The wolf and the woman

ONCE UPON A TIME there was an old woman who lived in the forest all alone. One day a wolf came knocking at the door.


"Old woman, old woman." called the wolf at the door. But the old woman was too scared to answer. "Old woman," called the wolf again, "I can smell your fear, but do not be afraid. I will not eat you up. I'm not that hungry today, but I can smell that fine bacon you are frying. If you give it to me, then I'll be on my way."

The old woman didn't want the wolf to get any hungrier so she scooped the rashers out of the pan and slipped them under the door. She heard the wolf gnashing hungrily, and then he went on his way.

The next day, the old woman was roasting a chicken and the delicious smell wafted up into the winter sky, when the wolf came knocking at the door.

"Old woman, old woman, I am hungier today, but give me that fat hen to eat and I'll be on my way." So the old woman took the chicken, still in its tin, and gave it to the wolf.

And the wolf went on his way.

That night the first snows came and the old woman who had had nothing to eat shivered all through the night. The following morning she was so hungry that she killed her pig and put it on to roast. Just as it was ready, the wolf came knocking at the door.

"Old woman, old woman, I am hungrier today, but give my that fine pig you've cooked and I'll be on my way."

The old woman was terrified. If the wolf was hungry enough to eat a pig, then he was surely hungry enough to eat her. She dragged the pig to the door and pushed it outside. She could hear the wolf devouring the pig, before the wolf went on his way.

Now the old woman had nothing left. The pig was supposed to last her all winter and today she was even hungrier than yesterday. She searched through the cupboards and pulled up the floorboards and finally found a dried up old piece of beef. The following day, she prepare the beef with the finest herbs and spices and put it in the oven. It smelled delicious and lo, the wolf came knocking at the door. He though he smelled a whole cow.

"Old woman, old woman, I am hungrier today, but give me that fine cow you've cooked and I'll be on my way." The old woman was terrified but she said.

"Old wolf, clever wolf, I am but old and weak. You'll have to come and get the cow if you really want to eat."

The little piece of beef smelled so good that the wolf came all the way into the cottage. He was huge and the woman saw how big is teeth were and how big and black his eyes were.

"Where is it?" growled the wolf.

"It is in the oven," said the old woman. The wolf opened the oven door and looked inside, but before he could do anything the old woman pushed him in and slammed the door. The wolf was so big that he almost filled the oven and so the old woman ate wolf all winter.