Goldilocks And The Three Bears
Beside a great forest was a meadow. In the meadow was a cottage. And in the cottage lived Mummy Bear, Daddy Bear and Little Baby Bear.
The bears each had their very own bed to sleep in, chair to sit on and bowl for eating their favourite of all things—porridge.
One morning—as the sun rose over the meadow—Mummy and Daddy Bear were preparing breakfast in the kitchen.
Little Baby Bear awoke, looked out of the window and thundered down the stairs.
“Mummy… Daddy… look!” cried Little Baby Bear.
The baby bear pointed out of the window, where hundreds of fluttering butterflies filled the meadow.
Now, it's worth pointing out that—besides eating porridge—chasing butterflies was one of baby bear’s favourite things to do. And she didn’t get to do it often as the butterflies only came to the meadow in the springtime.
“Please, please, pleeeease can we go out before breakfast,” said baby bear, “There are so many butterflies, Mummy. More than I have ever seen. I simply must go out now. Oh, please can we go. Please!”
“Very well, dear,” said Mummy Bear.
“I shall just pour the porridge,” said Daddy Bear, “so that it can cool and be the perfect temperature for when we return.”
Daddy Bear poured the porridge into the three bowls and carefully set them on the table. Then, with a clunk, the front door shut and the three bears strolled out into the meadow—leaving the cottage empty.
Close by lived a Woodman.
He had a beautiful daughter with golden shimmering hair that went by the name of Goldilocks. She was a sweet girl, but had an inquisitive nature that often landed her in a spot of bother.
Once, she had followed animal tracks in the forest and nearly been eaten by a wolf. On another occasion, she picked up an egg from an eagle’s nest—never a good idea—and received a swift peck on the head when the bird returned.
Goldilocks was—as you can no doubt tell already—a very curious little girl.
On this particular morning, Goldilocks was running an errand for her father and came across the bears’ cottage.
“What a delightful little cottage,” she thought, “I wonder who lives here?”
Without a second thought, Goldilocks unlocked the garden gate, walked up the path and knocked at the front door.
Nobody answered.
Undeterred, she walked over to the window and peeped inside.
“Oh my,” she said, “look at those delicious bowls of steaming porridge. It seems such a dear shame that nobody is here to enjoy them. I shall simply have to eat the porridge and stop it going to waste.”
So Goldilocks opened the front door and went inside.
Before her was a roaring fire. In front of the fire stood a kitchen table. And on the table lay three bowls of steaming porridge, neatly in a row. There was a big bowl, a medium bowl and a little bowl, each of which were accompanied by a matching chair and spoon—big, medium and little.
First, Goldilocks sat in the big chair. It was much too big. So big, in fact, that her feet didn’t touch the floor. She lent forward, picked up the big spoon and tasted the porridge in the big bowl.
“Eww, oh no!,” she exclaimed, “that is much too salty!”
Goldilocks then sat in the medium chair, picked up the medium spoon and tasted the porridge in the medium bowl.
“Eww, oh no!,” she exclaimed, “that is much too bland!”
Finally, Goldilocks then sat in the little chair, picked up the little spoon and tasted the porridge in the little bowl.
“Ah yes!” she exclaimed, “this one is just right.”
Suddenly, there was a loud cracking sound.
The seat of the little chair—which was much too small for Goldilocks—snapped under her weight. The little bowl flew high into the air and it’s contents landed with a soggy splat upon the wall.
“Ooops,” said Goldilocks, “Oh, well. I did have a good fill of porridge and it has made me very sleepy.”
Now tired, Goldilocks went upstairs.
In front of her stood three beds in a row—big, medium and little.
First, Goldilocks tried the big bed.
“Oh no!,” she exclaimed, “this bed is much too hard!”
So Goldilocks climbed out of the big bed—not taking any care to replace the sheets as she found them—and got into the medium bed.
“Oh no!,” she exclaimed, “this bed is much too soft!”
Goldilocks then climbed out of the medium bed—again, leaving the sheets strewn every which way—and got into the little bed.
“Ah yes!,” she exclaimed, “this one is just right.”
With that, Goldilocks yawned, pulled the covers up over herself and fell fast asleep.
