Once upon a time, very long ago, in a small, quaint village
lived a beautiful little girl. Stunning and vibrant in appearance, with big and
round honey colored eyes, cheeks as red as a rose, and long, curly brown hair
growing like vines on a fence, unruly and without care. Though the little girl
was greatly cherished, this deep adoration caused her mother to spoil her
beyond compare; therefore she became easily fooled by common tricks the
children at school would play on her, for her lack of common sense intrigued
them. Her grandmother especially loved her, even making for the little girl a
red riding hood that complemented her complexion. From then on, the little girl
became known as Little Red Riding Hood.
On one
breezy spring afternoon, Little Red Riding Hood came home to a smell so
tempting and enticing, that it circled the house and took it captive,
immediately drawing Little Red Riding Hood in. “My dearest daughter, how happy
am I that you’re home! I was just making you your favorite pie, when I got news
of your grandmother. It seems she has fallen ill. Put this pie in your basket
and take it over to your grandmother’s house,” said Little Red Riding Hood’s
mother. With great gusto, Little Red Riding Hood responded, “Right away mother!
I won’t let you or grandmother down. Her voice was almost as appealing as her,
with a great soprano tone that made her all the more beautiful. Before Little
Red Riding Hood could get out the door, her mother added a last, omniscient
remark concerning her trip down to the neighboring village, where her
grandmother lived, “Oh darling? Remember to not stray from your path. Be
careful.” And with that last remark, she was off.
The journey
to the neighboring village was going along well when the all-encompassing smell
of the pie immediately grasped the wolf’s attention. Jumping out from behind the
deep green and majestically tall forest trees like a rabbit, the wolf surprised
Little Red Riding Hood, making her giggle in that wonderful soprano tone. The wolf
asked her in a mischievous way, “Where are you off to Little Red Riding Hood?”
This inquiry was all it took to forget her mother’s warning, “I’m off to see my
grandmother in the house with the green roof and red door in the other village,
for she has fallen ill. Mother told me to go bring her this pie so she can feel
better. She also very much enjoys my presence.” Immediately getting ideas, the
devious Wolf thought it would be far more exciting to play a trick on her
rather than just eating her up; that would come after the fun. “Little Red
Riding Hood, I wish to see your grandmother and comfort her as well. Why don’t
we play a game on the way? You go down the left side of the road, and I will go
down the right side, then we will see who get’s there first,” said the Wolf,
knowing just how to tempt her. Enchanted by the idea of a game, it completely
escaped Little Red Riding Hood’s mind that the left side of the road was the
longer path, twisting and winding down the forest like a fair ride, and that
the right side, the straightforward path, the path she was supposed to stay on,
was shorter.
When she got to her grandmother’s
house, she was excited to see she had beaten the wolf at his own game! She
lifted the big brass knocker off the door of her grandmother’s house and let it
fall. “Grandmother, it’s me, Little Red Riding Hood! I have brought you pie so
you can feel better.” The wolf, having beaten her there, immediately responded
in a shrill voice imitating the grandmother’s, “Come in dear!” Little Red
Riding Hood set the pie down on the table and sat next to her grandmother’s
bed. She was aghast at her grandmother’s appearance, for it seemed she had grown!
“Oh grandmother, what big eyes you have,” said Little Red Riding Hood, to which
the wolf immediately responded, “All the better to see you with, my dear.” “What
big hands you have.” “All the better to grab you with, my dear.” “Grandmother,
what large teeth you have.” “All the better to EAT you with!” And with that,
the wolf lunged at Little Red Riding Hood and gobbled her up like a Thanksgiving
feast.
