LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD (Cappuccetto Rosso)

Video dellaudiolibro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQidE95nhws

Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl, the pre
ttiest creature who was ever seen. Her mother was excessively fond of her; and h
er grandmother doted on her still more. This good woman had a little red riding
hood made for her. It suited the girl so extremely well that everybody called he
r Little Red Riding Hood.
One day her mother, having made some cakes, said to her, "Go, my dear, and see h
ow your grandmother is doing, for I hear she has been very ill. Take her a cake,
and this little pot of butter."
Little Red Riding Hood set out immediately to go to her grandmother, who lived i
n another village.
As she was going through the wood, she met with a wolf, who had a very great min
d to eat her up, but he dared not, because of some woodcutters working nearby in
the forest. He asked her where she was going. The poor child, who did not know
that it was dangerous to stay and talk to a wolf, said to him, "I am going to se
e my grandmother and carry her a cake and a little pot of butter from my mother.
"
"Does she live far off?" said the wolf
"Oh I say," answered Little Red Riding Hood; "it is beyond that mill you see the
re, at the first house in the village."
"Well," said the wolf, "and I ll go and see her too. I ll go this way and go you
that, and we shall see who will be there first."
The wolf ran as fast as he could, taking the shortest path, and the little girl
took a roundabout way, entertaining herself by gathering nuts, running after but
terflies, and gathering bouquets of little flowers. It was not long before the w
olf arrived at the old woman s house. He knocked at the door: tap, tap.
"Who s there?"
"Your grandchild, Little Red Riding Hood," replied the wolf, counterfeiting her
voice; "who has brought you a cake and a little pot of butter sent you by mother
."
The good grandmother, who was in bed, because she was somewhat ill, cried out, "
Pull the bobbin, and the latch will go up."
The wolf pulled the bobbin, and the door opened, and then he immediately fell up
on the good woman and ate her up in a moment, for it been more than three days s
ince he had eaten. He then shut the door and got into the grandmother s bed, exp
ecting Little Red Riding Hood, who came some time afterwards and knocked at the
door: tap, tap.
"Who s there?"
Little Red Riding Hood, hearing the big voice of the wolf, was at first afraid;

but believing her grandmother had a cold and was hoarse, answered, "It is your g
randchild Little Red Riding Hood, who has brought you a cake and a little pot of
butter mother sends you."
The wolf cried out to her, softening his voice as much as he could, "Pull the bo
bbin, and the latch will go up."
Little Red Riding Hood pulled the bobbin, and the door opened.
The wolf, seeing her come in, said to her, hiding himself under the bedclothes,
"Put the cake and the little pot of butter upon the stool, and come get into bed
with me."
Little Red Riding Hood took off her clothes and got into bed. She was greatly am
azed to see how her grandmother looked in her nightclothes, and said to her, "Gr
andmother, what big arms you have!"
"All the better to hug you with, my dear."
"Grandmother, what big legs you have!"
"All the better to run with, my child."
"Grandmother, what big ears you have!"
"All the better to hear with, my child."
"Grandmother, what big eyes you have!"
"All the better to see with, my child."
"Grandmother, what big teeth you have got!"
"All the better to eat you up with."
And, saying these words, this wicked wolf fell upon Little Red Riding Hood, and
ate her all up.
Moral: Children, especially attractive, well bred young ladies, should never tal
k to strangers, for if they should do so, they may well provide dinner for a wol
f. I say "wolf," but there are various kinds of wolves. There are also those who
are charming, quiet, polite, unassuming, complacent, and sweet, who pursue youn
g women at home and in the streets. And unfortunately, it is these gentle wolves
who are the most dangerous ones of all.

