Little Red Riding Hood

by the Grimm Brothers

Once upon a time there was a little girl who was loved by everyone who looked at her, but most of all by her grandmother. There was nothing her grandmother wouldn't do for her.

Grandmother gave her a little cap of red velvet, which suited her so well that she would never wear anything else. So, she was always called, "Little Red Riding Hood."

One day her mother handed her a basket filled with cake and other sweets. She told Little Red Riding Hood to bring the food to her grandmother's house because grandmother was ill and would enjoy the sweets.

Little Red Riding Hood's mother told her to be careful and stay on the path when she set out to visit grandmother. Little Red Riding Hood took the big basket of treats and headed to grandmother's house in the woods. She was skipping and singing as she walked, making sure she stayed on the path.

The grandmother lived out in the woods, not too far from the village. As Little Red Riding Hood was walking, she wondered if she could find some pretty flowers to bring grandma in the woods. She started to walk off the path and further into the woods, keeping her eyes opened for flowers.

Just as Little Red Riding Hood entered the woods, a wolf jumped out in front of her. Little Red Riding Hood did not know what a wicked creature he was, and was not at all afraid of him.

He smiled at her and wished her a good morning. Little Red Riding Hood thanked him for being so nice and friendly.

The wolf pointed to Little Red Riding Hood's basket of goodies, and to her red cap. "Where are you going?"

She told him nicely that she was going to grandmother's house in the woods because grandmother was sick.

The wolf asked which house in the woods was grandmother's. Little Red Riding Hood pointed to a small house underneath some trees that she could still see in the distance, even though she walked off the path.

The wolf smiled and thought to himself he better act fact if he wanted to beat Little Red to her grandmother's house.

So he walked for a short time by the side of Little Red Riding Hood, and then he pointed some pretty red flowers out to her. Excited, Little Red decided to pick some to bring to her ill grandmother. When she put her basket down and started to pick some flowers, the wolf quietly and quickly ran off.

Little Red Riding Hood placed the flowers in her basket and looked around. She couldn't see the wolf. She figured he must have walked away, so she shrugged, picked up her basket if food and flowers, and continued toward grandmother's house. She was almost there.

Meanwhile, the wolf found an open window in grandmother's house, and climbed very, very quietly through it. Little Red Riding Hood didn't see the wolf crawl through the window when she walked up to the house.

When she got to grandmother's front door, she knocked loudly. Excited, she waited for grandmother's voice, holding tightly to the basket.

Little Red Riding Hood waited for grandmother to let her in. When Little Red Riding Hood heard grandmother call, "Who is it?"

"It's Little Red Riding Hood!" she called, putting her hand on the doorknob.

"Come in," said grandmother from her bed. She was too tired and weak to get up.

At that moment, the wolf appeared from behind grandmother's bed. He opened the latch to the front door before grandmother could get herself out of bed and open it herself.

Little Red Riding Hood slowly walked up to grandmother's bedroom door. She was surprised to find the door completely shut. She turned open the door handle, and called out quietly for her grandmother.

When Little Red Riding Hood entered grandmother's room slowly, she had a strange feeling. She called out, "Good morning," but received no answer. So she quietly walked over to the bed and drew back the thick blanket. There lay her grandmother with a big cap pulled far over her face, and looking very strange. She didn't realize that the wolf had taken the place of her grandmother and was now laying in grandmother's bed pretending to be her.

"Oh, grandmother," she said, pointing to her ears, "what big ears you have." Little Red Riding Hood started to quiver in fear.

She felt something was not right.

"The better to hear you with, my child," said grandmother, tugging at her unusually large ears.

Little Red Riding Hood stepped closing to the bed, to get a closer look at grandmother. She was still carrying her basket. Little Red Riding Hood craned her neck to get a better view of grandmother's face. She took a few steps back in shock when she noticed grandmother's eyes.

"But, grandmother, what big eyes you have," she said, pointing to each one.

"The better to see you with, my dear," said grandmother, blinking her eyes.

Little Red Riding Hood noticed something else strange. Her grandmother had rather large hands. She pointed to them and in shock, she said, "But, grandmother, what large hands you have."

"The better to hug you with," said grandmother.

And with that, Little Red Riding Hood finally realized what scared her most about her grandmother.

"Oh, but, grandmother, what a terrible big mouth you have."

"The better to eat you!," said Grandmother, making a mean face.

And with that, the wolf threw back the blanket, jumped out of bed, and ran after Little Red Riding Hood, hoping to eat her. She screamed and screamed and ran out of grandmother's bedroom.

A passing huntsman knew the grandmother. When he heard screams coming from her house, he decided to stop by and see if she was feeling better.

So the huntsman went into the room, and when he came to the bed, he saw that the wolf was lying in it, snoring, and fast asleep. There was no one else in the room. The huntsman was happy to see the wolf because he had been looking for him all day.

Then just as he was going to attack the wolf, the huntsman had a second thought. It occurred to him that the wolf might have devoured the grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood and that they might be alive. He sure did have quite a large stomach.

So the huntsman attacked the wolf in the face, killing him. Then he cut open the wolf's stomach. Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother were able to escape from the inside of the wolf's belly by crawling out of it. They were so happy to be free and thanked the huntsman.

"Ah, how frightened I have been. How dark it was inside the wolf!" cried Little Red, pointing to the wolf who lay dead on the floor of grandmother's bedroom floor.

Then all three were delighted. The huntsman walked away with the injured wolf, who he had been hunting for many days.

The grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood celebrated and ate the cake which Little Red Riding Hood had brought, and revived, but Little Red Riding Hood thought to herself, as long as I live, I will never by myself leave the path, to run into the woods, when my mother has forbidden me to do so.