# The Cottage in the Woods 🏡 🍭 Hansel & Gretel Fairy Tale Retelling

An episode of [Snuggle: Kids bedtime stories](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1714672018), 13 Oct 2024, 46 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/62214780/prod_snuggle_050_final.mp3

Two children discover a curious gingerbread house hidden deep in the forest in this sleepy retelling of the classic fairy tale, "Hansel and Gretel." Narrated by: TK Kellman Written by: Shady Grove Oliver Welcome to Snuggle! The best kid's story-telling podcast. Enter a cozy world of imagination perfect for bedtime, quiet time, or any time you want to embark on an enchanting adventure. Learn more at slumberstudios.com/snuggle To enjoy ad-free listening and exclusive bonus episodes, start your 7-day free trial of Snuggle Premium: https://snuggle.supercast.com/ November only: try Premium free for 90 days. Ad-free listening and more at slumber.supercast.com

## Transcript

[0:03] Speaker 1: Welcome to Snuggle Cozy stories for kids. This episode is
[0:10] Speaker 1: called The Cottage in the Woods. Snuggle is a production
[0:15] Speaker 1: of Slumber Studios. To listen ad free and support the show,
[0:20] Speaker 1: sign up for our premium feed. Hey friend, my name
[0:28] Speaker 1: is Tom, and I'm so glad you're here for story time.
[0:33] Speaker 1: Today is a special one for me because it's the
[0:37] Speaker 1: day after my birthday. It's always lovely to celebrate a
[0:42] Speaker 1: birthday with people that are special to us, and all
[0:46] Speaker 1: of you are special friends to me and my fellow narrators.
[0:51] Speaker 1: It means a lot to have your company today and
[0:55] Speaker 1: every time you press play on a Snuggle episode, and
[0:59] Speaker 1: I hope you're enjoying all of our wonderful stories. Soon
[1:05] Speaker 1: we'll wander deep into the woods in a sleepy retelling
[1:09] Speaker 1: of the classic fairy tale Handsome and Gretel. The path
[1:14] Speaker 1: is long and the gingerbread house is enticing. But don't worry.
[1:21] Speaker 1: This story has a happy ending and it will all
[1:25] Speaker 1: be read by our lovely friend TK. So snuggle up
[1:32] Speaker 1: and lay your head on your pillow. Let's open up
[1:38] Speaker 1: our imaginations with a nice big breath. Take a steady
[1:45] Speaker 1: breath in hold for just a moment, and then slowly
[1:53] Speaker 1: release it nicely done. Now, imagine a forest that extends
[2:05] Speaker 1: as far as the eye can see. Dark trees cast
[2:11] Speaker 1: long shadows on the mossy ground. Follow these trees to
[2:17] Speaker 1: the far edge of the woods. There, nestled in a
[2:23] Speaker 1: clearing beneath towering pines, is a small cabin, And this
[2:32] Speaker 1: is where our story begins.
[2:49] Speaker 2: Once upon a time there was a woodcarver who had
[2:53] Speaker 2: two children, named John and Margaret. They lived in a
[2:59] Speaker 2: little house at the edge of the forest. It was
[3:04] Speaker 2: a quak cabin made of wood, with lace curtains on
[3:08] Speaker 2: the windows. Outside there was a beautiful garden. Margaret and
[3:17] Speaker 2: Johan liked to play amongst the flowers which towered over
[3:22] Speaker 2: their heads. They were happy children whose imaginations ran wild,
[3:30] Speaker 2: and their father was very proud of them. He worked
[3:36] Speaker 2: hard carving wood and selling his creations at a market
[3:41] Speaker 2: in the nearby town. Every weekend he would push his
[3:47] Speaker 2: cart with a big wooden wheel down the path through
[3:52] Speaker 2: the village. There, the local children would marvel at all
[3:59] Speaker 2: the things he made by hand. There were tiny horses
[4:04] Speaker 2: that rolled on wheels, and thin wooden drumsticks that made
[4:09] Speaker 2: a wonderful sound when you banged them on the ground.
