Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf Who Loved Stories

Little Red Riding Hood: A Gentle Bedtime Story

Little Red lived at the edge of the Wildwood with her mama.

Her cape was red. Her boots were red. Even her cheeks went red when she ran. That is why everyone called her Little Red Riding Hood.

Every Friday, Little Red took a basket to Granny’s house. Inside was warm bread, a jar of honey, and a brand new storybook.

Because every Friday night, Granny read a story out loud. And Granny’s stories were the best in the whole wood.

“Stay on the path,” said Mama, tying Red’s hood. “And don’t stop to chat with anyone you don’t know.”

“I’ll stay on the path,” said Little Red. “Promise.”

The path was wiggly and long. Birds sang. Leaves crunched.

Then, from behind a tree, came a long gray nose.

Then two pointy ears.

Then a big, bushy tail.

It was a wolf.

“Good evening,” said the wolf, very politely. “What’s in the basket?”

Little Red held the basket tight. “I’m not allowed to talk to strangers,” she said. And she kept walking.

“There’s a shortcut through the ferns,” called the wolf. “Much faster!”

“I’m staying on the path,” said Little Red. She did not look back.

The wolf scratched his ear. “Hmm,” he said. And off he ran through the ferns.

When Little Red got to Granny’s house, the door was open. Just a little.

“Granny?” she called.

“Come in, dear,” said a voice from the bed. A deep voice. A very deep voice.

Little Red stopped by the door. Something was funny. Granny’s nightcap was on the pillow, but it was sitting on two pointy ears.

“Granny,” said Little Red slowly, “what big ears you have.”

“All the better to hear your story with!”

“Granny, what big eyes you have.”

“All the better to see the pictures with!”

“Granny… what big teeth you have.”

The wolf gave a huge, wobbly grin. “All the better to… um… smile with?”

Little Red put her hands on her hips. “You’re not Granny. You’re the wolf!”

The wolf pulled the blanket up to his nose. He looked very embarrassed. “Yes,” he mumbled. “I am.”

Just then, Granny walked in from the garden with a bucket of eggs. She looked at Little Red. She looked at the wolf in her bed.

“Well,” said Granny. “This is new.”

The wolf climbed out of bed. His ears drooped all the way down.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Every Friday I sit under your window and listen to your stories. But I never hear the ending, because the window always closes.”

He looked down at his paws. “I thought if I was Granny, I could hear the whole thing.”

Granny’s face went soft. “Oh, you silly wolf,” she said. “You didn’t need a trick. You only needed to knock.”

“Knock?” said the wolf.

“Knock,” said Granny. “And ask.”

So the wolf went outside. He shut the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Excuse me,” he said through the door. “May I please hear the story?”

“Yes, you may,” said Granny, opening the door wide. “Wipe your paws.”

That night, three friends sat by the fire. Granny in her chair. Little Red on the rug. And the wolf, curled up like a big gray blanket.

Granny read the story from the very beginning, all the way to the very end.

The wolf heard the ending for the first time ever. He wagged his tail so hard, it went thump, thump, thump on the floor.

When it was time to go home, Granny walked Little Red back to Mama, right along the path.

And the wolf? He came back the next Friday.

He knocked. He asked. And he never, ever wore Granny’s nightcap again.

The end. If you want something, you don’t need a trick. Just knock, and ask.