered:

‘The wind, the wind,
The heaven-born wind,’

and continued to eat. Hansel, who liked the taste of the roof, tore down a great piece of it. Gretel pushed out the whole of one round window-pane, sat down, and enjoyed herself with it. Suddenly the door opened, and an old woman, who supported herself on crutches, came out. Hansel and Gretel were so terribly frightened that they let fall[6 - let fall – уронили] what they had in their hands. The old woman, however, nodded her head, and said:

“Oh, you dear children, who brought you here? Come in, and stay with me. No harm will happen to you”.

She took them both by the hand, and led them into her little house. Then she gave them good food, milk and pancakes, with sugar, apples, and nuts. Afterwards she covered two pretty little beds with clean white linen for them. Hansel and Gretel lay down in them, and thought they were in heaven.

But the old woman only pretended to be so kind. She was actually a wicked witch, who lay in wait for[7 - lay in wait for – подстерегала] children. She only built the little house of bread in order to entice them there. When a child fell into her power, she killed it, cooked and ate it, and that was a feast day with her. Witches have red eyes, and cannot see far, but they have a keen scent like the beasts, and are aware when human beings draw near.

When Hansel and Gretel came into her neighbourhood, she laughed with malice, and said mockingly:

“I got them, they won’t escape me again!”

Early in the morning before the children were awake, she was already up. The children looked so pretty, with their plump and rosy cheeks, that the witch muttered to herself:

“That will be a dainty mouthful!”

Then she seized Hansel with her shriveled hand, carried him into a little stable, and locked him in behind a grated door. He cried and screamed, but it did not help him.

Then the witch went to Gretel, shook her till she awoke, and cried:

“Get up, lazy bones, fetch some water, and cook something good for your brother. He is in the stable outside, and he must be fat. When he is fat, I will eat him”.

Gretel began to weep bitterly, but it was all in vain.

And now the best food was cooked for poor Hansel, but Gretel got nothing but crab-shells. Every morning the woman crept to the little stable, and cried:

“Hansel, stretch out your finger to see whether you are fat enough”.

Hansel, however, stretched out a little bone to her, and the old woman, who had dim eyes, could not see it, and thought it was Hansel’s finger. She was astonished that the boy still was not fat.

When four weeks passed by, and Hansel still remained thin, the witch became impatient and did not want to wait any longer.

“Now, then, Gretel”, she cried to the girl, “bring some water. Fast! Let Hansel be fat or lean, tomorrow I will kill him, and cook him”.

Ah, how the poor little sister lamented when she fetched the water! How her tears flew down her cheeks!

“Dear God, help us!” she cried. “If the wild beasts in the forest devoured us, we at any rate died together”.

“Shut up![8 - Shut up! – Заткнись!]” said the old woman, “it won’t help you at all”.

Early in the morning, the witch told Gretel to go out and hang up the cauldron with the water, and light the fire.

“We will bake first”, said the old woman, “I heated the oven, and kneaded the dough”.

She pushed poor Gretel out to the oven, from which flames of fire darted.

“Creep in”, said the witch, “and see if it is properly heated, so that we can put the bread in”.

And once Gretel was inside, she intended to shut the oven and bake the girl. Then the witch wanted to eat her, too.

But Gretel understood this, and said:

“I do not know how to do it. How do I get in?”