[4:15] Speaker 2: There were flutes and painted balls, and even delicate wooden
[4:20] Speaker 2: mobiles to hang over a baby's crib. Your Hand and
[4:27] Speaker 2: Margaret often accompanied their father on market Day. They would
[4:33] Speaker 2: carry his toys around the square and showed them to
[4:37] Speaker 2: the other children. Sometimes they would just spend the afternoon
[4:44] Speaker 2: chasing each other up and down the town streets. It
[4:50] Speaker 2: was a special treat to go to market day. Their
[4:54] Speaker 2: father would place a little silver coin in each of
[4:58] Speaker 2: their pockets for them to spend any way they pleased.
[5:04] Speaker 2: Their first stop was always the candy cart. Your Hand
[5:09] Speaker 2: liked the liquor strings, while Margaret preferred the sugar drops.
[5:16] Speaker 2: But when their father knew it would be a very
[5:19] Speaker 2: busy day, he would tell the children to stay at
[5:23] Speaker 2: the cabin and play, with promises of sweets brought home
[5:28] Speaker 2: in his pocket. This particular week, your Hand and Margaret
[5:35] Speaker 2: were excited about going with their father into town. On
[5:41] Speaker 2: the morning of market day. They woke up early and
[5:45] Speaker 2: dressed in their best clothes. Then they pulled their father's
[5:51] Speaker 2: cart out of the shed around to the front of
[5:55] Speaker 2: the house and packed all his toys inside. By the
[6:02] Speaker 2: time the woodcarver went to the garden, his children were
[6:06] Speaker 2: already waiting for him. He picked up the handles of
[6:12] Speaker 2: the cart and began to push. It was a one
[6:17] Speaker 2: wheeled contraption that was easy to maneuver over any roof
[6:22] Speaker 2: or bumps in the road. As he pushed, he hummed
[6:28] Speaker 2: a tune. It was the same tune every market day.
[6:35] Speaker 2: Your Hand and Margaret knew it well and sang along,
[6:40] Speaker 2: their voices ringing bright and cheerful through the trees. The
[6:48] Speaker 2: road from their house was a well worn track. It
[6:53] Speaker 2: had two parallel lines that cut through the grass and
[6:57] Speaker 2: marked where carriage wheels had traveled over the years. Every
[7:04] Speaker 2: so often your Hand and Margaret began to skip. They
[7:10] Speaker 2: called to their father to catch up. As they hurried
[7:13] Speaker 2: down the path. He laughed and cried after them. Don't
[7:20] Speaker 2: go too far ahead, he warned. You don't want to
[7:24] Speaker 2: get lost out here in the woods. That's how the
[7:27] Speaker 2: witch will find you. We won't get lost, the children said,
[7:33] Speaker 2: and giggled as they went a little further down the road.
[7:38] Speaker 2: And we aren't scared of any witch. They waited for
[7:45] Speaker 2: him by a large boulder that sat at the halfway
[7:49] Speaker 2: point between their home and town. Margaret climbed to the
[7:55] Speaker 2: top of the rock, using the little hand and footholds
[7:59] Speaker 2: that had been more worn into it over time. Johan
[8:04] Speaker 2: picked up a small stick and dragged it around the
[8:08] Speaker 2: boulder in a circle. He loved the scratching sound it
[8:13] Speaker 2: made as it crossed the jagged stone face. After a minute,
[8:21] Speaker 2: they saw their father's cap emerge from behind the green
[8:25] Speaker 2: foliage that grew on both sides of the road. He
[8:31] Speaker 2: smiled when he saw them, and they waved in return.
[8:37] Speaker 2: Sometimes they would play hide and seek as they made
[8:41] Speaker 2: their way into town. He would look up at the
[8:45] Speaker 2: sky for just a moment, and his children would run
[8:49] Speaker 2: behind a large bush or tree trunk. He would call
[8:55] Speaker 2: out to them, ready or not, and then search both
[8:59] Speaker 2: sides of the path. But there was no time for
[9:05] Speaker 2: hide and seek today, as they had to get to
[9:09] Speaker 2: the market early. The sky looked like rain was coming
[9:14] Speaker 2: later on, so the wood carver wanted to make the
[9:18] Speaker 2: most of the morning hours. By the time they reached town,
[9:24] Speaker 2: the other sellers were beginning to set up their tables
[9:28] Speaker 2: and stalls. The wood carver directed his cart to its
[9:34] Speaker 2: usual spot on the east side of the square. He
[9:39] Speaker 2: pulled out a wide leather blanket he kept tucked in
[9:43] Speaker 2: the cart and unrolled it on the ground. One by one,
[9:52] Speaker 2: he lined up all the toys, games, and nickknacks he
[9:56] Speaker 2: had made. This was your hand in Margaret's favorite job
[10:02] Speaker 2: to help with. Each of them picked a type of
[10:07] Speaker 2: toy to set up in a little display on the blanket.
