The Gingerbread Man

Once upon a time there was a Gingerbread Man, and his story came out like this; One day a little old man and a little old lady pressed him together from spice and flour. They opened the oven door. Pop. Out he ran. And the little old lady said, “Gingerbread Man, stop. You look so good, we want to eat you up.” Run, run as fast as you can You can’t catch me I’m the Gingerbread Man He ran through the woods, tap tap tap over roots and stone, tap tap tap over the cold old ground. He met a cow. The cow said, “Gingerbread Man, stop. You smell so sweet, I want to eat you up.” Run, run as fast as you can You can’t catch me I’m the Gingerbread Man Farther down the country road, he kept running, with crumbs falling softly behind him. He met a horse. The horse said, “Gingerbread Man, stop. You look so good, I want to eat you up.” Run, run as fast as you can You can’t catch me I’m the Gingerbread Man Then he met a fox, a sly old fox standing too still, licking his lips slow. The fox said, “Hey little gingerbread thing, stop. I only want to talk to you.” He kept running. The fox followed close. “Oh no, a river.” He didn’t know what to do. “Hey little thing, I’ll help you. Jump on my tail. I’ll take you across, no trouble.” Swim, swim, swim, the fox said in a low voice. “But for the safest ride, climb up on my nose. That’s it, Gingerbread Man. That’s just right.” The fox reached the other side and tossed the little Gingerbread Man into the air. Snip. Snap. No more running through the woods. No more moving down the road. No more Gingerbread Man.