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A twist on the fairy tale, told from the three bears' perspective. |
Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy as Daddy Bear led the way, his broad paws rustling fallen leaves. Mummy Bear lingered behind, holding Baby Bear’s small, eager paw as they ambled through the fresh forest air . Baby slipped his paw from Mummy's and dashed ahead, his tiny legs kicking up tufts of grass. He spun to face Daddy Bear, cheeks puffed from exertion. “Kick the ball back, Daddy! You’re so slow!” he teased, bouncing on his paws. Every morning, they walked, ran, and played in the sunlight to tire out the baby. This morning, something was different. As they approached the cabin, Baby Bear gasped and pointed. The door hung limply on its hinges, shards of wood scattered like confetti across the entryway. Mummy held Baby Bear’s hand as Daddy Bear entered the house to investigate. There was no one there, so he called them in. The kitchen looked like a war zone. Sticky porridge smeared the walls in messy streaks, and chairs lay splintered in a chaotic heap near the corner. Baby Bear whimpered as he picked up a battered toy train, its wheels dangling by a thread. “Who would do this? Daddy." “I don’t know, son. There are some strange people about these days.” “Do you think they could still be in the house?” Mummy Bear asked. The bears searched the rest of the house. The bedroom door creaked open and the bears entered, revealing a tangled mess of golden curls spilling across the biggest bed. The girl’s porcelain skin glowed softly in the morning light as her chest rose and fell in peaceful slumber. “Daddy, who's that sleeping on your bed?” “Ssshhh, son, we don’t want to wake her. We don’t know what she wants.” Goldilocks' eyes shot open, her gaze darting to the towering figures at the door. She let out a shrill scream, which echoed through the room like a startled bird. “Get away from me! Leave me alone. Don’t hurt me!” Baby Bear was crying, “Why is the girl screaming and shouting at us?” The bears retreated to the bedroom door. “We’re not going to hurt you. Why did you smash our house up?” Mummy bear asked. Goldilocks clenched her fists, her cheeks turning red. “I just wanted breakfast! But the porridge burned me, so I kicked it over!” She shifted uncomfortably under their stare, her tone rising defensively. I lost my temper and smashed the chairs and toys. Came upstairs to see what I could steal, felt tired, so I slept on the bed.” Mummy Bear shook her head, “Why don’t you come downstairs and we’ll put some more porridge on and you can have breakfast with us?” “I don’t want anything from you!” screamed Goldilocks. She jumped out the window and ran away into the forest. “What a strange girl,” Daddy Bear said as they went downstairs. Daddy Bear carried each broken chair outside, muttering under his breath as he sanded splintered wood. Mummy Bear wiped sticky porridge from the walls, the cloth smearing streaks of frustration with each pass. Baby Bear crouched on the floor, carefully piecing together a shattered toy, his lips trembling as he worked. The Forest Ranger arrived the next day and knocked on the bear’s front door. Daddy Bear opened the door. The Forest Ranger folded his arms, his stern gaze fixed on Daddy Bear. ‘Someone reported that you locked up a little girl,’ he said, his voice sharp enough to cut through the morning chill. “We have to revoke your forest privileges,” he continued. “That’s not what happened,” Daddy Bear replied. “We have CCTV recordings of her breaking the door down and trashing our kitchen. Check out her Mybook social media page too. She was streaming live as she was screaming at us, and that will corroborate our version of events.” ***** The frenzy around Goldilocks’ social media antics made the Bear family go viral. Daddy Bear wasted no time cashing in on their 15 minutes of fame. “Folks, I’m proud to announce the grand opening of BearBnB! You can relive the Goldilocks experience—broken chairs optional! All for a modest fee, of course.” Soon, tourists flocked to their cabin, taking selfies on the famous “Porridge Wall” and buying paw-signed autographs from Baby Bear. Mummy Bear sold homemade honey porridge that became an international sensation. Daddy Bear conducted humorous storytelling tours of the cabin. Goldilocks, however, refused to visit, fearing reprisals from the bear-friendly tourists. |