Aniesha Brahma knew she wanted to be a writer since she was six years old. She was schooled in Dolna Day School and went on to pursue B.A., M.A., and M.Phil in Comparative Literature from Jadavpur Univeristy. She currently lives in Kolkata, with her family and five pet cats. She compiled and edited the 10 volumes series, 'Children's Classic Stories' with love and great efforts.

1. Little Red Riding Hood

Once upon a time there lived a little girl with her parents at the edge of the woods. Her mother had made her a cloak and hood of warm red wool, which suited her so well that she would never wear anything else. This gave her the name Little Red Riding Hood.

One day her mother handed her a basket of goodies and said, “Little Red Riding Hood, take these goodies to your grandmother who lives at the other end of the woods.”

“Okay, mother,” Little Red Riding Hood answered, delighted to visit her grandmother.

“Go straight to Grandmother’s house. Be careful and don’t stray from the path,” her mother warned her, “and don’t talk to any strangers on the way.”

Little Red Riding Hood nodded as she took the basket and set off for her grandmother’s house at the end of the woods. Since it was a beautiful day and the woodland creatures were running about, the little girl strayed from the path. She stopped on her way to pick up a bunch of flowers for her grandmother. Slowly, slowly she wandered further away from the path, deeper into the trees.

She felt two pairs of eyes watching her. She found herself face to face with a very large wolf, with pointed eyes and sharp teeth.

“Good morning, my dear,” the wolf greeted her, “Where are you going on such a fine morning?”

“To my grandmother’s house,” the girl replied, forgetting her mother’s advice. “She lives at the end of the woods.” she added, foolishly.

“What is your name, my dear?” he asked, as charmingly as he could.

“Little Red Riding Hood,” the girl replied.

Now the wolf being cunning grinned at Little Red Riding Hood and said, “Pick a few more flowers for your grandmother, my dear. Then we can race to see who reaches grandmother’s house first.”

No sooner had Little Red Riding Hood turned to pick up a few more flowers, than the wolf raced all the way to grandmother’s house. It was a little white hut just where the woods ended. He knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” Red Riding Hood’s grandmother called from inside the hut.

“It’s me. Little Red Riding Hood,” the sly wolf called in a high-pitched voice.

“Why do you sound so different, my dear?” asked grandmother, as she opened the door.

But as soon as she had opened the door, the wolf gobbled her up whole! Grandmother was now safely inside the tummy of the big, bad wolf.

The wolf at once wore grandmother’s nightdress and nightcap and got into her bed. He lay in wait for Little Red Riding Hood. His mouth watered at the thought of being able to eat her up soon as well.

Little Red Riding Hood arrived soon and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” called the wolf, in his best grandmother like voice. 

“It’s me. Little Red Riding Hood, grandmother.” Little Red Riding Hood called back, “I have brought you some goodies from home.”

“Come in, my dear,” the wolf said.

So Little Red Riding Hood pushed open the door and was quite alarmed to see her grandmother lying in bed.

“Grandmother, are you sick?” cried the worried girl.

“No, no,” the wolf assured her.

Little Red Riding Hood peered closer at the wolf in her grandmother’s clothes and said, “Grandmother, your eyes look rather large today!”

“All the better to see you with, my dear,” the wolf answered.

She went a little closer to him and said, “And your ears look more pointed too.”

“All the better to hear you with, my dear,” the wolf said.

“Grandmother! What sharp teeth you have today!” she cried.

“All the better to eat you with, my dear!” the wolf shouted and leapt out of bed towards Little Red Riding Hood.

Little Red Riding Hood let out a piercing scream which was heard by a huntsman who was just passing by. He rushed into the hut and found the girl, shrinking in fright and the wolf about to strike her.

He at once hit the wolf with his sharp axe. The wolf’s tummy was sliced open and out jumped grandmother. She was still alive as in his hurry the wolf had eaten her whole. She was happy to see Little Red Riding Hood.

“Thank you for saving us,” they said to the huntsman and invited him to join them to eat the goodies.

“How did the wolf know where your grandmother lives, Little Red Riding Hood?” asked the huntsman, when their evening of eating goodies was over.

“Because I spoke to a stranger,” Little Red Riding Hood wailed, “And mother told me not to speak to strangers.”

“It is alright,” he told her, “Do not do it again. Come, I shall take you back home to your mother.”

So they set off down the path, back to Little Red Riding Hood’s house. The girl had learned her lesson and never spoke to strangers or strayed from the path ever again.

2. Cinderella

Once upon a time there lived a young girl named Ella. She was the beloved daughter of a merchant and his wife. When Ella was just a child, her mother died. Her father married again soon after. Her stepmother did not like Ella at all. Neither did Ella’s new stepsisters. She was much prettier than them. They treated her rather poorly. Since Ella’s father always had to go away on business, he did not know how Ella was being treated.

While her father was away, Ella’s stepmother and stepsisters made her do all the housework. They took away all her pretty things and since she was always covered in ashes from cleaning the fireplace, they began to call her Cinderella.

