Little Red Riding Hood

The Story:

Once upon a time, in the middle of a dense forest, there was a small house, where lived a pretty little girl named Little Red Riding Hood. One sunny day, her mother called her into the kitchen of their little house.

"Grandma is sick" she said. "Take her this basket of cakes, but be very careful! Stay on the path through the forest and don't stop! If you walk quickly, no harm will come to you."

"Don't worry", she said. "I will run to Grandma's without stopping." Little Red Riding Hood kissed her mother and left. The little girl started her long trip through the forest.

...But she soon forgot the wise words of her mother.

She saw a patch of strawberries under a tree. "What lovely strawberries!" she exclaimed, laying her basket on the ground. "They are so nice and ripe... and so big! Delicious! I'll maybe just have one more..." Suddenly Little Red Riding Hood remembered her mother, her promise, her grandmother, and the basket... She hurried back towards the path.

The wood became thicker and thicker. A yellow butterfly flew down through the trees. "Oh, how pretty!" she cried. And she chased the butterfly through the trees. "I'll catch you!"

Then she saw some large daisies in the grass. "Oh, how beautiful!" she exclaimed. "Grandma will love them!" And she picked a huge bunch of flowers.

Meanwhile, two menacing eyes watched her from behind a tree. A strange noise in the woods made Little Red Riding Hood's jump with fright, and her heart started to thump. "I must find the path and run away from here, quickly!"

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Little Red Riding Hood ran and ran, and finally found the path. But as soon as she started to relax she another strange noise behind her...

... A very big voice which said: "Hello, little girl. Why are you walking in the forest all alone? Where are you going?"

"I'm taking some cakes to my grandma. She lives at the end of this path," said Little Riding Hood in a very small voice.

"Does your grandma live alone?" asked the wolf (for it was the Big Bad Wolf who she was talking to!)

"Oh, yes," replied Little Red Riding Hood, "and she never opens the door to strangers!"

"You have a very clever grandma," answered the wolf. "Well, it was very nice talking to you. Maybe we'll meet again!"

The wolf left, thinking "Mmmmm, I will first eat the grandma, and I will wait for the little girl to come."

The wolf arrived at the end of the path, where the little house stood. Knock! Knock! the wolf knocked on the door.

"Who's there?" called Grandma from her bed.

"It's me, Little Red Riding Hood. I have brought you cakes because you are sick," answered the wolf, trying his best to hide his big wolf voice.

"Oh, that's marvelous!" said Grandma. She didn't notice anything strange. "Come in!"

Poor Grandma! In less than two seconds the wolf had jumped across the room and swallowed the old lady. Gulp! Then, the wolf put on grandma's dress and hat, and slid into the bed.

Soon, Little Red Riding Hood knocked on the door. "Grandma, it's me. May I come in?"

The wolf tried to imitate Grandma's small voice, and answered "Hello my dear! Come in!"

"What a big voice you have, Grandma!" said the little girl, in surprise.

"It's to greet you better, my dear," said the wolf.

"And what big eyes you have, grandma..."

"It's to see you better, my dear!"

"And what big hands you have!" exclaimed Little Red Riding Hood, approaching the bed.

"It's to hug you better, my dear!" said the wolf.

"... And what a big mouth you have," murmured the little girl in a feeble voice.

"It's better to EAT you with!" growled the wolf, and he leapt out of the bed and swallowed her as well. Then with a full stomach he fell asleep.

At this moment a hunter emerged from the forest. He saw the house and decided to stop and ask for a glass of water. He was looking for a big wolf who had been terrorizing the village.

The hunter heard a strange whistling inside the house. He looked through the window and saw the big wolf snoring on Grandma's bed. "The wolf! He won't escape me this time!" cried the hunter.

The hunter opened the stomach of the wolf and, to his surprise, out popped Grandma and Little Red Riding Hood, safe and sound."Oh, thank you!" said the old lady.

"It's safe to go home now", said the hunter to Little Red Riding Hood. "The big bad wolf is dead, there is no more danger on the path."

Little Red Riding Hood's mother arrived at Grandma's house when the sun was setting. She had been worried when her daughter hadn't returned home. When she saw Little Red Riding Hood she burst into tears of joy. "Oh, you're safe!"

After having thanked the hunter again, Little Red Riding Hood and her mother walked back home through the forest.

As they were walking quickly under the trees, the little girl said to her mother: "We must always stay on the path and never stop. If we do that, we will stay safe."