Welcome to the children's section
In this section, you will find children's stories and poems. Please take the time to read them yourself for appropriateness before sharing them with your children. Thank you
Long ago as I walked through the woods, the same woods I’ve walked through many times before, but never this late. It was getting dark. I needed to hurry. I had been mindlessly bending and swooping to pick wildflowers on the lush forest floor when I had lost track of time. The woods were green, thick with dots of color from the vast variety of flowers. When I could no longer see any more flowers I looked up to discover that I was so deep in the woods, I could no longer see the sun shining. It was at that moment I realized I didn’t recognize a thing. ‘Silly Girl,’ I had thought to myself, ‘What have you done? Now you are lost.’ My mother had always told me not to come this far into the woods because people never came out again. My pink dress was dirty, my golden ringlets a frizzy mess, my socks were slipping and my shoes had begun to pinch. As I hurried around trying to see if I could find my way out again, I started to feel dizzy. Everything looked different, yet the same, as if I had been wandering in circles for hours. The forest was getting increasingly darker. I couldn’t tell if it was because of the hour or because the woods were getting denser with thick brown stumps growing so close together the sun was barely able to penetrate.
Not knowing what to do, I stopped to cry. As a pool of water formed from my tears a hare warmly dressed in a dark brown coat with black flecks timidly stopped to drink. “O’ good hare can you tell me the way back to the village? I was picking wildflowers and lost my way”.
“I know many villages where they have all tried to kill me and eat me” the hare replied, sounding angry.
“I do not wish to eat you, kind hare, I just want to go home.”
“I know of a house I can show you to,” he said weary, “but whether or not it is yours I can not say.”
I replied, “Thank you, I suppose if it is not my home, I can see if they can direct me.”
The hare took me deeper into the woods. In a small clearing there sat a sweet cottage adorned with bright colors that look to be made out of cookies and candy. It was dark about the house except for the candlelight escaping the thin pains of glass. The air around the cottage was so thick with the smell of rot and sweetness I could taste it. Along the path leading to the house, old bones were thrown about. The hare became nervous and took a hasty exit as I approached the door and knocked. After a few moments, an old woman answers the door and invites me in. My mother had told me never to go into a stranger's house so I stayed just a step inside, no further. I explained to the old woman my predicament. She told me she did not know where my village was but, “I will happily allow you to live with me”. Just at that moment a very round boy and a girl about my age had come out from another room, their clothing seemed a bit old-fashioned, like what my grandmother wore as a child in her lederhosen. The old woman yelled at the children “Hansel, Gretal, get back to your rooms.” I did not know how to get home but I knew I did not like this old woman either. As confirmation of my feelings, the children yelled “Run!”, so I, like the hare, made my hasty retreat.
Once again I sat down to cry for I did not know what to do. As a pool of salty tears formed around me, the hare, a little less nervous, returned to drink. “O’ good hare, you have returned. That most certainly was not my home, while our ways have been parted, did you see my village?”
“I did not go near any villages, but I did come across a very tall house. I do not know if it is yours but I will take you there.” The hare responded wryly.
“Thank you, that doesn’t sound like my home but if it is so tall, maybe they could see my village and direct me.” I followed the hare to another small clearing and what looked to be a turret made of large smooth gray pieces of stone that could have been stolen from a castle. As I approached the home the hare speeded off again. Unable to find a door, I spied a small light in a window at the top, I yelled to see if anyone was about. An old woman poked her head out the window and applied an odd smile to her face when seeing me.
“Are you all alone in these woods little girl with such lovely golden hair?” She asked me in a voice so shrill it sent shivers down my spine.
“I am. I have lost my way. I am hoping, old woman, that you could see my village from your perch and tell me the way.”
“I see many villages in the distance, however, I do not know which one might be yours. Can you tell me more about it?”
“I have never seen my village from afar. I do not know how to describe it.”
“Why don’t you climb up to me? I would be happy to let you look for yourself and you can see what you may see.”
“Sadly, old woman, I can’t climb this wall. The stones are too slick and the vines have claw-like thorns. I am sorry I must continue to find my way.”
“You must try if you want to find your village. As well, I could use your company.”
“I’m sorry,” I replied, “but the walls are impossible to climb, is there a door?”
“No! No door and that silly girl left me trapped up here!” said the Old Woman as she started to cry.
With that, I left the tower of a house and continued to walk. As I walked I started to grow tired and hungry. Again I realized I did not know where to go, so I sat down to cry. As a pool once again formed from my tears the hare came to drink.
“O’ good hare, while you were journeying through the woods did you see my village? For if you did not I shall eat these Oleanders I picked and prepare to die here in these woods.”
“I did not go near any villages but do not give up little girl, I have found another house. It may not be yours but perhaps it will do.” Stated the hare.
