Little Blue Working Pants

              I chose to do a spin-off of “Little Red Riding Hood” but call it “Little Blue Working Pants”. I found this assignment to be easier than I had expected. Once I got started, the rest just flowed. I altered many parts of the story, but the main plot is the same. I also changed the ending.

Little Blue Working Pants

            Once upon a time, there lived a little boy. This little boy was, more often than not, called Little Blue Working Pants after a pair of sturdy pants he would always wear. He had been given these sturdy pants by his grandfather during the winter. It was now spring and not a week had passed where Little Blue Working Pants had not worn his favorite pair of pants as least five times.

            Little Blue Working Pants loved his grandfather very much and became very distressed when he heard his grandfather had fallen and broken both his leg and his arm. Now he would not be able to work in his blacksmith shop until they had both healed. Determined to help his grandfather, Little Blue Working Pants pulled on his sturdy jeans and announced he was going to his grandfather’s house in the woods to work in his shop until he was healed.

            Now, as Little Blue Working Pants headed off to the woods he mother told him to be weary. “There are many dangerous things that live in the forest between here and grandfather’s house,“ she said. Little Blue Working Pants simply responded, “I know.” He had grown accustom to his mother’s needless worrying. It seemed that according to his mother, there were many “dangerous things” everywhere. There was no sense in worrying since he had never encountered such things in his little adventures. So, as careless as a butterfly, he ventured off into the woods.

            Not long after he had set off, Little Blue Working Pants came across Bear. Now Bear is one who would fall into Little Blue Working Pants mother’s definition of a “dangerous thing.” However, when she had mentioned Bear, Little Blue Working Pants had not been listening. He had turned her out like a droning hammer.

            When Bear saw Little Blue Working Pants strutting through the forest one thing popped into his mind, lunch. When he jumped out of forest onto the path which Little Blue Working Pants was walking on, he was slightly confused when he did not try to flee. “Little Blue Working Pants, why are you not afraid of me?” Bear dared to ask. Little Blue Working Pants responded, “Why would I be afraid of an oversized teddy bear? I’ve wanted one like you for years! All I really want to do is give you a hug.” With this, the Bear realized that he would not have to catch his own lunch, lunch was being served today.

            Little Blue Working Pants was a talkative fellow and did not stop there. He continued, “Teddy Bear, you should accompany me to my grandfather’s house. I want to show him my great Teddy Bear. He doesn’t live too far away, just over the bridge by the swimming creek.” This Bear could not refuse. Two for one? Why not.

            Bear quickly hatched his plan to have lunch and dessert. He asked Little Blue Working Pants, “Why walk together when we can make a game out of this? Here, I’ll race you to grandfather’s house.” Little Blue Working Pants could not refuse such a game. Ready. Set. Go. They were off.

            It was not even close to a close race. While Little Blue Working Pants was a hard worker, he was a slow runner. Bear arrived at grandfather’s house and knocked on the door. Grandfather responded from within, “Who is it?” Quick on his toes, Bear responded in his best little boy voice, “It’s me, Little Blue Working Pants.”

            Now Grandfather had lived a good plenty of years, and was not one to be deceived. Unlike Little Blue Working Pants, Grandfather was wise. Try as Bear might, Grandfather knew this was no voice of a little boy. He cautiously peered out the window by the door and saw Bear standing by the door. Instead of opening the door, he promptly retrieved his rifle from its hiding place behind the bed and took aim by the window. Outside, Bear could hear much shuffling and clumsy movement, but he did not suspect a thing. When the shot went off, he was nearly dumbfounded.

            As Bear hit the ground, Little Blue Working Pants made it to his Grandfather’s house. Tears emerged from his naïve eyes as he saw the life leave his giant Teddy Bear.  “Grandfather what have you done?” he cried. Ignorant of the danger he had put them both in, Grandfather sat Little Blue Working Pants down on his uninjured lap and explained the dangers of the forest. This time, Little Blue Working Pants listened.