[10:12] Speaker 2: Margaret chose the rolling animals. She placed them all in
[10:17] Speaker 2: a circle organized by height. Your hand chose the games.
[10:25] Speaker 2: He laid down a boomerang, a chessboard, a set of
[10:29] Speaker 2: pickup sticks, and a Jacob's ladder, encircling them all with
[10:35] Speaker 2: a jump rope. It had delicate wooden handles shaped like hourglasses.
[10:45] Speaker 2: When they were finished, their father came over to inspect
[10:49] Speaker 2: their work. He muttered his approval as he tapped a
[10:54] Speaker 2: small wooden elephant on the head. Well done, he said,
[11:00] Speaker 2: with a smile. He pressed a shiny silver coin into
[11:05] Speaker 2: each of their palms and told them to go have
[11:09] Speaker 2: fun as always. Johan and Margaret went to find the
[11:16] Speaker 2: candy cellar. By this time, the market square was bustling
[11:23] Speaker 2: with people. The stalls were packed together like sardines, and
[11:30] Speaker 2: shoppers milled about in all directions, searching for the perfect
[11:36] Speaker 2: linen jam or ribbon to puye. At one stall, a
[11:45] Speaker 2: man haggled with the fruit seller over a large bowl
[11:49] Speaker 2: of strawberries. At another a woman tested a long rake
[11:55] Speaker 2: for weight and balance. Margaret and Johann weave through the crowd,
[12:03] Speaker 2: making sure never to lose sight of one another. They
[12:08] Speaker 2: dodged around, swinging baskets and between aprons. They ducked under
[12:14] Speaker 2: hanging displays, and hopped over a blanket where a woman
[12:19] Speaker 2: was selling jewelry. When they reached the opposite side of
[12:25] Speaker 2: the square, they looked around for their beloved candy cellar,
[12:32] Speaker 2: but the woman was nowhere to be seen. They walked
[12:38] Speaker 2: to the far end of the row of carts, but
[12:43] Speaker 2: all they saw were farmers selling eggs and a handful
[12:48] Speaker 2: of jelly and jam makers. They searched in the other direction,
[12:54] Speaker 2: next passing a man selling warm loaves of bread and
[13:00] Speaker 2: a woman beside him with freshly churned butter. But still
[13:07] Speaker 2: the candy cart was missing. Margaret walked up to the
[13:13] Speaker 2: baker and tapped him on the shoulder. Excuse me, she said,
[13:20] Speaker 2: have you seen the woman who sells candy to day?
[13:24] Speaker 2: The baker shook his head. He had not seen her
[13:27] Speaker 2: since last week, but perhaps Margaret should talk to the
[13:32] Speaker 2: woman with the butter she might no more. Margaret went
[13:39] Speaker 2: to the next doll over and asked the same question.
[13:44] Speaker 2: This woman said she'd heard a rumor that the candy
[13:47] Speaker 2: seller had gone to live in the south of the country,
[13:51] Speaker 2: where there was more sun and less rain. Margaret nodded.
[13:58] Speaker 2: This made sense to her. It did rain an awful
[14:02] Speaker 2: lot here, and it always meant her father had to
[14:05] Speaker 2: close up shop before the end of the day. She
[14:11] Speaker 2: walked back to Johan and told him the news. Their
[14:16] Speaker 2: candy cellar was gone and she would not be coming
[14:19] Speaker 2: back any time soon. Your hand, sighed. Margaret patted him
[14:26] Speaker 2: on the shoulder. It's all right, she told her brother.
[14:31] Speaker 2: We'll just have to find candy somewhere else. Hand in hand,
[14:39] Speaker 2: they returned to their father's cart. Overhead, a storm was brewing.
[14:49] Speaker 2: Heavy clouds gathered in the sky, blocking the sun from view.
