Peter & the Wolf

Beware,

for wolves come in many disguises.

Once upon a time, there was a boy called Peter.

He lived with his grandfather in a cottage,

with a garden surrounded by a high stone wall.

Outside the wall, there was a meadow,

with a pond and a tall tree.

Beyond the meadow was a deep, dark forest.

This is the story of Peter and The Wolf.

There was a bird, light and delicate,

with feathers of silk.

A silly duck with a broad bill and large webbed feet.

A pussycat.

She is smooth, but greedy and vain.

There is a big grey wolf

with sharp teeth and sharp claws,

who is always hungry.

There are hunters searching the woods,

firing their shotguns.

There is a wise old grandfather.

Now, he worries about Peter all the time.

And of course, there is Peter.

Now, this is where the story begins.

Early one morning,

when Peter walked out of the house,

he opened the gate

and went into the big green meadow.

On a branch of a tall tree

sat a pretty little bird.

"All is quiet and beautiful this morning,"

she said delicately.

The bird was Peter's friend.

Peter had an idea.

He'd seen something in his mother's old room

that would be perfect.

Just then, the silly duck waddled out.

She was glad the gate had been left open,

as there was a deep pond in the meadow,

and she wanted to swim.

Seeing the duck,

the bird flew down and sat next to her.

The bird, who was very sweet, said,

"What kind of a bird are you if you can't fly?"

"What kind of a bird are you..." the duck said snappily,

"if you can't swim?"

And with that,

she hurriedly dived into the pond.

All of this led to an argument.

They argued and argued.

The duck, as she splashed around in the water,

the bird flying this way and that.

Just then, something caught Peter's eye.

Pussy.

Pussy was stalking through the tall grass.

She thought to herself...

"That bird is busy arguing.

"I can probably get her now."

And on velvet paws,

she crept even closer.

"Look out!" shouted Peter.

Well, the duck quacked angrily...

from the middle of the pond.

Pussy walked round and round,

looking up at the bird and thinking...

"Is it worth climbing so high, I wonder.

"By the time I get there, she'd have flown away."

Here comes Grandfather.

He never liked Peter to go out into the meadow.

Not really the place for you, Grandson.

He said gravely.

You wouldn't know what's out there.

Wolves and worse. It's dangerous.

Peter, stay put.

Peter said nothing.

Of course, he wasn't afraid of wolves,

but then, he really couldn't argue with his grandfather.

"Go back to the house,"

said Grandfather.

Then he locked the gate securely.

No sooner had Peter gone,

than a big grey wolf

came out of the dark forest.

Pussy turned and saw the wolf.

In a twinkle, Pussy had scarpered up the tree.

And the duck quacked hysterically,