Long time ago, there was a little pretty girl who lived in a house near a big, dark wood. Her hair was so shiny and golden and curly that people called her Goldilocks.
Every day, she played in the garden. And every day her mother would warn her, "Don't go into the wood!"
Goldilocks often stood on the edge of the wood and peered through the trees. It was full of such delicious smells, such strange noises and such wonderful flowers.
One morning, before breakfast, Goldilocks just could not resist stepping into the wood. She walked a little way, and picked a bunch of bluebells.
Then she chased a red squirrel.
But when she turned back, she could not see her house. She was lost deep in the wood. She called and called, but nobody answered. Being hopeless she began to cry and wonder.
Then she came to the edge of a clearing and saw a little cottage with a low thatched roof.
Hopefully, Goldilocks knocked and knocked. Nobody answered...but the door suddenly swung open. Inside she saw a big wooden table, and on it lay three bowls of porridge–a big one, a middle-sized one and a small one.
"Oh, I'm so hungry," thought Goldilocks slipping indoors, "and there's nobody here but me to eat this porridge."
And she tasted the porridge in the biggest bowl—
"Ow! That's much too hot."
She tasted the porridge in the middle-sized bowl—
"Ooh, that's far too cold."
Then she tasted the porridge in the smallest bowl–it was just right. In fact, it tasted so good that she ate it all up!
Looking around, she saw three chairs–a big one, a middle-sized one and a small one.
"Oh, I'm so tired, and there's nobody here but me to sit on these chairs," she said to herself.
So she sat in the biggest chair. But though she wriggled and squirmed, she could not feel comfortable. "This chair's much too big."
So she tried the middle-sized chair. "This is too hard."
Then she tried the smallest chair. But when Goldilocks sat down, the little chair gave way and broke into tiny pieces!
Outch! Picking herself up, Goldilocks went upstairs. In the bedroom, she found three beds–a big one, a middle-sized one and a small one.
"Oh, I'm so sleepy, and there's nobody here but me to lie on these beds," thought Goldilocks.
So, she lay down on the biggest bed where she tossed and turned for a while—
"No, no. This bed is much too hard."
Then she lay on the middle-sized bed and almost sank out of sight—
"This bed is much too soft!"
So she lay on the smallest bed–and that was just right. In fact it was so comfortable that she soon fell fast asleep.
In the meantime, the family who lived in the cottage came back from walking in the wood. Father Bear, Mother Bear and Baby Bear!
"Our porridge should be cool enough to eat by now," said Father Bear.
"I do hope so, my dear," said Mother Bear.
"And so do I," said Baby Bear. "I'm very hungry."
But as soon as they opened the cottage door, they saw that something was wrong. Their three spoons had all been dipped into the porridge bowls!
"Who's been eating my porridge!" roared Father Bear.
"Mine too," cried the Mother Bear.
"And who's been eating my porridge!" squealed Baby Bear, "and eaten it all up!"
"Never mind," said Mother Bear. "Daddy will give you some of his. Let's sit down and eat."
That was when they noticed the chairs.
"Who's been sitting in my chair!" roared Father Bear.
"And who's been sitting in my chair!" exclaimed Mother Bear.
"And who's been sitting in my chair," squealed Baby Bear, "and broken it all to pieces!"
Thus alarmed, the three Bears began to prowl around the house, looking for the thief who had eaten Baby Bear's porridge and broken his chair.
Slowly they climbed the stairs. Father Bear went first. Mother Bear went second. And Baby Bear went third.
With his huge paw, Father Bear opened the bedroom door.
"Who's been sleeping in my bed!" he roared.
"And who's been sleeping in my bed!" exclaimed Mother Bear.
"And who's been sleeping in my bed," squealed Baby Bear. "And she's still there!"
At that very moment, Goldilocks woke up to see three bears leaning over her–a little one, a middle-sized one and a big one.
"Get away! Away from this Bears' house!" she told herself.
She gave a scream and leaped off the bed, out of the window and did not stop running until she came to the edge of the wood.
There stood her own little house, and her mother on the kitchen step anxiously calling her name.
"Oh Mother! Mother! It was awful! It was terrible! It was dreadful!" sobbed Goldilocks, and she told her the story of the three bears.
The concerned mother dried her tears and gave Goldilocks a breakfast of bread and honey. But she said rather sternly, "Every day I tell you not to go into the wood. And now you know why."
"I promise I'll never go there again," said Goldilocks. "Never, never, never!"
Then she ate three slices of bread and honey–a little one, a middle-sized one and a big one.