[14:56] Speaker 2: Their shadows turned the square gray and st tellers hurried
[15:01] Speaker 2: to back up their wares. John and Margaret helped their
[15:07] Speaker 2: father load all of his toys back into the cart.
[15:13] Speaker 2: Then they laid the leather blanket on top to protect
[15:17] Speaker 2: them from the rain that was bound to come. Together.
[15:24] Speaker 2: They rolled it out of the market square and onto
[15:28] Speaker 2: the dirt road leading home. Just before they reached the
[15:35] Speaker 2: half way boulder, every raindrops began to fall. The wood
[15:42] Speaker 2: carver set down his cart and pulled back a corner
[15:46] Speaker 2: of the blanket. Margaret opped up onto the edge of
[15:51] Speaker 2: the cart and then slid down in among the toys.
[15:57] Speaker 2: Your hand was a tad shorter than his sister, so
[16:02] Speaker 2: the wood carver lifted him up and set him down
[16:06] Speaker 2: gently beside her. Then he rolled the corner of the
[16:11] Speaker 2: blanket over their heads and tucked it down behind their backs.
[16:18] Speaker 2: He picked up the cart's handles and continued his slow
[16:23] Speaker 2: but steady pace toward home. Underneath the blanket, the children
[16:31] Speaker 2: were warm and cozy. Raindrops pattered above their heads. The
[16:40] Speaker 2: carts swayed from side to side on its lone wheel.
[16:46] Speaker 2: The sound of the rain, combined with the rhythmic motion
[16:50] Speaker 2: of the cart was soothing. Back and forth they rocked
[17:00] Speaker 2: as the drops came pattering down. The children leaned against
[17:08] Speaker 2: each other and enjoyed the ride. They felt their eyelids
[17:14] Speaker 2: growing heavy, and before long they were fast asleep. They
[17:27] Speaker 2: warn't sure how long they slept, for the next thing,
[17:32] Speaker 2: they knew their father was pulling back the blanket, and
[17:36] Speaker 2: they were home. Margaret climbed over the side of the
[17:42] Speaker 2: cart and then turned back and help Johan do the same.
[17:49] Speaker 2: Together with their father, they unloaded all the toys and
[17:54] Speaker 2: then rolled the cart back into the safety of the shed.
[18:00] Speaker 2: Inside the cabin, the wood cover lit a warm fire.
[18:06] Speaker 2: The flames crackled and hissed as they flickered over the
[18:11] Speaker 2: damp logs. Soon their home was nice and toasty. On
[18:21] Speaker 2: nights like this one, the children liked to bring out
[18:25] Speaker 2: all their blankets and pillows and build a fort across
[18:30] Speaker 2: from the fire. They snuggled down inside the soft folds
[18:37] Speaker 2: of fabric and soon were asleep. That night, They dreamt
[18:48] Speaker 2: of candy canes and gum drops, of gingerbread and lollipops,
[18:55] Speaker 2: and of running along down a winding path deeper and
[19:00] Speaker 2: deeper into the woods. They awoke the next morning with
[19:09] Speaker 2: the sound of rain against the window. All day they
[19:15] Speaker 2: stayed inside, playing games and hide and seek. Behind the furniture,
[19:22] Speaker 2: Their father sat at his workbench and carved little wooden
[19:26] Speaker 2: ducks and geese, concentrating as he made delicate lines for
[19:32] Speaker 2: wings and bills and webbed feet. John and Margaret once
[19:40] Speaker 2: again slept in their fort by the fire and dreamed
[19:45] Speaker 2: of adventures they'd liked to have. The next morning was
[19:52] Speaker 2: quite the same as the one before, and so it
[19:56] Speaker 2: continued day after day. The rain lasted for a whole week.
[20:07] Speaker 2: By the time the weekend had arrived, the children wished
[20:11] Speaker 2: for nothing more than to see the sun again. Their
[20:16] Speaker 2: father also hoped for a break in the weather so
[20:20] Speaker 2: he could return to the market and sell everything he'd made.
