Once upon a time in the middle
of a thick forest stood a small cottage, the home of a pretty little girl
known to everyone as Little Red Riding Hood. One day, her Mummy waved her
goodbye at the garden gate, saying: "Grandma is ill. Take her this basket
of cakes, but be very careful. Keep to the path through the wood and don't
ever stop. That way, you will come to no harm."
Little Red Riding Hood kissed her mother and ran off.
"Don't worry," she said, "I'll run all the way to Grandma's
without stopping."
Full of good intentions, the little girl made her way
through the wood, but she was soon to forget her mother's wise words.
"What lovely strawberries! And so red."
Laying her basket on the ground, Little Red Riding Hood
bent over the strawberry plants. "They're nice and ripe, and so big!
Yummy! Delicious! Just another one. And one more. This is the last. Well,
this one Mmmm."
The red fruit peeped invitingly through the leaves in the
grassy glade, and Little Red Riding Hood ran back and forth popping
strawberries into her mouth. Suddenly she remembered her mother, her promise,
Grandma and the basket and hurried back towards the path. The basket was
still in the grass and, humming to herself, Little Red Riding Hood walked on.
The wood became thicker and thicker. Suddenly a yellow
butterfly fluttered down through the trees. Little Red Riding Hood started to
chase the butterfly.
"I'll catch you! I'll catch you!" she called.
Suddenly she saw some large daisies in the grass.
"Oh, how sweet!" she exclaimed and, thinking of
Grandma, she picked a large bunch of flowers.
In the meantime, two wicked eyes were spying on her from
behind a tree a strange rustling in the woods made Little Red Riding Hood's
heart thump.
Now quite afraid she said to herself. "I must find the
path and run away from here!"
At last she reached the path again but her heart leapt into
her mouth at the sound of a gruff voice which said: "Where are you
going, my pretty girl, all alone in the woods?"
"I'm taking Grandma some cakes. She lives at the end
of the path," said Little Riding Hood in a faint voice.
When he heard this, the wolf (for it was the big bad wolf
himself) politely asked: "Does Grandma live by herself?"
"Oh, yes," replied Little Red Riding Hood,
"and she never opens the door to strangers!"
"Goodbye. Perhaps we'll meet again," replied the
wolf. Then he loped away thinking to himself "I'll gobble the
grandmother first, then lie in wait for the grandchild!" At last, the
cottage came in sight. Knock! Knock! The wolf rapped on the door.
"Who's there?" cried Grandma from her bed.
"It's me, Little Red Riding Hood. I've brought you
some cakes because you're ill," replied the wolf, trying hard to hide
his gruff voice.
"Lift the latch and come in," said Grandma,
unaware of anything amiss, till a horrible shadow appeared on the wall. Poor
Grandma! For in one bound, the wolf leapt across the room and, in a single
mouthful, swallowed the old lady. Soon after, Little Red Riding Hood tapped
on the door.
"Grandma, can I come in?" she called.
Now, the wolf had put on the old lady's shawl and cap and
slipped into the bed. Trying to imitate Grandma's quavering little voice, he
replied: "Open the latch and come in!
"What a deep voice you have," said the little
girl in surprise.
"The better to greet you with," said the wolf.
"Goodness, what big eyes you have."
"The better to see you with."
"And what big hands you have!" exclaimed Little
Red Riding Hood, stepping over to the bed.
"The better to hug you with," said the wolf.
"What a big mouth you have," the little girl
murmured in a weak voice.
"The better to eat you with!" growled the wolf,
and jumping out of bed, he swallowed her up too. Then, with a fat full tummy,
he fell fast asleep.
In the meantime, a hunter had emerged from the wood, and on
noticing the cottage, he decided to stop and ask for a drink. He had spent a
lot of time trying to catch a large wolf that had been terrorizing the
neighborhood, but had lost its tracks. The hunter could hear a strange
whistling sound; it seemed to be coming from inside the cottage. He peered
through the window and saw the large wolf himself, with a fat full tummy,
snoring away in Grandma's bed.
"The wolf! He won't get away this time!"
Without making a sound, the hunter carefully loaded his gun
and gently opened the window. He pointed the barrel straight at the wolf's
head and BANG! The wolf was dead.
"Got you at last!" shouted the hunter in glee.
"You'll never frighten anyone again.
He cut open the wolf's stomach and to his amazement, out
popped Grandma and Little Red Riding Hood, safe and unharmed.
"You arrived just in time," murmured the old
lady, quite overcome by all the excitement.
"It's safe to go home now," the hunter told
Little Red Riding Hood. "The big bad wolf is dead and gone, and there is
no danger on the path.
Still scared, the little girl hugged her grandmother. Oh,
what a dreadful fright!"
Much later, as dusk was falling, Little Red Riding Hood's
mother arrived, all out of breath, worried because her little girl had not
come home. And when she saw Little Red Riding Hood, safe and sound, she burst
into tears of joy.
After thanking the hunter again, Little Red Riding Hood and
her mother set off towards the wood. As they walked quickly through the
trees, the little girl told her mother: "We must always keep to the path
and never stop. That way, we come to no harm!"
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