GLADYSS CHRISTMAS JOY

Link alla storia: http://www.storynory.com/2014/12/14/gladyss-christmas-joy/

TESTO:

Hello, this is Natasha, and we have a lovely Christmassy surprise for you. One o
f our most popular productions of 2014 series in which our singing hero, Gladys,
came back. There were music and songs and when it was all over you kept on aski
ng us why it had to come to an end. For all you Gladys fans out there, here is a
story called Gladyss Christmas Joy.
It was hard to believe that it was going to be Christmas all over again. It seem
ed just like yesterday that those tacky and tinsley number ones were playing, li
ke ghosts of Christmas past. You heard them on the radio, you heard them at the
winter fair, you heard them in the supermarkets as shoppers pushed their trolley
s around picking up frozen turkeys, vintage puddings, and fake fur trees.
What particularly drove Gladys mad was that they were playing those hit songs of
yore all day long in the cafe where she was working as a waitress. Yes, Gladys
had not quite made it yet in the world of pop. It was an unfortunate fact in the
life of a girl who was half-way to becoming a superstar that she had no money.
The agents and music execs in California had promised her a bright future but th
at was exactly what it was a future. And so here in the present she had taken he
r first job. It was hard work and low wages. Most of the customers were nice, bu
t some were rude, and her manager would say things like: Is it so hard to remembe
r which drawer the forks go in, Gladys? and Do you really think those are suitable
shoes for work Gladys? and Do you have to look so stressed all the time, it puts
the customers off their food?
But somehow she did not mind any of that because this Christmas, unlike any othe
r previous Christmases, she had every reason to think that things were going to
be very different in a years time. Yes, she was thinking as she arranged the turkey
sandwiches on a plate, they loved me in LA. Now, at last, Im truly on my way.
As she was walking home from work on a particularly cold evening, she felt her p
hone buzzing in her coat. She was surprised to see that the call was from Ava, w
hom she had known at school, but hadnt spoken to in ages. She was always the seco
nd most sensible person in school after Gladys and now that Gladys had done the
totally unsensible thing of heading off to pursue fame and glory in the music bi
z, the school had made Ava head-girl. The teachers felt that they had had a narr
ow escape because if they had made the obvious choice of Gladys, she would have
let them all down with her rash flight of fancy.
Hi Gladdy, said Ava. Long time no speak. Listen, Im in charge of this years Help A Chi
ld In Need, appeal at school, and you know me, I dont like to do things by halves.
Ive set myself a simple target. I aim to raise more money for charity than any s
chool in the country has ever done before. Im nothing if not ambitious, hey? But
its a cool idea, no? Im calling to ask for your assistance.
Gladys was walking along thinking: Uh-oh, this is more about Avas ego than about k
ids in need, and she really wanted to think of a polite way to get away, but she
found herself saying: Why do you think I could help, Ava?
Simple, said Ava. You arrange for your sisters to reform the chiX and put on a spec
ial charity gig here at the school. We could name any price for a ticket and it
would sell out in minutes. Maybe they could release a special Christmas single w
hile they are about it, you know, with words like Clap Your Hands Save the World
, and all that stuff.
Well, Ava, you know I would just love to help, said Gladys, a little insincerely, b

