Selected Tales of the Brothers Grimm(5)

Whereupon the bird dropped the golden chain and it fell around the man’s neck, and it landed so lithely that it fit him just right. Then he went back inside and said, “Will you look at that, the pretty bird gave me a lovely golden chain, and it looks terrific on me.”

But the woman was so frightened she fell down flat on the floor and her cap tumbled off her head.

Then the bird sang it again:

“My mother, she smote me.”

“If only I were a thousand fathoms underground, so I wouldn’t have to hear that infernal twitter!”

“My father, he ate me.”

The woman collapsed like she was dead.

“My sister, sweet Marlenikin.”

“Oh,” said Marlenikin, “I too want to go out to see if the bird will give me something.” So she went out.

“Gathered all my little bonikins,

Bound them in a silken scarf.”

Then the bird tossed her the shoes.

“And lay them under the juniper tree.

Tweet, tweet, I’m a pretty birdie, look at me!”

Now she was happy as could be. She donned the new red shoes, dancing and jumping for joy. “Oh,” she said, “I was so sad when I went out and now I’m giddy with glee. That wonderful bird just gave me a pair of red shoes.”

“No,” cried the woman and leapt up with her hair standing on end, like it was on fire. “I feel like the world was about to go under, let me go out too and see if it makes me feel any better.”

And as she stepped out the door, blam! The bird dropped the millstone on her head so that she was crushed flat as a pancake. The father and Marlenikin heard the crash and went out to see what happened. A great column of smoke and shooting flames rose from the spot, and when the fire had burned itself out there stood the little brother, and he took his father and Marlenikin by the hand, and the three of them were so very happy, they went inside and sat down to eat.





HANSEL AND GRETEL





On the edge of a deep, dark forest there lived a poor woodcutter with his wife and his two children; the boy’s name was Hansel and the girl was named Gretel. The woodcutter had little to nibble or gnaw on, and once, when there was great famine in the land, he could no longer even bring home his daily crust of bread. As he kept ruminating and tossing and turning that evening in bed, he let out a sigh and said to his wife, “What will become of us? How can we feed our poor children, as we ourselves have nothing to eat?”

“You know what, husband,” replied his wife, “tomorrow bright and early we’ll take the children into the woods to where it’s darkest and deepest. There we’ll light them a fire and leave them a last few crumbs of bread, then we’ll go about our business and leave them there. They’ll never find their way home again and we’ll be rid of them.”

“No, woman,” said the man, “I will not do that. How can I ever find it in my heart to leave my children in the woods alone? The wild animals would soon come and tear them to pieces.”

“Oh, you fool,” she said, “then all four of us will starve to death. All you’ll have left to do is plane the planks for our coffins.” And she would not let up until he agreed.



“Still I feel sorry for my poor children all the same,” said the man.

But hunger kept the two children awake and they overheard what their stepmother said to their father. Gretel cried bitter tears and said to Hansel, “Now we’re done for.”

“Quiet, Gretel,” said Hansel. “Don’t worry, I’ll find a way out.” And once the grown-ups had fallen asleep, he got up, put on his little coat, opened the back door, and slipped out. The moon shone very brightly, and the white pebbles scattered in front of the house glistened like silver. Hansel bent down and stuffed his coat pockets to bursting. Then he went back in and said to Gretel, “Calm yourself, my dear little sister, and sleep tight, God will not forsake us,” and he lay back down in his bed.

At the break of day, even before sunrise, the woman came and woke the two children. “Get up, you lazybones, we’re going to the forest to fetch wood.” Then she gave each of them a crust of bread and said, “Here’s something for the midday meal, but don’t eat it before then, for you’ll get nothing else.” Gretel took the bread into her apron pocket, because Hansel already had his pockets full of pebbles, then they all set off for the forest. After they had walked for a while, Hansel stopped and peered back at the house, and did it again and again.

The father said, “Hansel, why do you keep looking back and lagging behind? Watch where you’re going and shake a leg.”