[20:27] Speaker 2: The rain did not let up entirely, but it listened
[20:31] Speaker 2: to a gentle drizzle on market morning. If it stayed
[20:38] Speaker 2: the way, it was more of a fine mist than
[20:42] Speaker 2: a storm. A few people might come to the market
[20:46] Speaker 2: for shopping, so he packed up the cart and prepared
[20:52] Speaker 2: to make his way into town. Because of the unpredictable weather,
[21:00] Speaker 2: he told Johann and Margaret to wait for him at home.
[21:06] Speaker 2: They could build another fort or play a game of
[21:09] Speaker 2: checkers in the bedroom, he suggested. The two children waited
[21:15] Speaker 2: at the edge of the road and waved to their
[21:18] Speaker 2: father as he rolled his cart out of sight. Back inside,
[21:26] Speaker 2: they couldn't think of anything they really wanted to do.
[21:31] Speaker 2: They had played all the games and built all the forces.
[21:38] Speaker 2: They had finished a grand tournament of checkers twenty five
[21:43] Speaker 2: rounds in all, and had put together every jigsaw puzzle
[21:48] Speaker 2: they could find. There was simply nothing else to do
[21:53] Speaker 2: at home. Perhaps they could play in the garden, Margaret said,
[22:00] Speaker 2: But the flowers were wet and the ground was covered
[22:04] Speaker 2: in puddles, and they couldn't find any bunnies to play with.
[22:11] Speaker 2: They splashed a few times through the deepest pools of water,
[22:16] Speaker 2: but soon grew tired of this game, just like all
[22:20] Speaker 2: the others. What if we made a present for father,
[22:26] Speaker 2: Johan suggested. Margaret thought about her brother's words. Their father
[22:33] Speaker 2: was so kind and he did so many nice things
[22:37] Speaker 2: for both of them. They loved him more than any one.
[22:44] Speaker 2: It would be nice to make him the perfect gift.
[22:48] Speaker 2: But what should it be, Margaret wondered. He already had
[22:55] Speaker 2: everything he needed for wood carving. He had all his
[22:59] Speaker 2: tool and a sturdy workbench. Then she had an idea.
[23:09] Speaker 2: If there was one thing their father was always looking for,
[23:14] Speaker 2: it was the perfect piece of wood to carve. That's
[23:19] Speaker 2: what they could do this afternoon. She realized. They could
[23:25] Speaker 2: go into the forest and find him the best piece
[23:29] Speaker 2: of wood he had ever seen. They could give it
[23:34] Speaker 2: to him as a special gift when he returned home
[23:37] Speaker 2: from the market later that evening. She went to the
[23:43] Speaker 2: closet and got out dry shoes for herself and your hand.
[23:50] Speaker 2: Then she pulled their coats down from where they hung
[23:54] Speaker 2: on little pegs by the door. She wrapped a scarf
[23:59] Speaker 2: around her back and put one on too for good measure.
[24:06] Speaker 2: Closing the door gently behind them, John and Margaret set
[24:12] Speaker 2: off together into the woods. A little footpath began at
[24:20] Speaker 2: the edge of the garden and led the way into
[24:24] Speaker 2: the trees. At the start of the forest, the trees
[24:30] Speaker 2: were spaced a good distance apart. Although the light was
[24:37] Speaker 2: muted by the clouds, it still flowed freely between the branches.
[24:45] Speaker 2: Little flowers dotted the path. Some were white with blue centers,
[24:53] Speaker 2: others were bright orange and shaped like stars. Your hand
[25:00] Speaker 2: stopped to look at every new flower he came across,
[25:06] Speaker 2: while Margaret hopped from tree to tree, counting as she
[25:11] Speaker 2: went one, two, three, on and on she counted. By
[25:24] Speaker 2: the time she got to fifty, the children found themselves
[25:29] Speaker 2: deep in the woods. Here, the trees grew closer together.
[25:37] Speaker 2: The shades of green were darker, tucked away from the
[25:42] Speaker 2: open sky. Looking down at their feet, Margaret saw the
[25:49] Speaker 2: path had turned. Patchy clumps of grass and weeds cut
[25:56] Speaker 2: the trail into pieces, which were farther upon than they
[26:01] Speaker 2: had been just a little while ago. Margaret and Johan
[26:08] Speaker 2: looked around them. There was nothing to be found in
[26:13] Speaker 2: the way of logs or branches that would be good
[26:16] Speaker 2: for carving. They would have to venture even deeper into
[26:24] Speaker 2: the woods. Looking ahead, they saw the trail disappear completely
[26:33] Speaker 2: just a few steps away. It was eaten up by
[26:38] Speaker 2: the dark green moss that grew on every surface it
[26:42] Speaker 2: could find. Johann reached his small hand deep into his pocket.