ut my sisters dont have any plans to regroup, and besides Laura lives in Californ
ia.
I know Gladdy, but you have such great people skills. Youre the only person in the
whole world who could win them over. The fans of the chiX would just love you t
o bits if you did,and remember its all in aid of such a good cause!
Flattery will get you almost everywhere, Ava, but sorry no can do, said Gladys, It
just isnt possible.
Gladys was starting to feel more than a bit annoyed. She had slowed down her wal
k home to take this call, but what irked her even more was that Ava still saw he
r as a fixer for her sisters band. She wanted to say: Dont you realise that Im me no
w, Im Gladys, Im the one with the talent and the drive and the will to succeed? But
instead she took her gloves off and put them in her pockets so that she could p
inch herself on the back of her hand. The sharp but harmless pain took her mind
off her irritation. Then Ava really put her foot in it:
Strictly between me and you, Gladdy, she said, It wouldnt do you any harm to do the
school a favour because if you ever wanted to come back and do your A Levels the
y would be less likely to refuse. Mrs Johnson was pretty cheesed off when you le
ft early, and this is a golden opportunity to get back in her good books.
Thanks Ava, said Gladys, but Im not coming back to school. Im doing alright on my own
thanks.
Well, nobody is more pleased to hear that than I am, Gladys. Ill pop over and buy
a turkey sandwich off you sometime.
It took a lot to make Gladys angry, but when she reached home she was shaking so
much with rage, that she found it hard to put the key in the latch of the door.
Whats up Glad? asked her dad as he opened the door for her. She stormed past him an
d headed up the stairs. Bad day at the sandwich shop, love? he asked innocently. No
, she called back. Lifes perfect, and she slammed her bedroom door.
When she had calmed down, she checked her emails and saw, to her surprise, that
there was a rare email from her sister Laura in LA. It was sent to all the siste
rs and said: Just rushing to airport. See you in London soon XXX.
That was about the most advance warning you could expect of a visit from Laura. B
other, thought Gladys. They could do the gig, but I neednt worry, because they woul
dnt do it without a lot of persuasion and organising by me. And then she felt a gu
ilty pang, because although Ava was the most annoying person on the planet, the
concert was for charity.
As Laura was in town, it was inevitable that the sisters would get together. The
y met on Sunday afternoon for a walk on Clapham Common. Gladyss cheeks flushed re
d in the cold air. Laura and Mandy both wore Santa hats, which actually looked q
uite fetching. They linked arms and went along doing high kicks and singing Jing
le Bells at the tops of their voices. Gladys did not have that kind of extrovers
ion. Seeing her sisters act like that made her wonder if she really had the righ
t personality to be a performer. When they stopped to buy roasted chestnuts, she
felt compelled to mention Avas request for the chiX to reunite and do a charity
gig at school.
That would be a laugh, said Laura. Id love to see the annoyed look on those teachers
faces. Yeah, we made it without their stupid lessons, gym classes and detentions
.

Yeah, lets do it, said Sam. Just a one-off for old times sake, and to take a look at
the old place and remind ourselves what we escaped from.
And Mandy said: Cant say Im dying to do that all over again, but it is for charity.
Bother, thought Gladys. Ill have to tell Ava. This is going to look great on her C.V
. Organised spectacular fundraiser for charity, she will say. But in fact she made
one stupid phone call. Ill do all the work, and everyone else will take the cred
it. Same old story. When is my life going to change?
Gladys was nothing if not diligent. She spent a whole day off work on the phone
and email, hiring sound and lighting equipment and searching for backing musicia
ns. She would have to pay for all this out of her savings. Her sisters promised
to refund her, but she knew that she would have to ask each of them six times ov
er for the money, and that meant sending 18 nags in total. Then she had to get t
hem together for rehearsals, and suddenly they all had busy diaries, even though
on a normal day they spent their time sleeping and shopping. This was starting
to look like the worst Christmas of her life.
As part of the preparations for the concert, Gladys went to a meeting at the sch
ool with Mrs Johnson and Ava. It was strange walking back through the gates. A t
eacher glanced at her, and she could see she was wondering why Gladys was not we
aring uniform. Hello Miss, said Gladys, struggling to remember the teachers name. He
llo, said the teacher, who could not remember Gladys.
Gladys went to the school office and said: I have an appointment with Mrs Johnson
. The secretary, who was new, looked in the diary and asked Gladys to go through
to a meeting room and wait for the head teacher. Ava arrived soon afterwards.
Youve done so well, Gladys, she said, I knew you could.
Gladys cringed because she felt that the praise was insincere. Still somehow it
felt that they were sitting side by side, one wearing school uniform, the other
wearing a business suit.
Then Mrs Johnson came in, saw Gladys and said: Hello Gladys. Gladys stood up and h
eld her hand out for her to shake in a business-like way. The head teacher looke
d at her hand with an expression of puzzlement, before taking it limply.
When we first heard your plan, said Mrs Johnson, the mood in the staff room was les
s than enthusiastic. It does not send out the right message that some of the les
s diligent students I am talking about your sisters, not you, Gladys find easy f
ame and fortune. Some young and impressionable minds might not realise that a co
nsiderable amount of good luck helped them along. It was as if they had won the
lottery. I gather things have not been quite so easy for you, Gladys.
Im doing well thank you, said Gladys.
Well, you can thank Ava here for her hard work, persistence and powers of persuas
ion, because she brought some of the senior staff over to the point of view that
this would raise a considerable sum of money for charity and show the school to
the world in a positive light.
Gladys nodded. It was a bit rich that she was supposed to thank Ava, but she did
her best to look grown-up and business-like, despite being talked down to. She
thought quietly to herself:
You wont talk to me in that patronising tone after my career gets launched properl
y. Youll be begging me to come back and give a talk to the whole school on prizegiving day.

