The Gingerbread Man

Once upon a time, in a cozy little cottage on the edge of the woods, lived a sweet old woman and a kind old man. They were happy, but they were sometimes lonely because they had no children.

One day, the old woman decided to bake a treat. “I will make a gingerbread man!” she said. She mixed flour, butter, sugar, and ginger into a fine dough. She rolled it out and cut it into the shape of a little man. She gave him currants for eyes, a cherry for a nose, and a smile made of icing. She even gave him three chocolate buttons down his chest.

She put him in the oven to bake. Soon, a delicious spicy smell filled the kitchen. But when she opened the oven door to check on him—POOF!—out jumped the Gingerbread Man!

He landed on the floor and ran straight for the open door.

“Stop! Stop!” cried the old woman. “Stop! Stop!” cried the old man.

They ran after him, but the Gingerbread Man was fast. He laughed and called out: “Run, run, as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!”

He rolled past the barn where a black and white cow was chewing grass. The sweet smell made the cow look up. “Moooo! Stop!” mooed the cow. “You look very tasty!”

But the Gingerbread Man didn’t stop. He ran faster and sang: “I ran away from an old woman, I ran away from an old man, and I can run away from you, I can!”

Further down the lane, he passed a field where a horse was grazing. The horse sniffed the air and whinnied. “Neigh! Stop, little man!” neighed the horse. “You look delicious to eat!”

The Gingerbread Man just laughed. “Not today!” he shouted. “I ran away from an old woman, an old man, and a cow, and I can run away from you, I can!”

He ran and ran until he came to a wide, rushing river. The Gingerbread Man stopped. He couldn’t swim! If he went in the water, he would turn into a soggy mess. But he could hear the old woman, the old man, the cow, and the horse getting closer.

Just then, a sly Fox stepped out from behind a bush. He licked his lips when he saw the Gingerbread Man, but he spoke very politely.

“Hello, little friend,” said the Fox. “You look troubled. Do you need to cross the river?”

“Yes!” cried the Gingerbread Man. “But I can’t swim, and they are chasing me!”

“Hop on my tail,” said the Fox. “I will carry you across. I won’t eat you; I just want to help.”

The Gingerbread Man looked at the river, then at the chasers. He hopped onto the Fox’s fluffy tail. The Fox began to swim.

The water got a little deeper. “My tail is getting wet,” said the Fox. “Climb onto my back.” The Gingerbread Man climbed onto the Fox’s back.

The water got even deeper. “My back is getting wet,” said the Fox. “Climb onto my head.” The Gingerbread Man climbed onto the Fox’s head.

When they were in the middle of the river, the water touched the Fox’s ears. “My head is sinking,” said the Fox. “Climb onto my nose. It’s the safest place.”

The Gingerbread Man, trusting the Fox completely, climbed onto the very tip of the Fox’s nose.

The Fox reached the other bank. He tossed his head back, throwing the Gingerbread Man into the air. SNAP! His jaws closed with a satisfied crunch.

And that was the end of the Gingerbread Man.

Moral of the Story: Be careful who you trust; kind words can hide a clever trick.