I got up and followed the hare to a larger clearing with a larger cottage in it. The cottage was made of tree trunks and moss-covered bark made up the roof. The cottage’s front porch expanded its length. Large picture windows with bright flower curtains filtered a warm glow from within, it could be seen from the edge of the small yard. As I approached the cottage to see if anyone was home the hare bolted off once more. Peace washed over me as I approached the door, ‘only friendly helpful people could keep a house such as this’ I thought to myself. I knock on the oversized door, but no one answered. Thinking perhaps they could not hear my small rap, I got on my tiptoes to reach the bear head brass knocker. With difficulty, I lifted the weighty ring slightly, and it fell with a great crash. Still, no one answered the door. Becoming anxious I took the brass doorknob in both of my hands and opened the door.
After my eyes adjusted to the light, I peeked in to search if anyone was home. I saw no one in the room, just three empty chairs of varying sizes. Allowing myself further into the place, it felt like home with its stone fireplace and its crackling fire. Pictures featuring bears in the surrounding woods hung on one wall. On another wall, the pictures seemed to have a person in them. There was a sweet smell of biscuits lofting in the air coming from the direction of the kitchen. Tracking the enticing scent, I found the homey kitchen to be empty. I looked at the golden circles of flaky goodness, then noticed that I was drooling. Then the most horrendous sound came from the kitchen. I jumped with fright. As far as I could tell I was the only one in the kitchen. I had yet to check the rest of the cottage. It happened again. I could hear the fighting roar next to me. I ran back to the front room and the noise followed me, it was always right next to me. Then I realized that it was my stomach making that sound. So I went back to the kitchen and devoured the biscuits like a wolf would a pig.
After filling myself I decided to have a look around. It was then that I noticed that the kitchen counters were taller than my mother’s back home. I was barely able to see above the blue cabinets topped with green counters. The window had the same flower curtains I spied from outside. There was a large table with three different-sized chairs, one had a pillowy cushion on the seat. Upon the table, there were three sets of dishes, each was a different size as well, set in the same size order as the chairs.
I decided to have a look around the rest of the cottage. As I quietly crept around I found a bedroom with three beds of differing sizes. The largest was topped with a blue and brown quilt, the medium bed was swaddled with a flowery cover and the third had a hastily spread blanket with young bears all over it. Yet, no one seemed to be home.
I ventured back to the front room and had a closer look. On closer inspection, the three chairs are not only different sizes but they looked different too. The small chair was framed in wood with light padding of blue around the arms, the seat, and the back. The middle chair was fully engulfed in thick padding that was covered in a flowery fabric similar to the curtains that hung in the windows. The third chair was large and made of heavy wood with no padding of any kind. As I looked around the room and took a closer look at one of the sets of pictures. I could see what looked like a family of bears doing a variety of activities. In one picture they were picnicking on a red and white checkered cloth. Another, they were snowshoeing through the thick snow. In one picture the cub looked to be very happy riding on the shoulder of a male bear. On another wall there was a different group of pictures, the set also had the three bears as well as a girl. The girl was wearing a pink dress, shoes, and socks like mine. Her hair hung in golden ringlets and had a ribbon just like mine. It felt strange and familiar at the same time, the set of pictures was rather eerie. I started to look at another set of pictures and the girl who looked like me is older now, alone in the picture, and had a shotgun in her hand. Shocked, I stumbled backward and tripped on something. I looked to see what it was. I noticed it was a rug. Not just any rug, but a bearskin rug, and there was not just one but three, all different sizes. I became very frightened, and then the front door opened.
Upon the opening of the door, a young woman walked in. She looked a bit familiar but I did not know why yet. She, on the other hand, seemed to know who I was. “Goldilocks what are you doing here? We should not be meeting.” I was so confused. How did she know my name? As if reading my mind she answered all my questions. “I know who you are because I am you. I, like you, got lost in the woods but for me, it was 15 years ago. I could never find my way out again and the cycle keeps repeating itself. You must find your way out Goldilocks, you must break this cycle.”
“I don’t know the way home,” I said almost in tears. “I have been wandering around the woods for what seems like forever and can not find my way back home. A hare has been trying to help me. He led me to a cottage with a woman and two children and a tall roundhouse with an old woman inside. Not one of them could help me.”
“You must try harder Goldilocks. If you do not get home then the cycle will never break. I know you are scared but you must try, and one other thing, no matter what you must not return here and do not trust the hare.”
So I ran out of the cottage. I ran deep into the woods again and I did not pay attention to the path I was taking. As the woods started to get dark again I ran right into a man with a bow. He was tall with strong arms.
“I’m so sorry. Who are you?” I asked
“I am the queen's huntsman. Who are you?”
“Maybe you can help me. I am looking for my village. Do you know where it is, and my mother must be worried for me?” I said, trying not to cry.
