Goldilocks and the Three Bears
Collected by the Brothers Grimm
Adaptation by Christopher Stander

Village by the Forest

Once upon a time in a cozy little village bordering a cozy little forest standing at the base of an echoing mountain range lived a little girl named Goldilocks. Goldilocks was a sweet (if not sometimes naïve) child who lived with her grandparents on the edge of the cozy little forest. Her parents had recently moved away to a neighboring city in search of jobs no longer available in the ever-growing village tucked away in the forest. They promised to send for her as soon as they had enough money to support their small family. They had promised her in letters, over the phone, and in small envelopes filled with what little money they had managed to acquire since they’d been away.
Still, Goldilocks wished for the day when she would be able to see her parents again. Often, she would dream about them when she slept, or when she would take long walks into the woods on idle summer afternoons when the sun rose high above the mountains on the deep blue horizon. She would forget everything on those long strolls through the forest. There were no other children her age in the village, and so her only companions were the small birds and other woodland creatures that would greet her on her excursions. It would be during one of these dream-filled idles that would unfortunately shatter the life of the poor little girl named Goldilocks.
It was a midsummer’s twilight evening. The sun had fallen almost completely behind the titanic mountains leaving the sky a soft, yet brilliant purple mesh of frozen peaks and stars. Goldilocks had just that day received a new letter from her parents, one that unfortunately did not grant her the hope and comfort she had so vehemently wished for. In her melancholy she attempted to rush from her house to the waiting comfort and open arms of the leaves and branches she grew up with. However, in the waning hours of the evening and sorrowful waxing of the moon her grandfather stopped her. Though he allowed her to take to the forest during the morning and afternoon, he knew of the dangers that stalked the midnight.
Goldilocks’ grandfather had warned her many times never to journey into the woods at too late an hour. For lurking in the caves and around those incompetent enough to camp out in the abyssal clearings, creatures far larger and more dangerous than squirrels or birds searched for food, emboldened by the darkness and their savage hunger. Goldilocks knew better than to dispute her elder and turned back to her room without haste or cheer. As she lay upon her bed, tired and disturbed by the unfortunate turn of events, Goldilocks was unable to sleep. She listened intently to the sounds of her grandparents restlessly journeying back and forth upon the hardwood floors. After a time Goldilocks was unable to measure, the movement ceased.
No longer could she hear the monotonous buzz of the radio, or her grandmother’s slippers shuffling back and forth in the kitchen. They were both silently dozing, lost in their own dreams, dreams Goldilocks wished she could share. Still, her unceasing worries would not allow her rest, and her forest hollow beckoned her peace. No longer able to stand the forest’s call, she stole from her bed to her bedroom window, acutely aware of her every creaking step as she surreptitiously made her way down the rose spattered trellis adorning the broad side of the small edifice. Kept warm by her grandmother’s hand-knitted shawl she hurried into the ominous deep of the wood. The further in she escaped, the more her resolve began to break. Her eyes grew hot with tears fearing she may never see her parents again and her legs grew weak and clumsy with sadness. She finally threw herself into a clearing against a tree stump where she began to sob heavily, mottling the tree with tears.
She lay there for a time, contemplating her situation as the twilight faded into deepening shadow, and the only sounds to be heard were that of the crickets and her own breath, softly respiring her silent anxiety. She awoke what couldn’t have been more than short time later, as the moon still held domination over the sky. It stood perfectly above her, lighting the opening in the trees she’d fallen into. She stood slowly, as the memory of her rush away from home and the tears she’d shed came fading back into consciousness. As her mind became clearer she searched over her surroundings with her eyes, attempting to identify a familiar rock, or tree, or bush she could use to find her way home.
It was then realization washed over her like the night’s frozen wind, or the moon’s icy stare: she had wandered further in than she had originally intended, and now, Goldilocks was lost. She did her best not to panic, and began to cautiously wander from the clearing into the untamed brush, repeating in her head that she would soon see a familiar home, or path she had walked so many times before; something her heart knew not to be true. Soon she began to lose her calm, her pace quickened and her blood began to run hot as her heart quickened in fear. The once comforting forest seemed now to rebel against her, as branches and thorny flowers cut away at her arms and legs and scratched at the unprotected skin.
