Goldilocks, The Locket, and The Three Bears

Once upon a time, rays of light shone through the schoolroom window and shimmered off Gwen's golden hair locks. Today was Show and Tell day, and she hated it. She had brought a tuft of bear hair in a locket that had belonged to her mother, who had died years ago. Her parents were known to be great hunters. Mrs. Ainsley called the children one at a time to show their unique treasure and tell the class its story.

Jack brought a hen to class and told a tall tale about a magic beanstalk and a giant. He claimed the hen would lay golden eggs.

"Liar, liar, pants on fire. If true, have your hen lay an egg," said Gwen, and the class gasped. Jack went to his seat and cried at her cruelty.

"Be nice, Gwen," said Mrs. Ainsley.

Next, Rapunzel, with hair flowing over her shoulders to the floor, told a tall tale of being held captive by an evil enchantress. A prince had rescued her from the doorless tower.

"Liar, liar, pants on fire. Your mother owns a wig shop, and your hair is fake," said Gwen.

"Gwen, why are you so cruel? This must stop," Mrs. Ainsley said.

Rapunzel rushed to her seat, put her head on her desk, and wept.

The teacher called Joanie to show her treasure and tell its story. Joanie pulled a red hooded cape from a bag and told a tale of her encounter with a big bad wolf.

"Liar, liar, pants on fire. Little Red Riding Hood? Come on! Everyone knows your father ran off with the maid, and that's all he left you," Gwen said.

"Gwen, I have warned you. Apologize now or I must suspend you from school," said Mrs. Ainsley.

"You are all liars," Gwen said.

"Go home now, Gwen, and return tomorrow with your stepmother," Mrs. Ainsley said.

The children in the classroom burst into a chant, "Meanie, meanie, Goldilocks the wienie."

Gwen took her books and the locket with the bear hair and defiantly left the room. How dare they make fun of me, she thought.

***

Defiant and afraid to go home because her stepmother was a fan of the switch, Gwen hiked into the forbidden forest to hide. Her father was away on business selling animal pelts to the furriers and could not intercede.

"I am tired of hearing fairy tales. They are only lies to scare us into being good. I don't believe in magic. There are no princes, talking wolves, or magical hens. Lies, lies, all lies. You must take what you want before someone steals from you. You aren't going to find it magically."

Larks sang in the forest as the sun rose through the trees, leaves brushed and fluttered in a cool breeze. Hours passed as Gwen walked and became chilled. Lost in the forest, she was famished. Her luck changed when she entered a clearing with a cute cottage at its center.

"Mother, maybe they are friendly folk and will help me," she said to the locket.

Gwen knocked on the door, but no one answered. She peeked into the cottage window and spied a massive table set with three serving pots. One large, one medium, and one small lidded bowl. Steam escaped the edges of ceramic pots. Knowing it was wrong to trespass, she opened the door anyway. A sweet aroma tempted her nose as she lifted the lid from the large bowl.

"Oh my, this smells wonderful. Sweet cream and honey, but this one is too hot and will scorch my tongue."

Gwen lifted the lid from the medium-sized bowl. The rich, thick cream with yellow swirls of honey was also too hot. Moving to the smallest bowl, she lifted the lid, dipped her finger and tasted the rich mixture.

"Yes, this one is just right and so sweet. This is my treat."

Sitting in the smallest chair, she spooned the milky porridge until the bowl was empty. Already tired, the warm meal made her sleepier. She sat back to rest when the chair bottom snapped with a crack and collapsed with her to the floor.

"What cheap furniture. Whoever made this should be flogged."

Gwen moved into the next room, where embers danced in the den fireplace and radiated warmth. Over the mantle hung a mane of golden hair.

"What a beautiful wig. It's as golden as mine. I like this place. Maybe the owners are kinsman of mine."

Exhausted, yet content, from the rich porridge, she didn't give it much thought. Wandering about the house, she discovered an upstairs room with three beds. A king-sized, a queen-sized, and a small bed. Gwen lay on the king-sized bed, but it was too hard. The queen-sized was too soft. The third and smallest bed was just right. Pulling its thick quilt over her shivering body, she fell fast asleep and dreamed of her mother.

***

Three bears, a father, a mother, and a cub, returned to their house from a walk in the woods. They were living proof that bears do poop in the woods. Excited to come home to the awaiting cream and honey they had left to cool, they discovered their home had been invaded.

"Someone has disturbed my porridge, the lid is askew," said the father bear.

"Someone left the lid off of my bowl," said the mother bear.

"Someone has eaten all of my cream and honey, and broken my chair," cried the little bear.

"We must search the house, the woodsmen hunters may be lurking near," said the father bear.

Upon searching the house, they came upon the bedroom.

"Someone has moved my quilt, it's scrunched up," said the father bear.

"Someone has lain on my bed, there is an imprint," said the mother bear.

"Mother, father, look! There is someone with long golden hair sleeping in my bed," said the little bear.

"I have seen hair like that before. Years ago a man and woman hunted my mother in the forest and murdered her. I came upon them taking her hide. The man escaped my rage but the woman did not."

Standing around the small bed with the sleeping girl with golden locks of hair, the three bears sniffed her scent. Sniffing the locket, the father bear growled, enraged.

"I know this scent. Her locket bears the fur of my mother," roared the father bear.

"Her yellow hair is a likeness to your prize above the mantle," said the mother bear.

"There are strands of her golden hair on my broken chair," cried the little bear.

Gwen awakened to the sound of the bear's enraged voice. She was in grave danger. The girl with the golden locks jumped from the bed and leaped from the window to the ground below.

"Murderers," yelled the father bear from above.

"Thieves," squealed the little bear.

"Are you going to let her get away?" screamed the mother bear.

"She will not escape. I have her scent in my nose and that of my mother's from the locket she wears around her neck. A scent I could never forget," said the father bear.

***

Gwen's ankle, swollen from the fall to the ground, slowed her as she hobbled from the clearing into the forest. Tears of fear and pain rained down her cheeks. She had heard the words spoken by the giant bear and knew that her parents had murdered his mother. Crashing through the woods, confident she had escaped, she slowed to a limp. Then she laughed.

"Talking bears, living in a house, eating their sweet cream and honey, and sleeping in their bed? Finally, I have a grand story to share tomorrow for Show and Tell that will make Jack, Rapunzel, and Little Red Riding Hood green with envy."

She lucked onto a cleared trail and could see the main road to her village ahead. A metallic click sounded, then a whoosh. Well-hidden, a sharp-toothed bear trap snapped her leg. Gwen had taken her last step. Falling to the ground, screaming in massive pain, she passed out.

Three days later, woodsmen hunters checking their traps found her and carried her cold body to her father. The village doctor declared her death had come from shock and exposure. To this day, no one can explain what happened to her golden locks of hair or her locket. She had been scalped. Her father, in deep anguish, knew.

***

Miles away, deep in the magical forest, bears from all over the woods came to the bear cottage for a clan meeting to view their new trophy.

Father Bear held the little bear in his arms as they stood in the den and looked above the mantle. Two long scalps of golden hair with a shiny locket between them hung above the fireplace.

"Little bear, you have a grand story to share when your class has their next Show and Tell."

*** *** ***

Note: Grammarly was utilized to edit this story. DALL*E 2 was utilized to create the image used.