The Gingerbread Man
Once upon a time, in a cozy little kitchen, a woman was making gingerbread dough. She mixed all the ingredients, including ginger, molasses, and flour, and shaped the dough into a little man. She put the gingerbread man in the oven and waited for him to bake.
As the gingerbread man baked, he came to life! He jumped out of the oven and ran out of the kitchen, yelling, “Run, run, as fast as you can! You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”
The woman was surprised to see the gingerbread man come to life, and she ran after him, but he was too fast for her. He ran past the cow, the horse, and the pig, who all tried to catch him, but he was too quick.
As he ran, he kept taunting the animals, saying, “You’ll never catch me!” and “I’m too fast for you!” But then, he saw the river up ahead, and he realized that he couldn’t swim. He was afraid that the animals would catch him and eat him up.
Just then, a sly fox appeared and offered to help the gingerbread man cross the river. “Jump on my back,” said the fox, “and I’ll carry you across.”
The gingerbread man was hesitant at first, but he saw no other choice. He hopped on the fox’s back, and the fox started to swim. But as they reached the middle of the river, the fox said, “You’re so heavy, gingerbread man. Can you climb on my head so that I can swim better?”
The gingerbread man, not suspecting any foul play, climbed onto the fox’s head. But as they reached the other side of the river, the fox snapped his jaws shut, and the gingerbread man realized that he had been tricked.
“Let me go!” cried the gingerbread man, but the fox just grinned and said, “I don’t think so. You’re too delicious to let go.”
The gingerbread man thought quickly and said, “But wait, Mr. Fox. I have an idea. Why don’t you let me sing you a song before you eat me? I’m a fantastic singer, you know.”
The fox, feeling a little curious, agreed to the gingerbread man’s request. The gingerbread man started to sing a catchy little tune, and the fox closed his eyes to listen. As he did, the gingerbread man made a quick leap off the fox’s head and started to run as fast as he could.
“Run, run, as fast as you can!” he yelled. “You can’t catch me, I’m the gingerbread man!”
The fox, realizing he had been tricked, ran after him, but the gingerbread man was too fast. He ran all the way back to the kitchen, where the woman caught him and put him back in the oven.
The gingerbread man was exhausted, but he was also relieved. He knew that he was safe now, and that he wouldn’t be eaten by the fox. And so, he lay in the oven, feeling happy and content.
As the woman took him out of the oven, he thought to himself, “Maybe it’s not so bad being a gingerbread man after all.” And with that, he smiled and went to sleep, dreaming of all the adventures he would have the next time he came to life.