[26:51] Speaker 2: At the bottom, he found a crushed pile of biscuits
[26:56] Speaker 2: he'd been munching on the week before. He closed his
[27:01] Speaker 2: fist around the crumbs and pulled them out. He opened
[27:06] Speaker 2: his hand and showed them to Margaret. We can sprinkle
[27:12] Speaker 2: these on the ground as we walk, he said, then
[27:17] Speaker 2: we can always find our way back home. Joanne dropped
[27:24] Speaker 2: a pile of crumbs on the ground. There it sat
[27:29] Speaker 2: by the end of the path, the first mark of
[27:33] Speaker 2: their great adventure. They kept their eyes fixed on the
[27:40] Speaker 2: ground as they walked, scanning every inch of it for
[27:45] Speaker 2: a decent chunk of wood. They found a few scrawny
[27:50] Speaker 2: twigs and a number of enormous logs, but nothing that
[27:55] Speaker 2: would work as a gift for their father. As they walked,
[28:02] Speaker 2: your hand tossed little handfuls of crumbs on the ground.
[28:07] Speaker 2: You take a step, then sprinkle the crumbs. Step, then sprinkle, step,
[28:16] Speaker 2: then sprinkle. He found a good rhythm to follow, and
[28:23] Speaker 2: it led him deeper and deeper into the trees. They
[28:31] Speaker 2: didn't know how long they had been walking when they
[28:35] Speaker 2: realized it was starting to get dark. Above them, the
[28:41] Speaker 2: sky was hidden behind a thick canopy of dusky pines.
[28:49] Speaker 2: Around them, the shadows of the forest were long and thin.
[28:57] Speaker 2: Even if they concentrated, they could no longer make out
[29:01] Speaker 2: details in the distance. The light was too dim. It
[29:07] Speaker 2: was time to head back home. Johan turned to find
[29:15] Speaker 2: the last pile of crumbs he'd left on the ground.
[29:20] Speaker 2: He looked behind him, to both sides, but the crumbs
[29:25] Speaker 2: had vanished. Margaret looked all around where she was standing,
[29:32] Speaker 2: but couldn't find them either. They walked back and forth
[29:39] Speaker 2: and around in circles, but there were no crumbs to
[29:43] Speaker 2: be found. Then they saw a raven perched on a
[29:50] Speaker 2: nearby branch. It was munching contentedly on a mouthful of biscuit.
[30:00] Speaker 2: Oh no, said Margaret, the bird has eaten our trail
[30:05] Speaker 2: of crumbs. Without them, the children had no way to
[30:12] Speaker 2: find the path back home. We're lost, said Johann, flopping
[30:19] Speaker 2: down to the ground. But as he landed on the moss,
[30:24] Speaker 2: a surprising smell caught his attention. He lifted his nose
[30:30] Speaker 2: in the air and sniffed. How odd he thought. He
[30:37] Speaker 2: was definitely smelling the familiar scent of freshly baked gingerbread.
[30:44] Speaker 2: Where could it be coming from, he wondered. He stood
[30:51] Speaker 2: up and followed his nose toward a dense cluster of
[30:54] Speaker 2: trees not far away. Margaret soon caught up with him,
[31:01] Speaker 2: and together they approached the grove of pines. The trunks
[31:08] Speaker 2: stood so close together here the children had to turn
[31:12] Speaker 2: sideways in order to fit between them. On the other side,
[31:20] Speaker 2: they came to a thick wall of bushy ferns. Margaret
[31:26] Speaker 2: reached out and pushed apart the stems. There, in a
[31:33] Speaker 2: little clearing was the strangest cottage that children had ever seen.
[31:41] Speaker 2: It was a single story tall, but the roof stood
[31:46] Speaker 2: up at odd angles. On one end, there was a
[31:52] Speaker 2: large chimney which connected to a rounded tile. Next to
[31:58] Speaker 2: that was a wrecked angle with soft edges, and on
[32:03] Speaker 2: the far end the roof came to a neat little point.