On one of his business journeys, Cinderella’s father passed away, leaving her in the care of her cruel stepmother and stepsisters. As she was of a kind and gentle nature, Cinderella did not mind doing all of the household work.

One day a very grand invitation arrived. The messenger came from the Palace inviting all of the fair young maidens of the land to attend the King’s Ball. The handsome young Prince was to choose one of them for his wife at the Ball. The stepsisters were beside themselves with joy as they planned what dresses they would wear to the Ball.  They could talk about nothing else.

“What shall I wear to the Ball?” poor Cinderella asked, as she watched her stepsisters.

“You?” one of them laughed cruelly, “Surely, you do not think we would take you to the Ball!”

“The Prince would never take a little rag girl like you for his wife,” the other one added.

“Cinderella,” her stepmother said, “You may go to the Ball if you finish all your work.”

This made Cinderella happy. On the day of the Ball, she woke up at dawn and worked hard throughout the day to finish all her duties on time. When evening came and her stepsisters started to get ready to the Ball, Cinderella went to her stepmother.

“May I get ready for the Ball now as I had finished all the work?” she asked.

Her stepmother laughed cunningly and said, “No, you silly girl. I could never dream of taking our servant girl to the Ball with us.”

Cinderella was so heartbroken by these words that she sat down by the fireplace and cried herself to sleep. She did not hear her stepsisters and stepmother leave for the Ball. She woke up when she heard her own name being called gently...“Cinderella...”

She woke up surprised and found herself staring at an old lady, with a twinkle in her eye and a wand in her hand.

“Who are you?” Cinderella asked surprisingly.

“I am your Fairy Godmother,” she said, smiling at Cinderella, “Why are you crying?”

“Because I wish I could have gone to the Ball too,” sobbed the girl, “My stepmother and stepsisters have gone to the Ball, leaving me behind.”

“Oh, but you shall go to the Ball, my dear,” she said, “And you must bring me everything that I ask you to at once.”

“Yes, of course,” Cinderella said with a hope.

“Bring me a large pumpkin from the vegetable patch, six mice from the barn and four lizards from the garden.”

Cinderella did as she was asked. With a wave of the wand, the pumpkin was turned into a glittering golden coach and the mice into six pure white horses. The lizards became elegant footmen, dressed in green velvet.

“But I have nothing to wear to the Ball,” Cinderella told her Fairy Godmother.

“Not to worry,” her Fairy Godmother replied. She waved her wand again.

Cinderella’s tattered dress covered in ashes disappeared. She stood there in a white dress, glittering with golden stars. On her feet were tiny glass slippers with diamond heels. Cinderella could not thank her Fairy Godmother enough.

“Now hurry up, my dear,” her Fairy Godmother said, “And take care to come home before midnight because that is when my magic will end.”

When Cinderella arrived at the Ball, dressed in all her finery, everyone stopped to look at her. She caught the Prince’s eye who came and asked her to dance. He was so taken by her beauty that he danced with her all evening, ignoring the other maidens who had come to the Ball. The stepsisters were beside themselves with fury. They sat there frowning, making themselves look even uglier.

Cinderella was enjoying herself so much that she completely forgot her Fairy Godmother’s warning. When the first stroke of midnight was heard, she turned away from the Prince with a cry.

“Please forgive me,” she said, as she fled from the Palace and ran down the steps to her carriage.

“Wait,” shouted the Prince, as he ran after her, “Please tell me your name.”

In her haste to get down the flight of stairs, a glass slipper slipped off her foot. Cinderella did not even dare to turn back and get it. She hurried home and as soon as she reached the gates, Cinderella’s beautiful dress disappeared and she was once again clad in rags!

Meanwhile, the Prince picked up the glass slipper and went inside the Palace. There he declared, “I shall marry the maiden whose foot will fit perfectly into this glass slipper. A messenger will be sent to all your houses tomorrow.”

Cinderella’s stepsisters were furious when they came home as a mysterious girl had come in and taken away their chance of dancing with the handsome, young Prince. They found Cinderella sitting by the fireplace and did not think it was their stepsister who was the mystery girl.

The next day when the messenger from the Palace came bearing the shoe. The stepsisters were eager to try it on. Unfortunately, it was too tight for one and too loose for the other. They were dismayed. But not as dismayed as the messenger.

“Are there any other maidens in this house?” he asked.

“No,” the stepmother said at once.

“Please, please let me try the shoe,” Cinderella said from the shadows.

“Oh, but she is a servant girl,” her stepsisters cried.

“The Prince has ordered that every maiden in the kingdom will have to try the shoe,” the messenger said.

Cinderella tried on the shoe and it fit her perfectly. The Prince was overjoyed to know that his one, true love had been found. He came out of the Royal carriage and whisked her away to meet the King and Queen. They were married the very next day. The stepmother and stepsisters were punished for their cruelty by the King. The Prince insisted the stepsisters spent one day a week working in the Palace kitchens just to remind them how horrid they had been to Cinderella.

As for the Prince and Cinderella, they lived happily ever after.