“I know of a village that is not far from here. I can show you in exchange for the hare I have seen running around these woods. The hare is warmly dressed in a dark brown coat with black flecks and likes to drink the tears of small girls.”
“I have not seen such a hare like that.” I lied to protect my friend despite the warning.
“You need to only sit and cry and it will come to you”
“I am sorry I can not help you. I do not feel the need to cry.” With that, I started to run deeper into the woods.
After I was sure the huntsman was not following me I sat down tired and unsure of what to do. Not meaning to, tears filled my eyes, and pools formed. Once again the hare was at my side drinking. I was not sure if I should trust him, but he was the only friend I had right then.
“O’ good hare, what a fright. So much has happened since last seeing you. The cottage had a young woman who said she was once me. She told me she was once me, and I needed to find my way home, or we would become trapped in the woods forever. One Goldilocks after another. Then after leaving her cottage, I ran into a huntsman who seems to be looking for you.”
The hare stopped drinking and in a fearful untrusting tone asked, “Did you set me up in a trap? Did you?”
“Of course, I did not!” I said indignantly, fearing what the hare might do. “I ran away from him as soon as he told me what I must do for him to gain his help. I was sure to be clear of him before I stopped. O’ hare please tell me you have found my village while you were off for so long.”
“I did not. As repayment for my life, I will stay with you until you find your village and your home.”
I got to my feet and we started our way through the woods. After walking for a long period of time we stumbled on a small clearing with a tall round stone house. Something about the house looked familiar, like something I had seen before but older now. The top had been missing, it appeared to have crumbled away. The vines around the bottom had withered and there was moss covering the smooth gray stones. The sight made me shiver. “O’ good hare, something about this place frightens me. Let’s move on.” So at that, we started on our way through the woods again.
After what felt like days of walking we stumbled again on a small clearing. The smells around the clearing were sweet and when the cottage came into view I could see it had many bright colors and was made of cookies and candy. “O good hare, there is something familiar about this place”, but when I looked around the hare had run off again despite his promise. So I approached the cottage by myself.
As I approached the door I could not help myself and grabbed the end shingle off the roof. It was made of gingerbread and was frosted with lemon icing. After feeding my belly I went to the door and knocked. The door opened immediately and an older woman with a youthful face that did not match the rest of her answered the door.
“Come in, come in.” the woman beckoned.
“I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of my village? You see I am lost, and I am sure my mother must be very worried for me by now.”
“I do not know where your village is, I have lived in this cottage most of my life and have not left it in a long time. You are welcome to come in, eat until your heart's content, and rest until you are ready to be on your way again.”
Just as I was ready to accept her invitation, a round older man had come into the room. “Leave, leave now if you know what is good for you.”
The woman angrily turned on the man, “Hansel! What are you doing? How will I stay young without…”
I went out the door before I could hear any more. Running as far away as I could get from there I started seeing specks of color ahead. At first, I feared it was another cottage, but as I got closer I could see they were flowers. The flowers started to look familiar. I bent over to pick a few. As I stepped picking one flower after another it started to get lighter and when I finally looked up I could see a village not far away. Then I realized it was my village.
When I approached the village the houses and buildings all looked the same. I did not recognize the people or the clothing they had on. The pit of my stomach started to ache, something did not feel right. As I approached my family’s cottage it appeared empty. I opened the door and no one was home. It was dark with cobwebs covering everything. Then someone knocked on the door and I jumped in fright. I turned to see a very young woman at the door.
“Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you. Did you know the family?” She asked as she stepped inside.
“Yes. This was my family home.” I said in a small confused voice.
“I do not think that is possible. No one has lived in this cottage for generations.” She replied as she wandered around and came across a picture.
“What do you mean? My mother and sister were here when I left this morning to the woods to pick some flowers.”
“Is this you?” she asked, holding up an old picture frame. “This one looks just like you,” she said pointing to a picture of me with my sister and mother.
“Yes, that is me and the other two are my mom and sister. That was just taken two weeks ago.”
Taking on a soft quiet tone the woman gently said. “This family lived here one hundred years ago. The little girl, you, disappeared into the wood and never came back. Until now I guess.”
“My mom told me not to go into the woods. She had always said people went in and never came out again.” Then I sat down and started to weep again. As I wept, the hare had come into the house to drink from my pools of tears.
“O’ Hare, Why did you not help me sooner? You left me to be captured by witches and huntsmen. You let me wander the woods for one hundred years. You said you would stay with me until I got home.”
“Here I am and you are home,” the hare responded.
“Yes, here you are, always to drink my tears,” I replied coldly and picked the hare up. I then handed him over to the young woman. “Can you please make me some hare stew, I have had little to eat in one hundred years.”
The End
