Once upon a time there lived a grandfather and grandmother. They worked long and hard, and when they retired, they left their city flat and moved to live in a distant village. There they had a small but very cosy cottage.
And in our age of modern technology and gadgets, they equipped their cottage with the latest technology: satellite television, internet, convenient means of transport, a scooter, a bicycle and so on. Grandfather ploughed small vegetable patches near the house on his mini-tractor, grandmother looked after the household. At a family meeting, after heated debates and weighty arguments, they made a joint decision to buy a goat. A little goat named Rosie gave them milk.
Grandfather and grandmother ordered groceries through the internet with delivery, as there was no shop in their village, and it was not economical to travel to the neighbouring village to do the shopping.
And so one day grandfather says:
Bake me a gingerbread man, granny.
And she replies:
The internet was down yesterday, we haven't ordered flour yet.
Well, have a rummage through the bags in the cellar, do a check of the kitchen cupboards, maybe you'll find something.
Okay.
Said grandmother.
Looks like we won't be able to get out of this, I'll do as you say.
She shook through the bags, searched through the cupboards, milked the little goat Rosie, and somehow managed to get the dough together. Grandmother put all the ingredients into a marvellous bread maker, switched on the "Gingerbread Man" baking programme and the mixing and baking process got underway in earnest.
Whether it was a long time or a short time, whilst our characters were busy with their personal affairs, chatting with relatives on social media, the programme set for the bread maker was coming to an end. The gingerbread man was baked.
Grandmother opened the bread maker, and there it was - so fluffy, fragrant, rosy... Only very hot.
Grandmother placed the gingerbread man on the windowsill to cool, and went to the kitchen to load the dirty dishes into the dishwasher.
The gingerbread man lay there, and suddenly saw a mono-wheel (unicycle).
Oh, what a cool vehicle.
Thought the gingerbread man.
Well, I'll take it for a ride, stretch my sides, get out of my comfort zone on the windowsill.
The round fellow jumped down from the window, climbed onto the mono-wheel and rolled off... Rolling along, smiling, having fun. Suddenly, a Hare on roller skates comes towards him.
Saw the gingerbread man and laughed nastily:
Gingerbread man, gingerbread man, I'll overtake you and eat you.
Don't eat me, little Hare, and you won't catch me anyway. Let me sing you a song and let's pretend you didn't say anything, and I didn't hear anything. And we'll each go our own way.
While the Hare was thinking, the gingerbread man rolled away. He didn't have to eat or chase anyone. And he almost went without a song. That's what a shame happened to him.
The gingerbread man felt sorry for the Hare, came back and sang him a song to lift his spirits and restore his faith in life:
I'm a gingerbread man,
I'm a gingerbread man,
I'm a rosy-cheeked fellow,
I ran away from granny,
I ran away from grandpa,
And from you, Hare,
I'll ride away on my unicycle.
The gingerbread man rolls on, and towards him comes a Wolf on a scooter.
Sees the gingerbread man and asks:
Oh, how can you be so beautiful and tasty, and ride around the forest by yourself? What if you meet someone bad, like me, and I eat you in one bite! I like you, and I'm going to eat you.
Don't eat me, Wolf, I'll sing you a song, I composed the music and words myself, I didn't sleep for ten nights.
And the gingerbread man sang:
I'm a gingerbread man,
I'm a gingerbread man,
I'm a rosy-cheeked fellow,
I ran away from granny,
I ran away from grandpa,
I ran away from the Hare,
And from you, Wolf, I'll run away.
And the gingerbread man rolled on, and the Wolf couldn't catch him on his rusty scooter.
Suddenly, a Bear comes out from behind a tree on a gyroscooter.
Rolls up to the gingerbread man and, drawling his words lazily, says:
Just look at that! It's a rosy-cheeked and tasty gingerbread man! You smell so delicious that I've made an important decision to eat you.
Don't eat me, Bear, I'll sing you such a song, you'll be amazed, we'll shake the whole forest.
Let's see then, go on.
Growled the Bear.
I'm a gingerbread man,
I'm a gingerbread man,
I'm a rosy-cheeked fellow,
I ran away from granny,
I ran away from grandpa,
I ran away from the Hare,
I ran away from the Wolf,
And from you, Misha, I'll run away.
The gingerbread man rolls on, riding on his mono-wheel, and towards him comes a Fox on a bicycle.
Oh, how beautiful and lovely you are, tasty and delicious. I'm going to eat you.
She said it just like that, without flattery or sycophancy, plain and simple.
Let me sing you a song, only don't eat me.
The gingerbread man was a bit scared.
And he sang:
I'm a gingerbread man,
I'm a gingerbread man,
I'm a rosy-cheeked fellow,
I ran away from granny,
I ran away from grandpa,
I ran away from the Hare,
And I fled from the Wolf,
And I tricked the Bear,
And from you, Fox, I'll escape too!
Oh, what a stylish song, what a rhythm, what a deep text! And what a cool voice you have, gingerbread man. Sit on my nose and sing one more time.
Oh no, Fox, I know you're cunning, I won't sit on your nose, and I won't sing anymore, I'll go back to grandpa and granny.
The gingerbread man got on his monocycle and rolled away. Grandpa and grandma were already waiting for him, worried. And when the gingerbread man came home, he apologised to them for his behaviour, and for jumping out of the window without asking.
And grandpa and grandma had a talk with him about gingerbread man maniacs and eaters that are found in the forest, explained the danger of talking to strangers.
You can only recite poetry, sing songs and perform as an ensemble of folk talents in the family circle or with the permission of adults, and you should try to run away from strangers you meet on the road who want to talk.
The gingerbread man stayed to live in the modern cottage of his grandmother and grandfather, enjoyed life, turned up the volume on the portable speaker to MAX and sang songs so loudly all around that even the crows were afraid to come near the property. The harvest was preserved and the enterprising characters set up a mini-farm... But that's quite another story.
Read fairy tales and interesting stories will always surround you.
