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THE WOLF AND THE SEVEN KIDS
A goat had seven young kids, whom sheloved very much and carefully protected from the wolf. One day, when she had togo and fetch some food, she called them all together and said, “Dear children, I must go out to find some food. Sobe on your guard against the wolf and don’t let him inside. Pay close attentionbecause he often disguises himself, but you can recognize him right away by hisgruff voice and black paws. Protect yourselves. If he gets into the house, he’lleat you all up.”
Upon saying this, the goat went on her way, but itwas not long before the wolf arrived at the door and called out, “Open up, dearchildren. I’m your mother and have brought you some beautiful things.”
But the seven kids said: “You’re not our mother.She has a lovely, soft voice, and yours is gruff. You’re the wolf, and we’renot going to open the door.”
The wolf went away to a shopkeeper and bought a bigpiece of chalk, which he ate, and it made his voice soft. Then he returnedto the house door of the seven kids andcalled out with a soft voice: “Dear children, let me in. I’m your mother, andI’ve brought something for each of you.”
But the wolf had put his paw on the windowsill, andwhen the children saw it, they said, “You’re not our mother. She doesn’t have ablack paw like yours. You’re the wolf. We’re not going to open the door foryou!”
So the wolf ran to a baker and said, “Baker, putsome dough on my paws for me.”
And after that was done, the wolf wentto the miller and said, “Sprinkle some white flour on my paws.”
The miller saidno.
“Ifyou don’t do it, I’ll eat you up!” So the miller had to do it.
Now the wolf went once again to the house door ofthe seven kids and said, “Dear children, let me in. I’m your mother, and I’vebrought something for each of you.”
The seven kids wanted to see the paws first, andwhen they saw that they were snow white and heard the wolf speak so softly,they thought he was their mother and opened the door. Once the wolf entered, however,they recognized him and quickly hid themselves as best they could. The firstkid slid under the table, the second hid in the bed, the third in the oven, the fourth in the kitchen, the fifth in the cupboard, the sixth under the largewashbasin, and the seventh in the clock case. However, the wolf found them alland swallowed them, except for theyoungest in the clock case, who remained alive.
When the wolf had satisfied his craving, he wentoff. Shortly thereafter, the mother goat came home, and oh, what a terriblesight! The wolf had been there and had devoured her dear children! She thoughtthey were all dead, but then the youngest jumped out of the clock case and toldher how everything had happened.
In the meantime, the wolf, who was stuffed, hadgone to a green meadow, where he had lain himself down in the sun and hadfallen into a deep sleep. The old goat thought she still might be able to saveher children. Therefore, she said to the youngest kid: “Take the scissors,needle, and thread and follow me.”
After she leftthe house, she found the wolf lying on the ground in
the meadow andsnoring.
“There’s that nasty wolf!” she said and inspectedhim from all sides. “There he is after eating my six children for supper. Giveme the scissors! Oh, if only they’restill alive inside him!”
Then she cut his belly open, and the six kids thathad been swallowed whole by the gluttonous wolf jumped out and were unscathed.Immediately she ordered them to gather large and heavy stones and to bring themto her. Then she filled his stomach with them,and the kids sewed him up again and hid behind a hedge.
When the wolf had finished sleeping, he felt thathis stomach was very heavy and said: “It’s rumbling and tumbling in my belly!It’s rumbling and tumbling in my belly! And I’ve only eaten six kids!”
He thought he had better have a drink of freshwater to help himself, and he looked for a well, but when he leaned over, hecouldn’t stand straight because of the stones and fell into the water. When theseven kids saw this, they came running and danced joyfully around the well.
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