Fallen trees and dead stumps attempted to trip her, and night birds watched in their silent wisdom as the little girl plummeted through the antagonistic darkness. In a sudden maladroit fashion she burst into another clearing, falling to her knees in a heap of scrapes and stifling tears. She quickly sobered herself against the panic and stood, unsubtly less resolute than before. Goldilocks appraised the clearing, much bigger than the one she had been to before. Before her lay the base of a small mountain cliff, no doubt an independent piece of the massive guardian that stood above her home.
Carefully carved into the side of the mountain, a large cave gaped its hostile maw against the new usurper. Stalactites hung viciously from the roof ushering, daring her inside. Goldilocks knew that it would be difficult to find her way home in such obscure light and that there may be people looking for her by morning. Her best hope would be to protect herself inside the cave and wait for the sun. Reluctantly, she walked in slow steps towards the devilish lair.
The darkness inside seemed to swallow her whole as the massive jaws overshadowed her tiny frame. She could hear nothing but the hushed dripping of water from the caves jagged teeth upon the cold wet floor as Goldilocks stepped alertly across the slippery rock into the throat of the beast. Something about the enclosed subterranean deep shook her every nerve, and she couldn’t help but swallow hard as her steps brought her closer and closer to the belly of the hollow. She reached her hand out in front of her to feel for the wall at the back of the cavity. Her fingers touched lightly against the rough rock wall, cautiously fearing something more than just a simple wall, but for naught; the cave was empty.
Goldilocks sat herself down on a small rock at the back of her new encampment, unnerved by the silence broken only by the dripping water. Outside it had begun to rain, coating the air in a thick ominous jacket of clouds and heavy raindrops. The trees outside appeared to rustle in anger against the pounding wind and rain, but something else moved within them as well. The little girl huddled herself against the back wall of the cave as the air had gone from cold to chilled whether by rain or by fear as a dark figure emerged from the trees. It’s shadow cast large against the walls as it moved towards her, slowly but deliberately, and a lump formed in her throat that she tried desperately to swallow.
The figure stood before her, proving only to be a few feet tall. The baby bear cub looked up at Goldilocks curiously, twisting its head with a whimsical gesture. Goldilocks exhaled hard, almost laughing in her relief. She reached down and picked up the poor soaked creature, coddling it gently in her arms. It rolled playfully on her lap, shaking off the raindrops from its dark brown fur. She set the bear back down upon the cavity floor, allowing it to walk back to the other end of the cave. It sat by the entrance staring out into the gloom, as if waiting for something. A wave of coherence suddenly hit the poor child at the back of the cave; the cub’s parents would be coming for it soon.
Goldilocks picked herself up from her stone seat and ran to the rain guarded entrance, hoping to escape, however, the foliage at the edge of the clearing had already begun to rattle, much more violently than before, and she could feel the burning gaze of the bears fierce eyes piercing through the trees in anger. Goldilocks stepped into the clearing, becoming instantly soaked; she looked in each direction for a way out, but to little avail. The demon drew ever closer, and the tragic little girl had no chance for escape. She gazed into the hopeless sky, the slightest bit of sun peaking on the cloudy horizon. Suddenly the terror-ridden atmosphere was shattered; Goldilocks could hear someone shouting her name in the distance.
Her legs were off before her mind could think, chasing the sound with every bit of energy in her. Behind her, she could hear the monster burst into the clearing and give chase. It roared in protest, but Goldilocks would not stop. She wouldn’t stop for anything now, someone was calling her home, to her parents, to her grandparents, away from all the troubles the depression had wrought on her family and so many others. The rumbling titan was gaining on her quickly; Goldilocks quickened her pace as much as she could; the rain swirled around them like a torrential god, watching if only to see how it would end. The endless wave of trees never seemed to end, and it would only be a matter of time before the barbaric monstrosity caught her, but the child knew her parents were just on the other side of the next tree, in the next clearing, her problems were far behind her, and they would never catch her, just as long as she kept running…

The End.








Author’s Notes

This story is an adaptation of the ever-famous Brothers Grimm faerie tale: Goldilocks and the Three Bears. This version is slightly more dramatized than the original story and takes place in the midst of the great depression in a small village or township isolated from most of the major American cities. Goldilocks is a confused young girl living with her grandparents as her parents had, at some point, moved away in an attempt to make enough money to support the small family through the 1929 tragedy.