I wasn’t worried about being abandoned in the forest by our parents. I said to Gretel, “Just wait until the moon rises, and then we will see the crumbs of bread I’ve strewn about, all along the path. They will show us our way home.”

When the moon came out, we went looking for the crumbs, but there weren’t any, for the birds had picked them up. I thought for sure I knew the way, and told Gretel to have no fear. We walked in circles the whole night, and the next day from morning to night. We only found a few berries to eat, and by the end of the day we were so weary that our legs could carry us no farther. We lay down beneath a tree and fell asleep. Or rather, Gretel did. I was terribly worried.

Hansel Lost in the Forest in Hansel and Gretel, Grimms. Illustration by Willy Planck.