Once upon a time, there was a dear little girl named Little Red Riding Hood. She was adored by everyone who laid eyes on her, but her grandmother loved her most of all. The grandmother gifted Little Red Riding Hood a charming red velvet cap, which suited her perfectly. From that day forward, she refused to wear anything else, earning her the nickname Little Red Riding Hood.
One day, Little Red Riding Hood's mother called her and said, "Come, Little Red Riding Hood, here is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine. Take them to your grandmother, who is ill and weak.
They will help her feel better. Start your journey before it gets too hot, and remember to walk nicely and quietly. Stay on the path and don't run, or you might fall and break the bottle. Your grandmother would then receive nothing. And when you enter her room, don't forget to greet her with a good morning. Avoid peeping into every corner before doing so."
"I promise to be very careful," Little Red Riding Hood replied to her mother, as she gave her hand to seal the agreement.
Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother lived deep in the woods, half a league away from the village. As Little Red Riding Hood ventured into the woods, she encountered a wolf. Unaware of the wolf's wicked nature, she felt no fear towards him.
"Good day, Little Red Riding Hood," he greeted her.
"Thank you kindly, wolf," she replied.
"Where are you off to so early, Little Red Riding Hood?" the wolf inquired.
"I'm going to visit my grandmother," she answered. "She is sick and weak, and I'm bringing her cake and wine. Yesterday was baking day, so I wanted to give her something delicious to make her stronger."
"Where does your grandmother live, Little Red Riding Hood?"
"She lives a good quarter of a league further into the woods. Her house is located beneath three large oak trees, with nut trees just below. You must surely know it," Little Red Riding Hood explained.
The wolf thought to himself, "What a tender young creature! She would be a nice, plump morsel to eat, even better than the old woman. I must be cunning and find a way to catch them both." So he walked alongside Little Red Riding Hood for a while and then said, "Look, Little Red Riding Hood, how beautiful the flowers are around here.
Why don't you take a moment to look around? I bet you don't even hear the sweet melodies of the little birds. You're walking so solemnly, as if you were going to school, while everything else in the woods is cheerful and lively."
Little Red Riding Hood raised her eyes and saw the sunbeams dancing through the trees and pretty flowers blooming everywhere. She thought, "Perhaps I should gather a fresh bouquet for my grandmother. It would please her as well. It's still early, and I'll surely arrive on time."
So she left the path and ventured into the woods to search for flowers. Every time she picked one, she spotted an even prettier one further ahead and eagerly ran after it, gradually getting deeper into the forest.
Meanwhile, the wolf swiftly made his way to the grandmother's house and knocked on the door.
"Who's there?" came the grandmother's weak voice.
"Little Red Riding Hood," replied the wolf. "I've brought cake and wine. Open the door."
"Lift the latch," the grandmother called out. "I'm too weak to get up."
The wolf lifted the latch, and the door swung open. Without saying a word, he proceeded straight to the grandmother's bed and devoured her. Then he put on her clothes, dressed in her cap, got into bed, and drew the curtains.
Little Red Riding Hood had been happily gathering flowers, but when she had collected more than she could carry, she suddenly remembered her grandmother and decided to continue her journey.
She was taken aback to find the cottage door standing open. As she entered the room, a strange feeling enveloped her. She said to herself, "Oh dear, how uneasy I feel today. Normally, I enjoy being with my grandmother so much."
She called out, "Good morning," but received no response.
Approaching the bed, she pulled back the curtains and discovered her grandmother lying there, with her cap pulled far down over her face and looking very peculiar.
"Oh, grandmother," she said, "what big ears you have."
"The better to hear you with, my child," came the reply.
"But, grandmother, what big eyes you have," she said.
"The better to see you with, my dear."
"But, grandmother, what large hands you have."
"The better to hug you with."
"Oh, but, grandmother, what a terribly big mouth you have."
"The better to eat you with."
And before Little Red Riding Hood could react, the wolf leaped out of bed and swallowed her whole.
Having satisfied his hunger, the wolf settled back into bed, fell asleep, and began to snore loudly. At that moment, a huntsman happened to pass by the house and heard the snoring. He thought to himself, "The old woman is snoring so loudly. I must see if she needs any assistance."
Entering the room, he approached the bed and discovered the wolf lying there. "So, I've finally found you, you old sinner," the huntsman exclaimed. "I've been searching for you for a long time."
Just as he was about to shoot the wolf, the huntsman considered that the wolf might have devoured the grandmother and that she could still be saved. He decided not to shoot and instead grabbed a pair of scissors to cut open the sleeping wolf's stomach.
After making two snips, he saw Little Red Riding Hood shining inside. With two more snips, the little girl emerged, exclaiming, "Oh, how frightened I was! It was so dark inside the wolf."
Soon after, the aged grandmother also emerged, alive but struggling to breathe. Little Red Riding Hood quickly fetched large stones and filled the wolf's belly with them. When the wolf awoke, he attempted to flee, but the weight of the stones caused him to collapse and die.
The three of them rejoiced at their fortunate escape. The huntsman skinned the wolf and took the pelt home. The grandmother enjoyed the cake and wine that Little Red Riding Hood had brought and regained her strength. Little Red Riding Hood, on the other hand, made a firm decision never to stray from the path into the woods again, disobeying her mother's warning.
It is also said that on another occasion, when Little Red Riding Hood was once again taking cakes to her old grandmother, another wolf tried to entice her off the path. However, Little Red Riding Hood remained cautious and continued on her way without faltering.
She informed her grandmother about the encounter, explaining that the wolf had greeted her with a wicked look in his eyes, and she believed he would have devoured her if they hadn't been on the public road. "Well," said the grandmother, "we will close the door so that he cannot come in."
Shortly after, the wolf knocked on the door and called out, "Open the door, grandmother. It's Little Red Riding Hood, and I've brought you some cakes."
They remained silent and refused to open the door.
The cunning wolf circled the house two or three times before finally leaping onto the roof. His plan was to wait until evening when Little Red Riding Hood would be heading home, then follow her and devour her in the darkness.
But the grandmother could sense his intentions. In front of the house, there was a large stone trough, so she said to Little Red Riding Hood, "Take the pail, my dear. Yesterday, I made some sausages, so carry the water I used to boil them and pour it into the trough."
Little Red Riding Hood obediently carried water until the trough was completely filled. The scent of the sausages reached the wolf, and he sniffed and peered down. Eventually, he stretched his neck so far that he lost his balance and began to slip.
He tumbled from the roof and plunged straight into the deep trough, where he met his demise, drowned in the water. Little Red Riding Hood happily made her way back home, free from harm's way.
From that day forward, no one ever posed a threat to Little Red Riding Hood again. She learned her lesson well and vowed to always stay on the path and heed her mother's warnings. The tale of her encounter with the cunning wolf and her triumphant escape spread throughout the village, serving as a cautionary tale for children to be wary of strangers and to follow the instructions of their loved ones.
- And so, Little Red Riding Hood lived a long and joyful life, cherishing the memories of her beloved grandmother and treasuring the lessons learned from her extraordinary journey through the woods. The end.
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