After that, the meeting was fairly brief. Ava went back to her lessons, and Glad
ys went to talk to the head of drama and the school janitors about how they were
going to arrange the concert in the assembly hall. The space was big enough to
fit 1,400 people, which was a nice size for a special gig. It wasnt exactly the O
2 Arena, but it would feel quite cosy when it was packed with fans. They talked
mostly about the arrangements for security and evacuation in case of a fire. Pre
paring for her sisters gig was taking up almost all of Gladyss time. She had given
up her job in the sandwich shop.
But some of her evenings in December were an entirely different matter. Her conn
ections in show biz, including Laura and Darren Wolfe, had invited her to some o
f the ritziest Christmas parties in London. They were the sort of dos where the
celebrity spotters are held back by security guys in black suits, and the flashe
s of the cameras pulsate, and the party-goers pause on the red carpet to sign au
tographs with the adoring fans on the other side of the rope. Lauras boyfriend ha
d arranged a chauffeur driven limousine for one of these evenings, and as they s
at in the back, Sam said to Gladys: Last time you wore that black dress, I didnt l
ike to say this, but it doesnt suit you.
As it happened, Gladys was particularly fond of that dress because it was the on
e she had bought for her evening out with Darren Wolfe. In her heart she knew th
at Sam was jealous of how good she looked in it, but there was still part of her
still-sensitive soul that hemorrhaged confidence. She felt low all evening.
It was odd, perhaps even blatant, that later that evening Sam said to Gladys: You
know that Ava needs a dress and I hope you dont mind, I said she could borrow yo
urs.
This was a development that Gladys was totally not expecting.
What does she need it for? she asked.
Didnt you know shes going to sing a number with us? said Sam. Its like a reward for ar
ranging everything.
What! exclaimed Gladys. Over my dead body, and even then not in my dress! How dare
you invite her without asking me first?
Sorry Gladdy, said Sam. I didnt realise you would mind so much. She was nagging me a
nd nagging me, and I just gave in and said alright. Its only for one number.
Gladys wanted to cry, but at the same time she felt mean, because she really did
have a future making music, and Ava was just a wannabe. She was actually lost f
or words.
The next day, Ava called at the house to try on the dress.
To tell you the truth, said Gladys, I think it will be a tight fit for you. What she
said was perfectly true, and she did not mean to be catty, but Ava immediately
replied:
I knew you would be like that, but I dont have any choice because Im still at schoo
l and dont have any money of my own.
Gladys felt bad and said that she was welcome to try it on. In fact, Ava really
had to squeeze into the dress. When Gladys zipped up her back for her, she wonde
red if the seams were about to burst.
There, said Ava, posing in front of the mirror. Sam said it was just made for me.

Gladys shook her head, but Ava did not notice.

