Goldilocks and the Three Bears

Adapted from the classic Andrew Lang story by Tom Quigley

Once upon a time there were Three Bears, who lived together in a house of their own in the woods.  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 had each a pot for their porridge, a little pot for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized pot for the Middle Bear; and a great pot for the Great, Huge Bear. And they had each a chair to sit in; a little chair for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized chair for the Middle Bear; and a great chair for the Great, Huge Bear. And they had each a bed to sleep in; a little bed for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized bed for the Middle Bear; and a great bed for the Great, Huge Bear.

One day, after they had made the porridge for their breakfast, and poured it into their porridge-pots, they walked out into the woods while the porridge was cooling, that they might not burn their mouths by beginning too soon to eat it. And while they were walking, Goldilocks, a pretty little girl with long golden hair, came to the house. She was lost in the woods and trying to find her way back home.  She had been gone for so long she was hungry and tired.  She thought maybe someone in this house could help her.  She looked around the house but, finding no one at home, she lifted the latch. The door was not fastened,

because the bears were good bears, who did nobody any harm, and never suspected that anybody would harm them. So Goldilocks opened the door and went in; and well pleased she was when she saw the porridge on the table. Now Goldilocks was hungry and she thought that no one would mind if she had just a little porridge.  So she set about to help herself.

So first she tasted the porridge of the Great, Huge Bear, and that was too hot for her; and she said that is too hot for her. And then she tasted the porridge of the Middle Bear; and 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 the little old woman sat down in the chair of the Great,

Huge Bear, and that was too hard for her. And then she sat down in the chair of the Middle Bear, and that was too soft for her. And then she 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 bottom of

the chair fell out, and down she fell, plump upon the ground. Goldilocks thought that the little chair was just right but it wasn't strong enough to hold her.

Goldilocks was tired so she went up stairs into the bed-chamber in which the three bears slept. And first she lay down upon the bed of the Great, Huge Bear; but that was too high at the head for her. And next she lay down upon the bed of the Middle Bear; and that was too high at the foot for her. And then she lay down upon the bed of the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and that was neither too high at the head, nor at the foot, but just right. So she covered herself up comfortably, and lay there till she fell fast asleep.

By this time the three bears thought their porridge would be cool

enough; so they came home to breakfast. Now Goldilocks had left the spoon of the Great, Huge Bear, standing in his

porridge.

'SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE!'

said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great gruff voice. And when the

Middle Bear looked at his, he saw that the spoon was standing in

it too.

'Somebody Has Been At My Porridge!'

said the Middle Bear, in his middle voice.

Then the Little, Small, Wee Bear looked at his, and there was the spoon in the porridge-pot, but the porridge was all gone.

'Somebody has been at my porridge, and has eaten it all up!'

  said the Little, Small Wee Bear, in his little, small wee voice.

Upon this the three bears, seeing that some one had entered their house, and eaten up the Little, Small, Wee Bear's breakfast, began to look around. Now Goldilocks had not put the hard cushion straight when she rose from the chair of the Great, Huge Bear.

'SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!'

said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice.

And Goldilocks had squatted down the soft cushion of the

Middle Bear.

'Somebody Has Been Sitting In My Chair!'

said the Middle Bear, in his middle voice.

And you know what Goldilocks had done to the third

chair.

'Somebody has been sitting in my chair, and broken the bottom

out of it!' said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.

Then the three bears thought it necessary that they should make farther search; so they went up stairs into their bed-chamber. Now Goldilocks had pulled the pillow of the Great, Huge Bear out of its place.

'SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!'

said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice.

And Goldilocks had pulled the covers of the Middle Bear

out of its place.  

'Somebody Has Been Lying In My Bed!'

said the Middle Bear in his middle voice.

And when the Little, Small, Wee Bear came to look at his bed,

there was the covers in their place, and the pillow in its place, but in the bed was Goldilocks with her shining gold hair.

'Somebody has been lying in my bed,--and here she is!' said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.

Goldilocks had heard in her sleep the great, rough, gruff voice of the Great, Huge Bear; but she was so fast asleep that it was no more to her than the roaring of wind or the rumbling of thunder. And she had heard the middle voice of the Middle Bear, but it was only as if she had heard someone speaking in a dream. But when she heard the little, small, wee voice of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, it was so sharp, and so shrill, that it awakened her at once. Up she started; and when she saw the Three Bears on one side of the bed, she tumbled herself out at the other, and ran to the window. Now the window was open, because the

bears, like good, tidy bears as they were, always opened their

bedchamber window when they got up in the morning. Out Goldilocks jumped.  She was so afraid of the three bears that she scarcely hit the ground before she was running.  She ran as fast as she could go and never came back.

Now the Three Bears never saw the little girl with the Golden hair again.