GRGR(5): Haensel & Gretel

[Lorentzen / Nicklaus]

                               "Gottfried und Katje verliefen sich im Wald/
                                dort war es finster und auch so bitter kalt ..."

                                      (: from a German children's song)


Early in the morning Katje had to get up. Hang up the kettle with water, light 
up the fire. "First we want to take a bath", said the Witch in Weissmann. "I 
have already heated up the Oven. Also kneaded the paste". He pushed poor Katje 
out to the Oven, where the fire's flames were already leaping out. "Crawl 
inside", the Witch said, "and look if it's heated perfectly. We want to put in 
the bread." And if Katje was inside, the Witch would have closed the Oven, and 
Katje should roast inside and be eaten up later on. But Katje, clever girl she 
is, realized what was up and said: "I don't know how to do it. How can I come 
inside?" "Stupid goose", the Witch in Weissmann said, "the opening is big 
enough, you see, could get in myself", pattering to the Oven and putting the 
head inside. All at once Katje gave him a push, so she was driving in widely. 
Then Katje closed the iron door and locked it up. The foreplay had come to an 
end. Hu! there the Witch started to cry, to scream, - it gives you the horrors; 
but Katje ran away, and the wicked witch burned to death. Wretchedly.
Katje ran right away to Gottfried, opened his cage and shouted: "Gottfried, we 
are released! He's dead." There Gottfried jumped out of his cage like a bird. 
The wind was getting stronger. How joyful they suddenly were! How they embraced 
each other, jumped around and kissed each other! There was nothing to fear 
anymore. So they went inside the house again: and now, there were boxes with   
jewels and pearls in all four corners. 

[- my own slightly Pynchonized amateur translation from the version of the Grimm 
brothers]

                                                         Yours, KFL