The Gingerbread Man

Once upon a time there was an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy. One morning the old woman made some gingerbread in the shape of a man. She added icing for his hair and clothes, and little blobs of dough for his nose, and eyes. When she put him in the oven to bake, she said to the little boy: you watch the gingerbread man while your grandfather and I go out to work in the garden.'

So the old man and the old woman went out and began to dig potatoes, and left the little boy to tend the oven. But he started to day-dream, and didn't watch it all the time, and all of a sudden he heard a noise, and he looked up and the oven door popped open, and out of the oven jumped gingerbread man, and went rolling along end over end, towards the open door of the house. The little boy ran to shut the door, but the gingerbread man was too quick for him and rolled through the door, down the steps, and out into the road long before the little boy could catch him.

The little boy ran after him as fast as he could manage, crying out to his grandfather and grandmother, who heard the noise, and threw down their spades in the garden and gave chase too. But the ginger bread man outran all three a long way, and was soon out of sight, while they had to sit down, all out of breath, on a bank to rest.

On went the gingerbread man, and by and by he came to two men digging a well who looked up from their work and called out: ‘Where ye going, gingerbread man?’ He said: ‘I've outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and I can outrun you, too-o-o!’ ‘You can, can you? We'll see about that?’ said they; and they threw down their picks and ran after him, but couldn't catch up with him, and soon they had to sit down by the roadside to rest.

On ran the gingerbread man, and by and by he came to two men digging a ditch. ‘Where ye going, gingerbread man?’ said they. He said: ‘I've outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and two well-diggers, and I can outrun you, too-o-o!’ ‘You can, can you? We'll see about that!’ said they; and they threw down their spades, and ran after him, too. But the gingerbread man soon outstripped them also, and seeing they could never catch him, they gave up the chase and sat down to rest.

On went the gingerbread man, and by and by he came to a bear. The bear said: ‘Where are ye going, gingerbread man?’ He said: ‘I've outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and two well-diggers, and two ditch-diggers, and I can outrun you, too-o-o!’ ‘you can, can you?’ growled the bear. ‘We'll see about that!’ and trotted as fast as his legs could carry him after the gingerbread man, who never stopped to look behind him. Before long the bear was left so far behind that he saw he might as well give up the hunt first as last, so he stretched himself out by the roadside to rest.

On went the gingerbread man and by and by he came to a wolf. The wolf said: ‘Where ye going, gingerbread man?’ He said: ‘I've outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and two well-diggers, and two ditch-diggers, and a bear, and I can outrun you, too-o-o!’ ‘You can, can you?’ snarled the wolf'. ‘We'll see about that!’ And he set into a gallop after the gingerbread man, who went on and on so fast that the wolf, too, saw there was no hope of overtaking him, and he, too, lay down to rest.

On went the gingerbread man, and by and by he came to a fox that lay quietly in a corner of the fence. The fox called out in a sharp voice, but without getting up: ‘Where ye going, gingerbread man?’ He said: ‘I've outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and two well-diggers, and two ditch-diggers, a bear, and a wolf, and I can outrun you, too-o-o!’

The fox said: ‘I can't quite hear you, gingerbread man; won't you come a little closer?’ turning his head a little to one side.

The gingerbread man stopped his race for the first time, and went a little closer, and called out in a very loud voice: ‘I've outrun an old man, and an old woman, and a little boy, and two well-diggers, and two ditch-diggers, and a bear, and a wolf, and I can outrun you, too-o-o.’

‘Can't quite hear you; won't you come a little closer?’ said the fox in a feeble voice, as he stretched out his neck towards The Gingerbread Man, and put one paw behind his ear.

The gingerbread man came up close, and leaning towards the fox screamed out: ‘I'VE OUTRUN AN OLD MAN, AND AN OLD WOMAN, AND A LITTLE BOY, AND TWO WELL-DIGGERS, AND TWO DITCH-DIGGERS, AND A BEAR, AND A WOLF, AND I CAN OUTRUN YOU, TOO-O-O!’

‘You can, can you?’ yelped the fox, and he snapped up the gingerbread man in his sharp teeth in the twinkling of an eye.

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Ilustrace: Hana Filipi, 2007