Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Once upon a time there were Three Bears, who lived together in a house, in the forest.  One of them was a Little, Small, Wee Bear; and one was a Middle-Sized Bear; and the other was a Great, Huge Bear.

They each had a bowl for their porridge—a little bowl for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle sized bowl for the Middle-Sized Bear; and a great bowl for the Great, Huge Bear.

And they each had a chair to sit in—a little chair for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; a middle-sized chair for the Middle-Sized Bear; and a great chair for the Great, Huge Bear.

And they each had a bed to sleep in—a little bead for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; a middle-sized ben for the Middle-Sized bear; and a great bed for the Greta, Huge, Bear.

One day, after they made the porridge for their breakfast and poured it into their bowls, they walked out intothe wood while the porridge was cooling, so they wouldn’t burn their mouths by eating it too soon.

—

In a village, just beyond the forest, lived a little girl who loved to run through the long grass, picking wildflowers.  Her hair felling in golden locks about her shoulders, so everyone called her Goldilocks.

This morning, however, Goldilocks wandered too far, and before she realized it, she found herself deep in the shadowy forest.  Soon, she came upon the Three Bears’ cottage.  Glad to find a house in the middle of the forest, she ran from window to window and peeked in. Seeing no one at home, she went to the door and tried the latch.

Now, the Three Bears, who themselves were very polite creatures, never thought that anyone would come into their house without an invitation, so they always left their door unlocked.  But Goldilocks, who was sometimes so curious she forgot her manners, opened the door and invited herself in.

The moment she smelled the cooling porridge, Goldilocks remembered how hungry exploring the forest had made her.  If she had waited for the Three Bears to come home, she might have been invited for breakfast, for they were good-natured bears and very hospitable.  But, instead, she decided to help herself.

—

First she tasted the porridge of the Great, Huge Bear, but that was too hot for her.  And thenshe tasted the porride of the Middle-Sized Bear, but that was too cold for her.  And then, she went to the porridge of the Little, Small, Wee Bear and tasted that; and that was neither too hot nor too cold, but just right, and she liked it so well that she ate it all up.

Then Goldilocks sat down in the chair of the Great, Huge Bear, but that was too hard for her.  So she sat down in the chair of the Middle-Sized Bear, but that was too soft for her.  And thenshe sat down in the chair of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and that was neither too hard nor too soft, but just right.

So she seated herself in it and there she sat until the poor little chair broke into pieces and down she came—plump!—upon the ground.  Then Golidlocks went upstairs into the bedroom where the Three Bears slept.

First she laid down upon the bed of the Great, Huge Bear, but that bed was too hard.

Then she laid down on the bed of the Medium-Sized Bear, but that bed was too soft.

Finally, she laid down on the bed of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and that was neither too hard nor too soft.  It was just right!  So she covered herself up comfortable and lay there until she fell fast asleep.

—

By this time, the Three Bears thought that their porridge would be cool enough to eat, so they came home to have their breakfast.  But things were not how they had left them.

Looking into his bowl, the Great, Huge Bear said in his great, huge voice, “SOMEBODY HAS BEEN TASTING MY PORRIDGE!”

Then the Middle-Sized Bear said in her middle-sized voice, “Somebody has been tasting my porridge!”

And the Little, Wee Bear cried, “Somebody has been tasting my porridge, and has eaten it all up!”

Then the Great, Huge Bear looked at his chair. “SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!”

And the Middle-Sized Bear said, “Somebody, has been sitting in my chair, too!”

And the poor Little, Small, Wee Bear cried, “Somebody has been sitting in my chair, and has broken it in pieces!”

Then the Three Bears thought that they should make a further search of the house, so they went upstairs into their bedroom.

—

Goldilocks had pulled the pillow of the Great, Huge Bear out of its place.  “SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LAYING IN MY BED!” said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great rough, gruff voice.

Furthermore, Goldilocks had ruffled the covers of the medium-sized bed.  “Somebody has been laying in my bed too!” said the medium-sized bear.

When the Little, Small, Wee Bear looked at his bed, he saw Goldilocks fast asleep in his bed.  “Somebody has been sleeping in my bed, and here she is!”

Goldilocks has heard the voice of the Great, Huge Bear and the Medium-Sized Bear, but to her it was only as if she had heard someone speaking in a dream.  But the little, small, wee voice of the little bear was so sharp and shrill that it woke her at once.

When she saw the Three Bear on one side of the bed, she tumbled out the other side and ran to the window.  The window was open, because the Three Bears, being good, tidy bears, always opened their bedroom window in the morning.  Out Goldilocks jumped and ran away as fast as she could run—never looking behind her.  What happened to her afterward I cannot tell, but the Three Bears never saw anything more of her.

The End