Around twenty minutes passed and the three bears returned from their walk in the meadow.
“Good golly!” exclaimed Daddy Bear, “what in the blazes has been going on in here? And who has been eating my porridge?”
He looked mightily angry.
Mummy Bear walked up to the table, lifted up her bowl and inspected it carefully.
“And who has been eating my porridge?” she growled through her large—and very sharp—clenched teeth.
“Mummy, Daddy, look!” cried Little Baby Bear, “my chair is broken, my bowl is empty and there is a great dollop of porridge on the wall.”
The three bears were incensed and set about the house at once to find the intruder. They inspected every inch of the downstairs looking for clues—but they found nothing.
“Follow me,” whispered Daddy Bear, making his way quietly across the hallway and up the stairs. When he reached the top, he stopped and stared at their three—usually very tidy—beds.
“Who has been lying in my bed?” roared Daddy Bear.
Mummy Bear quickly stepped forward, took a glimpse at her tumbled bedsheets and said,
“And who has been lying in my bed?”
Little Baby Bear looked at her bed—the very bed that Goldilocks was sleeping in.
“Daddy,” she whispered, “there's a little girl in my bed”
“Ah ha!” he replied triumphantly, “this must be the beastly intruder. I will gobble her up at once as punishment for her naughty disrespect.”
Goldilocks awoke with a start.
I think you may just agree that the sight of three hungry bears at the end of your bed is enough to give anyone the heebie-jeebies. And, let me tell you, Goldilocks was no different.
Quick as a whip she sprang up, jumped from the bed and skipped through the open window—before any of the bears could lay a paw on her.
Outside the window was a drainpipe.
Goldilocks grabbed the drainpipe with both hands, shimmied down it and then ran home as fast as her legs would carry her—while the bears looked on from the bedroom window.
Goldilocks arrived home—out of breath and sweaty from having run all the way.
“Goldilocks, my dearest daughter,” said the Woodman, “did you collect the eggs from Mrs Brown’s farm as I asked?”
“No, Daddy, I got distracted.”
“Not again, Goldilocks,” sighed the Woodman, “whatever have you been up to this time?”
“I found an empty cottage, Daddy. And it had three bowls of porridge on the table, so I went in and helped myself.”
“You did what?”
“I’m sorry, Daddy. I really am. I didn’t know that the bears lived there and promise I didn’t mean to break the chair or slop porridge on the wall.”
The Woodman looked at Goldilocks.
“I am very disappointed in you,” said the Woodman, “how do you propose to make amends for your thoughtlessness?”
Goldilocks was silent for a moment—deep in thought.
“Perhaps, Daddy,” she said at last, “I can write them a letter to say sorry. But I think baby bear would also like a new chair and I should replace the porridge oats that I ate.”
The Woodman smiled.
“Good idea.”
~~~
In the days that followed, Goldilocks wrote her letter of apology and carefully carved a new chair for Baby Bear—with some help from her father. She also performed many chores around the house to earn enough pocket money to buy a brand new box of the finest porridge oats.
~~~
Once they were ready, Goldilocks gathered her things and set off—over the meadow—to The Three Bears’ cottage.
This time, she knocked at the door and waited patiently.
The door opened.
“You!” roared Daddy Bear.
Hearing this, Mummy Bear and Baby Bear came charging to the door at a furious pace.
“Gobble her up, Daddy,” cried Baby Bear.
“Wait!” replied Goldilocks.
“I have come to say I’m sorry. I know what I did was wrong. I should never have come into your house uninvited and touched your things. I have written a letter to say how sorry I am, made a new chair for Baby Bear and brought you a box of your favourite porridge oats.”
The bears looked at each other.
“Dear girl,” said Mummy Bear, “this is a sweet gesture and we are happy to accept your apology.”
“Thank you,” replied Goldilocks.
~~~
I'm very pleased to say that Goldilocks was not eaten by the bears.
She had indeed learned her lesson, repented for her thoughtlessness and—from that day forward—vowed to be kind and courteous to everyone she met.
And not just that.
Goldilocks and The Three Bears soon became the best of friends. They enjoyed many a spring morning together chasing butterflies, eating porridge and—as the story goes—they all lived happily ever after.
The End
