A Clever Escape

Each day, the old woman brought Hansel plenty of food, wanting to fatten him up, while she kept Gretel busy with chores.

But Hansel was clever. Whenever the old woman asked him to hold out his finger to see how plump he'd grown, he held out a thin little bone instead. Her eyes were poor, and she was fooled every time.

One day, growing impatient, the old woman told Gretel to check whether the oven was hot enough for baking.

Gretel understood at once what the old woman truly intended. "I'm not sure how," she said sweetly. "Won't you show me?"