[32:11] Speaker 2: On every edge there was a drizzle of white, and
[32:15] Speaker 2: the whole thing was made entirely of gingerbread. Below the
[32:24] Speaker 2: roof was the body of the house. It had sugarpane
[32:28] Speaker 2: windows and a chocolate door lined with miniature truffles. There
[32:36] Speaker 2: were lights made of gum drops and spun sugar hedges
[32:40] Speaker 2: with little mint flowers. Lollipop trees guarded the door, and
[32:48] Speaker 2: a line of red and white striped candy canes stood
[32:53] Speaker 2: tall above peppermint bark paving stones. Smell of the gingerbread
[33:02] Speaker 2: was so enticing to the two children, who had by
[33:06] Speaker 2: this time missed their supper. Your hand's tummy rumbled without
[33:16] Speaker 2: a second thought, he ran up to the house before
[33:22] Speaker 2: Margaret could stop him. He reached out and peeled off
[33:26] Speaker 2: a piece of fudge from a windowpane. As soon as
[33:32] Speaker 2: the sweet touched his lips, a light flickered on. Inside
[33:37] Speaker 2: the cottage, Margaret hid behind a cotton candy bush, and
[33:44] Speaker 2: your hands stayed as quiet as a mouse. The front
[33:51] Speaker 2: door creaked open on lemon drop hinges. Hello, children, said
[33:59] Speaker 2: a voice inside. Johan and Margaret looked at each other,
[34:07] Speaker 2: but neither one uttered a word. There's no use hiding,
[34:15] Speaker 2: the boy said, I know you're out there. One of
[34:20] Speaker 2: you is behind the bushes, and the other has just
[34:24] Speaker 2: eaten a piece of my window pane. Your hands swallowed
[34:31] Speaker 2: the last bit of fudge with a gulp. Margaret stood
[34:37] Speaker 2: up slowly and made her way toward the door. She
[34:43] Speaker 2: took Johan's hand, and together they stepped into the gingerbread house.
[34:52] Speaker 2: The chocolate door closed softly behind them. It was dimly
[34:58] Speaker 2: lit inside. At the cottage. A small fire burned in
[35:03] Speaker 2: a wood stove in the corner. A few candles flickered
[35:10] Speaker 2: on a table which seemed to be made of large
[35:14] Speaker 2: blocks of taffy. There standing beside the fire was an
[35:21] Speaker 2: old woman. Her hair was gray and curled down below
[35:27] Speaker 2: her chin. She was dressed in black from head to toe.
[35:34] Speaker 2: Even her hands were covered in dark lace gloves. She
[35:42] Speaker 2: looked the children up and down, then put a catle
[35:46] Speaker 2: on for tea. She motioned for them to sit at
[35:51] Speaker 2: the table. They pulled up chairs with jelly bean cushions.
[36:00] Speaker 2: Oh tell me what two little children are doing this
[36:04] Speaker 2: deep in the woods at night, she said. Margaret explained
[36:11] Speaker 2: they had been looking for the perfect piece of wood
[36:14] Speaker 2: for their father. Your Hand told the woman how he
[36:19] Speaker 2: had left piles of crumbs to mark their path, but
[36:22] Speaker 2: the raven had eaten them. That's how we got lost,
[36:28] Speaker 2: Margaret said. The old woman chuckled. Ravens can be quite
[36:35] Speaker 2: the tricksters when they want to be, she said. She
[36:41] Speaker 2: pulled two cups from the cupboard and filled them with
[36:45] Speaker 2: hot tea. She placed them in front of the children drank.
[36:52] Speaker 2: She said, it will warm you up. Margaret and your
[36:58] Speaker 2: Hand were grateful for the tea. It filled their bellies
[37:03] Speaker 2: with a comforting warmth that trickled out to their finger
[37:07] Speaker 2: tips and toes. When they had finished, Margaret looked up
[37:15] Speaker 2: at the woman. There was something she needed to know.
[37:21] Speaker 2: Are you a witch, Margaret asked. The old woman laughed
[37:27] Speaker 2: and shook her head. I'm not a witch, she said,
[37:32] Speaker 2: just someone with a very special secret. The children looked
[37:39] Speaker 2: at her with wide eyes and asked her to tell them.
