Little Red Riding Hood

Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone and most of all by her grandmother. She gave her a little riding hood of red velvet, which suited her so well that she would never wear anything else; so she was called ‘Little Red Riding Hood.’

One day her mother said to her: ‘Come, Little Red Riding Hood, here is a piece of cake and some food ; take them to your grandmother, she is ill and weak but be careful of the fox round the corner. The grandmother lived out in the wood and as Little Red Riding Hood entered the wood, a wolf met her. ‘Good day, Little Red Riding Hood,’ said he. ‘Where are you going so early ?’ ‘To my grandmother’s’, said she. ‘What have you got in your basket?’ Cake and food to make grandmother stronger.

Where does she live? “In the forest”, she said. Now Little Red Riding Hood was walking as fast as she could through the forest, when all at once she saw a clump of golden daffodils growing under a tree a little way into the forest. ‘Oh how beautiful,’ said Red Riding Hood to herself. ‘I am sure Grandma would love to have some.

Maybe I should pick her a bunch!’ Little Red Riding Hood forgot all that her mother had said about not stopping or leaving the path. She ran into the forest and began gathering a great big bunch of daffodils for Grandma. By the time Red Riding Hood finished picking the flowers and found her way back to the path again, it was quite late.

‘Oh dear,’ said Red Riding Hood. ‘I completely forgot that Mr. Wolf is around and was racing me to Grandma’s cottage! I’m sure he has already been and gone! I do hope he cheered Grandma up, though.’ Little Red Riding Hood began walking faster and faster, and very soon she came to her Grandma’s little cottage.

‘Grandma, open the door!’ called Red Riding Hood, knocking on the door. ‘It’s Little Red Riding Hood!’ Now remember, the Wolf had gobbled up Grandma and was pretending to be Grandma himself. He answered just as Grandma had done.‘Dear Little Red Riding Hood,’ said the Wolf.

‘I’m too weak to open the door. Lift the latch and come in.’Little Red Riding Hood did as the Wolf asked and walked into the cottage. She walked up to the bed to give her Grandma a hug. ‘Why Grandma, ‘ said Little Red Riding in surprise. ‘You look different today. ‘But Grandma, you do look strange! What big ears you have!’ ‘Only to hear you better with, my dear,’ said the Wolf. ‘And what big eyes you have Grandma!’ continued Red Riding Hood in surprise. ‘Only to see you better with, my dear,’ said the Wolf. ‘What a big nose you have Grandma!’ said Red

Riding Hood. ‘Only to smell you better with, my dear, ‘ said the Wolf. ‘What big teeth you have Grandma!’ said Red Riding Hood. ‘That’s only to EAT YOU BETTER WITH!’ said the Wolf. He jumped out from under the blankets and gobbled up Little Red Riding Hood, red cape and all, in a single swallow.

Now the Wolf felt really sleepy after such a large meal. He decided to take a nap in Grandma’s comfortable cottage and was soon fast asleep, snoring loudly and contentedly. Just then a woodcutter passed by. He heard the sound of the Wolf’s snoring through the open windows of the cottage. The woodcutter knew this Wolf, and did not trust him at all. So very quietly, so as not to wake the Wolf, the woodcutter opened the cottage door and went in. ‘Ah,’ thought the woodcutter.’Judging by the size of the Wolf’s tummy, he has just had a large meal, and I wonder who he has eaten this time!’

The woodcutter picked up a pair of Grandma’s scissors lying on the table, and deftly cut open the sleeping Wolf’s tummy. Out climbed Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, breathless and squashed and VERY glad to be out of the Wolf’s tummy.‘Oh! Thank you for saving us!’ said Little Red Riding Hood to the woodcutter.

‘It was so dark and smelly inside the Wolf’s tummy!’‘Hurry!’ said the woodcutter. ‘Let’s not waste any time.

The Wolf could wake up any moment.’ The woodcutter and Red Riding Hood then gathered up some stones, the biggest they could find, and put them inside the Wolf’s tummy. Then Grandma took out her sewing kit, and threading a needle with some strong brown cotton, sewed up the Wolf’s tummy neatly and quickly. In a little while the Wolf woke up.

‘Oh dear,’ he thought. ‘I must be getting old! I can’t even eat a little girl and her grandma without feeling as though my tummy was full of stones!’ The Wolf gave a great big belch and staggered out of the door. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever eat humans again. They don’t agree with me!’ And that was the last that anyone ever saw of him. Little Red Riding Hood gave herGrandma the custard and the pot of butter her mother had sent, and a huge big hug from herself. Grandma was well and strong very soon. As for Little Red Riding Hood herself, she never forgot her mother’s advice again!