Storytelling

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

Once upon a time there was a little village girl, the prettiest that had ever been seen. Her mother doted on her, and her grandmother doted on her even more. This good woman made the little girl a little red hood, which suited her so well that she was called Little Red Riding Hood wherever she went.

One day, after her mother had baked some biscuits, she said to Little Red Riding Hood, “Go see how your grandmother’s feeling. I’ve heard that she’s sick. You can take her some biscuits and this small pot of butter.”

Little Red Riding Hood departed at once to visit her grandmother, who lived in another village. In passing through the forest she met old neighbor wolf, who had a great desire to eat her. But he did not dare because of some woodcutters who were in the forest. He asked her where she was going, and the poor child, who did not know that it is dangerous to stop and listen to a wolf, said to him, “I’m going to see my grandmother, and I’m bringing her some biscuits with a small pot of butter that my mother’s sending her.”

“Does she live far from here?” the wolf asked.

“Oh, yes!” Little Red Riding Hood said. “You’ve got to go by the mill, which you can see right over there, and hers is the first house in the village.”

“Well, then,” said the wolf, “I’ll go and see her, too. You take that path there, and I’ll take this path here, and well see who’ll get there first.”

The wolf began to run as fast as he could on the path that was shorter, and the little girl took the longer path, and she enjoyed herself by gathering nuts, running after butterflies, and making bouquets of small flowers that she found along the way. It did not take the wolf long to arrive at the grandmother’s house, and he knocked.

“Tic, toc.”

“Who’s there?”

“It’s your granddaughter, Little Red Riding Hood,” the wolf said, disguising his voice. “I’ve brought you some biscuits and a little pot of butter that my mother’s sent for you.”

 The good grandmother, who was in her bed because she was not feeling well, cried out to him, “Pull the bobbin, and the latch will fall.”

The wolf pulled the bobbin, and the door opened. He pounced on the good woman and devoured her quicker than a wink, for it had been more than three days since he had eaten last. After that he closed the door and lay down in the grandmother’s bed to wait for Little Red Riding Hood, who after awhile came knocking at the door.

“Tic, toc.”

“Who’s there?”

When she heard the gruff voice of the wolf, Little Red Riding Hood was scared at first, but she thought her grandmother had a cold and responded, “It’s your granddaughter, Little Red Riding Hood. I’ve brought you some biscuits and a little pot of butter that my mother’s sent for you.”

The wolf softened his voice and cried out to her, “Pull the bobbin, and the latch will fall.”

Little Red Riding Hood pulled the bobbin, and the door opened.

Upon seeing her enter, the wolf hid himself under the bedcovers and said to her, “Put the biscuits and the pot of butter on the bin and come lie down beside me.”

Little Red Riding Hood undressed and went to get into bed, where she was quite astonished to see the way her grandmother was dressed in her nightgown, and she said to her,

 “What big arms you have, grandmother!”

“The better to hug you with, my child.”

“What big legs you have, grandmother!”

“The better to run with, my child.”

“What big ears you have, grandmother!”

“The better to hear you with, my child.”

“What big eyes you have, grandmother!”

“The better to see you with, my child.”

“What big teeth you have, grandmother!”

“The better to eat you with.”

And upon saying these words, the wicked wolf pounced on Little Red Riding Hood and ate her up.