On the night of the concert, Gladys and her sisters arrived at the school in a s
wanky black car. This sure beats the bus, said Sam.
A group of students had been allowed to meet the chiX in their dressing room. Gl
adys could see how her sisters were loving it. Of course, I should have known the
y would have been up for this gig, she thought. They were lapping up the attentio
n because people they had sat next to in class could see how glamorous and succe
ssful they had become, and that was somehow even better for their egos than bein
g adored by complete strangers. There were former school mates who wanted to tal
k to Gladys too, but there seemed to be a note of sympathy in their voices, beca
use Gladys wasnt totally famous yet. It was annoying, but none of her real friend
s had been given passes to go back stage. She suspected Ava had seen to that.
As ever, Gladys was the one who kept her eye on the time, and coaxed her sisters
to get out onto the stage. She stood on the wings and watched the band as the l
oudest cheers the school had ever heard shook the rafters. The hall throbbed to
the bass and drums and there was a delightfully pained look on the face of Mrs J
ohnson sitting in the front row.
Everyone wanted to hear the chiXs greatest hits like Life is a Circus and Ghost Girl
(the sisters version not Gladyss) and they were even more up for Lauras more recent
solo numbers. Gladys thought they werent dancing quite as well as they did in th
eir prime, but it was more than good enough for a private gig. When Ava was abou
t to join them for the last but one song, Laura gave her a great build-up, lavis
hing praise on her dedication and hard work for charity, and saying how she set
a fantastic example for all the selfish people in show business. Ava was standin
g in front of Gladys, ready to run on stage, and taking deep calming gulps of ai
r in anticipation of her big moment in the limelight. The borrowed dress seemed
to be stretching and Gladys feared that her little favourite black number might
be losing its slinky shape. As Ava stepped on stage, the cheers went up and Glad
yss heart sank. It just did not seem right. The chiX had given their guest singer
an uptempo number, and some verses for her to sing solo. Gladys had to admit th
at Ava had a good voice, she was in tune, and she could belt out the notes. Some
how the stitches of her dress clung together. The tight fit sort of flattered he
r. The final seconds of the song featured some energetic dance steps. Ava swung
her hips and Kapow! The dress actually did go bust Gladyss first reaction was hor
ror at seeing her favourite item in her wardrobe fall to pieces, but then she bu
rst out laughing because the schools head girl was standing on the stage in her u
nderwear. She was so stunned she did not move for a moment, before the full horr
or of what had just happened sunk in and she ran off stage. The audience found h
er predicament hilarious, and suddenly it wasnt a Christmas concert so much as a
comedy ball.
Ive never been so embarrassed in all my life, hissed Ava through hot tears. And its a
ll your fault for lending me a cheap knock-off of a dress.
Didnt I try to warn you? asked Gladys, amazed at the A grade students reasoning, or
lack of it. She was already feeling torn between sympathy and feeling this was t
he funniest thing she had ever seen.
The music had stopped and Laura was speaking to the audience: I hope you enjoyed
your head girls deliberate wardrobe malfunction, which was of course all part of
the act, and now please put your hands together and welcome the unsung hero of o
ur singing sisterhood. Weve always called her the brainy one of the family, but a
ctually shes also got an amazingly sweet voice and my prediction for the New Year
is that shes going to be a huge star give it up for the one and only Gladys!

Gladys was so amazed that her feet felt like they were glued to the floor. Laura
had to come and drag her onto the stage and place her in front of Avas microphon
e. The drummer started to beat out a groove and Gladys recognised the number, be
cause she had suggested it as the finale to the show. She glanced at Laura and s
aw her affectionate smile that said: Go ahead and sing, you know the words, and Gl
adyss heart filled with joy.
[This is where we play in Joy to the World]
And that was Gladyss Christmas Joy. If you are listening in December, we hope it
set you up for a really happy and joyous Christmas, but of course you can downlo
ad our stories for free on any day of the year, so drop by soon at Storynory.com
.