[37:44] Speaker 2: The old woman sighed and thought for a moment. Then
[37:50] Speaker 2: she took a deep breath and spoke, Everything I touch
[37:57] Speaker 2: turns to candy. She said, The children gasped everything. They
[38:05] Speaker 2: asked everything, she replied. She slipped one of the black
[38:14] Speaker 2: lace gloves over her hand and reached a long finger
[38:18] Speaker 2: out toward the teacup. The moment her hand brushed the ceramic,
[38:25] Speaker 2: the cup shot into the air and landed back on
[38:30] Speaker 2: the table in the form of a chewy caramel. Margaret
[38:37] Speaker 2: poke the caramel with her thumb. It stuck to her
[38:41] Speaker 2: finger nail. The woman said she used to live in
[38:47] Speaker 2: the village like everyone else, but many years ago she
[38:53] Speaker 2: accidentally turned a neighbor's chicken coop into a chocolate fountain.
[39:01] Speaker 2: That very day, she bought a pair of gloves at
[39:05] Speaker 2: the market, packed up her belongings, and moved deep into
[39:10] Speaker 2: the woods. She had never been back to the village
[39:16] Speaker 2: since I just don't want any more accidents, she said.
[39:24] Speaker 2: The children nodded they could understand how that would be tricky.
[39:32] Speaker 2: Margaret asked the woman if she missed seeing people in
[39:36] Speaker 2: town and if she ever got lonely out here in
[39:40] Speaker 2: the woods sometimes, the woman said. Margaret tapped your hand
[39:50] Speaker 2: on the shoulder and motioned for him to follow. They
[39:57] Speaker 2: walked over to the far corner of the room room
[40:01] Speaker 2: and spoke in hush tones. They had to come up
[40:06] Speaker 2: with a plan. Heads together, they whispered to one another
[40:13] Speaker 2: for several minutes, then they turned and walked back to
[40:21] Speaker 2: the table. They explained to the woman that the usual
[40:28] Speaker 2: candy seller left town, so now the market had no
[40:34] Speaker 2: one with sweets. But with her gift, she could return
[40:41] Speaker 2: to town on weekends and so all the candy she
[40:45] Speaker 2: could make. It would put her skill to good use,
[40:51] Speaker 2: and Margaret and Johan would be her first customers. From
[40:58] Speaker 2: their pockets, they pulled out the little silver coins their
[41:02] Speaker 2: father had given them the week before. They placed them
[41:08] Speaker 2: on the table in exchange. The woman worked her magic.
[41:17] Speaker 2: With a touch of her finger, she turned a candlestick
[41:21] Speaker 2: into a piece of licorice for your hand, and the
[41:24] Speaker 2: other teacup into a sugar drop for Margaret. The children
[41:33] Speaker 2: smiled with joy. She slipped the glove back on her
[41:39] Speaker 2: hand and ushered them to the door. And now it's
[41:47] Speaker 2: time to get you home, she said. She led them
[41:54] Speaker 2: back through the clearing to the stand of trees. They
[42:00] Speaker 2: made their way through clusters of pine and the brown
[42:04] Speaker 2: mossy rocks. They walked under the branch where the raven
[42:12] Speaker 2: had perched, and through woods that looked the same as
[42:17] Speaker 2: those layd already passed. And finally they came to the path.
[42:30] Speaker 2: Margaret and your hand thanked the woman and promised to
[42:34] Speaker 2: visit another day. With a final glance in her direction,
[42:43] Speaker 2: they ran all the way home, where their father greeted
[42:47] Speaker 2: them warmly and tucked them safely into bed. From that
[42:57] Speaker 2: day on, if you were to stand on the road
[43:01] Speaker 2: between the cabin and the village on market days, you
[43:06] Speaker 2: might just see a wood carver and a witch walking together,
[43:13] Speaker 2: pushing carts full of toys and candy and smiling like
[43:20] Speaker 2: old friends. And this is where our story ends for tonight.
[43:34] Speaker 2: I hope you've enjoyed it. Good Night and sweet dreams.
[44:03] Speaker 2: M m.
[44:42] Speaker 1: M m dash

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