Once upon a time there were Three Bears, who lived together in a house of their own, in a wood. One of them was a Little, Small Wee Bear; and one was a Middle-sized Bear, and the other was a Great, Huge Bear. They had each a pot for their porridge, a little pot for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized pot for the Middle Bear, and a great pot for the Great, Huge Bear. And they had each a chair to sit in; a little chair for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized chair for the Middle Bear; and a great chair for the Great, Huge Bear. And they had each a bed to sleep in; a little bed for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized bed for the Middle Bear; and a great bed for the Great, Huge Bear.
One day, after they had made the porridge for their breakfast, and poured it into their porridge-pots, they walked out into the wood while the porridge was cooling, that they might not burn their mouths, by beginning too soon to eat it. And while they were walking, a little girl came to the house. The little girl had long golden curls so everyone called her Goldilocks. The door was not fastened, because the Bears were good Bears, who did nobody any harm, and never suspected that anybody would harm them. So the little girl opened the door and went in; and well pleased she was when she saw the porridge on the table. She should have waited till the Bears came home, and then, perhaps, they would have asked her to breakfast; for they were good Bears—a little rough or so, as the manner of Bears is, but for all that very good-natured and hospitable. But she got so excited that she just set about helping herself.
She first tasted the porridge of the Great, Huge Bear, and that was too hot for her. And then she tasted the porridge of the Middle Bear, and that was too cold for her. And then she went to the porridge of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and tasted that and it was neither too hot, nor too cold, but just right. She liked it so well, she ate it all up.
Then the little girl sat down in the chair of the Great, Huge Bear, and that was too hard for her. And then she sat down in the chair of the Middle Bear, and that was too soft for her. And then she sat down in the chair of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, and that was neither too hard, nor too soft, but just right. She seated herself in it and there she sat till the bottom of the chair came out, and down she came, plump upon the ground.
Then Goldilocks went upstairs into the room where the three Bears slept. First she lay down upon the bed of the Great, Huge Bear; but that was too hard for her. And next she lay down upon the bed of the Middle Bear and that was too soft for her. And then she lay down upon the bed of the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and that was neither too hard or soft, but just right. She covered herself up comfortably and lay there till she fell fast asleep.
By this time the Three Bears thought their porridge would be cool enough so they came home to breakfast. Now Goldilocks had left the spoon of the Great, Huge Bear, standing in his porridge.
“Somebody has been eating my porridge!” said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice. And when the Middle Bear looked at hers, he saw that the spoon was standing in it too.
“Somebody has eating my porridge!” said the Middle Bear in her middle voice.
Then the Little, Small, Wee Bear looked at his, and there was the spoon in the porridge-pot, but the porridge was all gone.
“Somebody has been eating my porridge, and has eaten it all up!” said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.
Upon this the Three Bears, seeing that someone had entered their house, and eaten up the Little, Small, Wee Bear’s breakfast, began to look about them. Now Goldilocks had not put the hard cushion straight when she rose from the chair of the Great, Huge Bear.
“Somebody has been sitting in my chair!” said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice.
And Goldilocks had squatted down the soft cushion of the Middle Bear.
“Somebody has been sitting in my chair!” said the Middle Bear, in her middle voice.
And you know what Goldilocks had done to the third chair.
“Somebody has been sitting in my chair and has sat the bottom out of it!” said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.
Then the Three Bears went upstairs into their sleeping room. Now the little girl had pulled the pillow of the Great, Huge Bear, out of its place.
“Somebody has been lying in my bed!” said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice.
And the little girl had pulled the covers of the Middle Bear out of its place.
“Somebody has been lying in my bed!” said the Middle Bear, in her middle voice.
And when the Little, Small, Wee Bear came to look at his bed, there was the cover in its place; and the pillow in its place, and upon the bed was Goldilocks.
“Somebody has been lying in my bed,—and here she is!” said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.
Goldilocks had heard in her sleep the great, rough, gruff voice of the Great, Huge Bear; but she was so fast asleep that it was no more to her than the roaring of wind, or the rumbling of thunder. And she had heard the middle voice, of the Middle Bear, but it was only as if she had heard someone speaking in a dream. But when she heard the little, small, wee voice of the Little, Small, Wee Bear, it was so sharp, and so shrill, that it awakened her at once. Up she started! When she saw the Three Bears on one side of the bed, she tumbled herself out at the other, and ran to the window. Out the little window Goldilocks jumped and ran away into the wood until she reached the house of her grandmother.