The Gingerbread Man

Once upon a time, there was an old woman and an old man who lived in a cozy cottage at the edge of a peaceful forest. They were kind and gentle, but they often felt lonely since they had no children of their own. To fill their days, they spent time gardening, gathering firewood, and cooking together. But sometimes, the house still felt too quiet.

One sunny morning, the old woman decided to do something a little different. “I think I’ll bake a gingerbread man,” she said as she measured the flour and mixed the dough. “It will be nice to have something cheerful in the house.”

She carefully rolled the dough and shaped it into a little man. She gave him two raisin eyes and cherry buttons down his front. The gingerbread man looked perfect with his sweet smile and little doughy arms. 

“Into the oven you go!” said the old woman as she placed the gingerbread man on a tray and slid it into the warm oven. “Just a few minutes, and you’ll be ready.”

The old woman tidied the kitchen and watched the clock. But suddenly, she heard a small voice coming from inside the oven.

“Let me out! Let me out!” called the voice.

The old woman blinked in surprise. “Who said that?” She opened the oven door, and to her astonishment, the gingerbread man leapt out! He dashed across the kitchen floor, laughing.

“Wait!” the old woman cried, reaching for him. “You’re not ready yet!”

But the gingerbread man just called back with a cheeky grin, “Run, run, as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” And with that, he ran right out the cottage door and into the yard.

The old woman rushed outside, her dress fluttering in the breeze. “Come back! Come back!” she called, but the Gingerbread Man was much too fast for her. He raced through the garden and along the path.

As he ran past the vegetable patch, the old man looked up from his work and saw the gingerbread man speeding away. “What’s all this fuss?” he asked, seeing his wife huffing and puffing behind.

“That gingerbread man I baked has run away!” the old woman shouted, waving her arms in frustration.

The old man dropped his shovel and joined the chase. “Stop right there, you rascal!” he called out.

But the Gingerbread Man just laughed and sped up, shouting, “Run, run, as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!”

The old man and the old woman ran as fast as their legs could carry them, but soon, the Gingerbread Man was far ahead of them, his little legs moving faster than they had ever seen.

Down the path he went, until he came upon a cow grazing in a meadow. The cow looked up, surprised. “Moo! What’s this? A gingerbread man? You look tasty. I think I’ll eat you!”

But the Gingerbread Man only laughed. “Run, run, as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!”

The cow, determined to catch him, trotted after him with heavy steps. But the Gingerbread Man was too quick, and soon, the cow was left behind, panting heavily as she watched the gingerbread man disappear down the path.

The Gingerbread Man continued down the path, feeling very proud of himself. “No one can catch me,” he thought. He ran across a wooden bridge where he met a horse drinking water from the stream.

“Neigh! What’s that?” the horse whinnied, raising his head. “A gingerbread man! You look delicious. I’ll eat you up!”

The Gingerbread Man grinned and replied, “Run, run, as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!”

The horse reared up and galloped after him, his hooves clattering on the bridge. But the Gingerbread Man’s feet pitter-pattered so quickly that he stayed well ahead, even as the horse tried his best to catch up.

“Too slow, too slow!” the Gingerbread Man called out, leaving the horse in a cloud of dust.

A little farther down the road, the Gingerbread Man spotted a pig rolling happily in the mud. The pig looked up in surprise when the Gingerbread Man zipped past. “Oink, oink! What’s this? A running gingerbread man! You look tasty—I’ll gobble you up!”

But the Gingerbread Man only laughed louder. “Run, run, as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!”

The pig hurried after him, his hooves slipping in the mud, but he couldn’t keep up. The Gingerbread Man ran faster and faster, his little arms swinging and his cherry buttons gleaming in the sunlight.

Now, the Gingerbread Man had quite a crowd chasing him—the old woman, the old man, the cow, the horse, and the pig. They all ran behind him, but he was too fast, and soon they were out of breath and lagging far behind.

The Gingerbread Man was feeling invincible as he raced through the forest, leaving his pursuers far behind. But suddenly, he came to a wide river that blocked his path. The water flowed swiftly, and he realized he couldn’t swim across.

“What am I going to do?” the Gingerbread Man muttered to himself, pacing back and forth along the riverbank.

Just then, a sly fox appeared from behind a tree, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Well, well, well,” said the fox, smoothing down his fur with a paw. “A gingerbread man, all alone by the river. What seems to be the problem?”

“I need to cross the river, but I can’t swim!” the Gingerbread Man said, his voice tinged with worry. “And I don’t want to get soggy!”

The fox pretended to think deeply. “I can help you, little fellow. I’m an excellent swimmer. Just hop onto my tail, and I’ll carry you safely to the other side.”

The Gingerbread Man hesitated, remembering the hungry cow, horse, and pig. “Are you sure you won’t eat me?” he asked suspiciously.

“Eat you? Why, I’d never do such a thing!” the fox said smoothly, swishing his tail. “I just want to help.”

The Gingerbread Man looked at the river, then at the fox, and decided he had no other choice. “All right,” he said, stepping carefully onto the fox’s tail.

The fox slid into the water and began swimming across the river. The current was strong, and soon the water rose higher.

“Climb onto my back,” the fox said. “The water’s getting deep—you don’t want to get wet.”

The Gingerbread Man scrambled onto the fox’s back, still trying to keep his feet dry. As they swam further, the water rose even higher.

“Better climb onto my head,” the fox suggested, glancing up at him. “You’ll stay perfectly dry there.”

Trusting the fox, the Gingerbread Man moved up to his head. But just as they reached the middle of the river, the fox smirked. “The water’s deepest here—climb onto my nose!”

The Gingerbread Man, eager to stay dry, climbed onto the fox’s nose. But as soon as they reached the far bank, SNAP! The fox tossed the Gingerbread Man into the air and caught him in one quick bite.

The Gingerbread Man barely had time to shout, “Oh no!” before the fox swallowed him up.

The fox licked his lips and looked back at the river with a satisfied smile. “A clever trick,” he said to himself, pleased with how easily he had outwitted the Gingerbread Man. “Too bad he didn’t realize that not everyone can be trusted.”

Meanwhile, back on the other side of the river, the old woman, the old man, the cow, the horse, and the pig finally caught up. They arrived just in time to see the fox flick his tail and trot away into the forest, but there was no sign of the Gingerbread Man.

The old woman sighed and shook her head. “Well,” she said sadly, “I suppose that’s what happens when you run away from home without thinking.”

The old man put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Come on, dear,” he said gently. “Let’s go back to our cottage. Maybe next time, we’ll bake a nice apple pie instead.”

That evening, the old woman baked a delicious pie to cheer them up, and they shared it with the animals that had chased the Gingerbread Man. The cow, horse, and pig enjoyed the pie much more than they had enjoyed the chase, and soon the forest was filled with the sound of happy munching.