The Brothers Grimm first published Hänsel und Gretel in 1812. The two children are too hungry to sleep, and they hear the woman tell their father to leave them in the forest. Hänsel tells Gretel not to worry, he will help them. When the parents are asleep, he slips outside. The white pebbles in front of the house shine in the moonlight, and he fills his pockets with them. On the way into the forest, he keeps stopping and looking back. He tells his father that he is looking at his white kitten on the roof. In fact he is dropping pebbles on the path. That night the children follow the shining pebbles home. The second time, the woman has locked the door, and Hänsel cannot get out to collect pebbles. He crumbles his bread and drops the crumbs instead. The birds eat them, and the children are lost.