ONCE upon a time there were Three Bears: Papa Bear, Momma Bear, and Baby Bear. They lived together in a house of their own, in the woods.They had each a pot for their porridge; a little pot for Baby Bear, a middle-sized pot for the Momma Bear, and a great pot for the Papa Bear. And they had each a chair to sit in; a little chair for Baby Bear, a middle-sized chair for Momma Bear, and a great chair for Papa Bear. And they had each a bed to sleep in; a little bed for Baby Bear; and a middle-sized bed for Momma Bear, and a great bed for Papa 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.
While they were walking, a little pony called Fluttershy came to the house. First she looked in at the window, then went to the front door and peeped in at the keyhole. Seeing nobody in the house, she turned the handle of the door. 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 Fluttershy 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 very good-natured and hospitable. But the porridge looked tempting, and she set about helping herself. So first she tasted the porridge of Papa Bear, and that was too hot for her. And then she tasted the porridge of Momma Bear, and that was too cold for her. And then she went to the porridge of Baby Bear, and tasted that; and that was neither too hot nor too cold, but just right, and she liked it so well that she ate it all up.
Then Fluttershy sat down in the chair of Papa Bear, and found that was too hard for her. And then she sat down in the chair of Momma Bear, but that was too soft for her. And then she sat down in the chair of Baby Bear's, and that was neither too hard nor too soft, but just right. So she seated herself in it, and there she sat till the bottom of the chair came out, and down she went landing on her rump.
Then Fluttershy went upstairs into the bed-chamber in which the three Bears slept. And first she lay down upon the bed of Pappa Bear, but that was too high at the head for her. And next she lay down upon the bed of Momma Bear, and that was too high at the foot for her. And then she lay down upon the bed of Baby Bear; and that was neither too high at the head nor at the foot, but just right. So 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 Fluttersky had left the spoon of Papa Bear standing in his porridge. "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE!" said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice.
And when Momma Bear looked at hers, she saw that the spoon was standing in it too. "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE!" said Momma Bear, in her momma voice.
Then Baby Bear looked at his, and there was the spoon in the porridge-pot, but the porridge was all gone. "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN AT MY PORRIDGE, AND HAS EATEN IT ALL UP!" said Baby Bear, in his baby voice.
Upon this the Three Bears, seeing that someone had entered their house, and eaten up Baby Bear's breakfast, began to look about them.
Now Fluttershy had not put the hard cushion straight when she rose from the chair of Papa Bear. "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!" said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice.
Someone had squatted down the soft cushion of the Momma Bear. "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR!" said Momma Bear, in her momma voice.
And you know what Fluttershy had done to the third chair. "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR, AND HAS SAT THE BOTTOM OUT OF IT!" said Baby Bear, in his baby voice.
Then the Three Bears thought it necessary that they should make farther search; so they went upstairs into their bedchamber.
Now Fluttershy had pulled the pillow of the great, huge Bear, and tossed it upon the floor. "SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED!" said the Great, Huge Bear, in his great, rough, gruff voice.
And Fluttershy had pulled the bolster 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 bolster in its place; and the pillow in its place upon the bolster; and upon the pillow was the head of Fluttershy—which was not in its place, for she had no business there.
"SOMEBODY HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED—AND HERE SHE IS!" said the Little, Small, Wee Bear, in his little, small, wee voice.
Fluttershy had heard in her sleep the great, rough, gruff voice of the Great, Huge Bear, and 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; and when she saw the Three Bears on one side of the bed she tumbled herself out at the other, and ran to the window. Now the window was open, because the Bears, like good, tidy Bears, as they were, always opened their bedchamber window when they got up in the morning. Out Fluttershy jumped, and flew away as fast as she could—never looking behind her; and what happened to her afterwards I cannot tell. But the Three Bears never saw anything more of her.
Thee End
