Book The First - Little Miss Red Riding Wolffe Meets Angry Mrs. Brown Bear

Book the First

Miss Little Red Riding Wolffe

by Grandpa

For three dear little ladies, who will always be . . .

Little girls in their father's, and grandfather's heart . . .

Cynthia Joy
Melissa Joy
&
Sweet Eriel

From papa & grandpa Claude -





Picture of Dressed-up Miss Riding Wolffe







Horse Chauffeur, Mr. Neigh!; The thorny Landing; A Stuck Boat; and other interesting details . . .

Long, loonngggg ago, when grandpa looked up at the crickets, who stood higher than him, there lived a sweet child with her aged, old horse (He lived in the barn, silly!), and her mom and dad. They lived in a tiny, ancient village, - nestled in a huge, green valley. (It was really, really a long time ago, because the animals still talked with people! - It's different now!)

Anyway, back then, horses were hired to drive the cars. So it was that one bright shiny day, Miss Red Riding Wolffe went out of her little house by the little creek (It is white, with green trim, and a grass-thatch roof (That mice love to nest in!) over the front door, and the main part is in a very tall, hollow cedar tree.  It has little windows, with no glass (Glass hasn't been invented yet), and one door. There's green trim around the door and windows, too. (Pretty, huh? - That's the house that has windows, silly! - Not the creek!), and right up to the horse-chauffeur, Mr. Neigh!

"Pardon me(She always spoke politely to Mr. Neigh!, especially when he looked busy, (He always looked busy!), Mr. Neigh!, but today mom said that I could go to grandma's house - - if you will drive me there. Oh! Please, Mr. Neigh! ?"


[Picture of Mr. Neigh, in the meadow, with the Wolffe's house and mountains in the background]

"Please say you will!"

But, Mr. Neigh! just kept crunching the sweet, lush grass (He loved to play 'deaf'!), and to look old and too tired. Miss Wolffe was just ready to ask again, when he winked one twinkly eye and said, "But, little miss, I'm sooo verrrry tired! I've had to munch grass all morning! (His mornings started about two hours before lunch time!), and, well, I just seem to be too tired just now. Perhaps you can return . . ."

"Oh! Pleeeeesssee!," cried Miss Little Wolffe, with no regard for interrupting him. "I'm so excited - I made lemon cookies for grandma - her favorite. Can't you take me?"

Now, how can an old horse say 'no' to that? So, Mr. Neigh! sighed very sadly, and said, "OK. Meet me at the garage by the barn. We'll take the good ol' Green Hornet to Grandma's today." (That was his little friend's favorite car, because it was green, and when it was moving down the road, the sound it made was like green hornets that she loved to watch, as they went about building their beautiful paper houses).

She ran to the kitchen, packed her sour lemon cookies into a little basket, and ran out to the garage. Mr. Neigh! already was backing "Green Hornet" out. She jumped in.

"Sooooo, we're going to grandma's today. Did you send Blue Jay ahead to let your grandma know you're coming? If you didn't, maybe she won't be there," he said."

"Oh! I forgot!," Little Red Riding Wolffe cried. "Do you think she'll be gone?"

"Oh, I doubt she'll be gone for long - if she is. We'll just go and find out," said Mr. Neigh! (He really was happy to take her, but you don't let dear little girls think that you actually 'like' taking them places - 'cause they might get spoiled!)

So, Mr. neigh! elegantly drove the old car along, like old, dignified horses most always do.

They followed the tiny creek through the valley between green meadows, until it joined a large stream, just before entering a tall, old, dark forest.



[Picture of the Green Hornet on the road into the forest.]



Just where the forest got really big and dark, the road turned and went right into the big stream! But, that's OK, because a little ferry boat takes cars (And their horse drivers and passengers), right across the deep stream! Sure enough, there was the little ferry boat waiting just for them! It tooted the tiny whistle on its top when it saw them coming (It was lonely, since not many cars crossed there).

Mr. Neigh! expertly drove Green Hornet onto the little boat, and said, "OK, my dear Mr. Sails, let's go! My little passenger has fresh sour lemon cookies for grandma, and you know that we can't keep her waiting!" (Mr. Neigh! always talked in his business voice when he was chauffeuring!)(Speaking in a "business' voice made it more 'official,' you know!)

"Why yes!," replied Mr. Sails (He spoke in his "business" voice, too!), "I believe you're right on time for scheduled departure! (That's grown-up talk for being on time!) Sooo - - - let's go!"

He reached up and gave two short yanks and one long pull on the little rope tied to the tiny steam whistle - - - "Toot! Toot! whhheeee-A-Toooot!" it shouted!

Then he held the big wood steering wheel (In boat-talk, it's called the "helm"), in one hand, and with the other big hand, pushed the engine handle a little. The little engine made a louder noise, and slowly the boat moved away from the road where it went right up to the edge of the stream.



Picture of Mr. Sails, on the Little Ferry Boat, the Green Hornet, Mr. Neigh! and Red Riding Wolffe, and the Salmon Family.



He pushed the engine control more. The engine made a louder noise, almost drowning out all other sounds, including talking.

That's when it happened! They were almost in the center of the stream, where the water ran the fastest, and deepest. The current pushed the boat hard, trying to push it down stream. But, all of a sudden, the boat stopped! I mean . . . it just stopped!

Like a giant hand had reached out, grabbed it, and held it motionless! Mr. Sails reached out and pushed the engine control even more. The engine noise began to hurt their ears, it was so loud. But, they were stuck!



[Picture of the Ferry Boat arriving on the other side, with the road going into the dark woods.]




Right there, in the middle of the swift stream! "Oh no!," cried Mr. Sails, "What's the matter with this boat? It won't move! Something's wrong!"

Mr. neigh! looked out of the driver's window of the Green Hornet, right at Mr. Sails. "What's the problem?", he shouted above the roaring engine. "Did we hit something?" (Mr. Neigh! and Mr. Sails had lost their business voices). Both the horse chauffeur and the old boat driver looked very worried. But, Little Red Riding Wolffe had a big smile on her face! They didn't see it, though.

The horse opened the door and stepped out (Now, for horses to step out of a car, especially the Green Hornet, well, it is very, very hilarious to see! Just imagine a horse sitting behind a car steering wheel! See what I mean?!) onto the boat deck. The little boat shook from his weight shifting from the car to the deck.

"Come!," he said to the boat driver (Boat drivers are actually called "navigators, but we'll just say "driver"), "let's look in front."

The nose of the little boat went deeper into the stream as they walked to the front. Then, the spinning propeller blades in back lifted clean out of the water! Quickly Mr. Neigh! stepped back! But, the boat was still stuck.

That's when Mr. Neigh! saw Little Red Riding Wolffe. "What are you smiling about!" he almost shouted. "We're stuck fact, and in the middle of this stream! I'd think you'd be worried, like we are!"

Oh, Mr. Neigh!" she laughed. And laughed.

"Hey! You're not telling me something?," he said. "Are you playing another game with me?" (Little Miss Wolffe had played some "surprise!" games with Mr. Neigh! before, and he usually 'was' surprised, too!).

"Ha, ha, ha!, " she laughed, and couldn't stop. "You're so funny when you're surprised! You looked very funny when you tipped the boat up, too! Your feet were going faster than the boat's propellers! Oh, oh, Oh!" She tried to stop.

"Well . . .?" he said, waiting.

"Well, what?," she said. I just saw two families of salmon, with their little fingerling kids, swimming right in front of the boat, so I said to our creator above,"



[Picture of Mr. Neigh! scrambling to get away from the tipping front of the boat, with the propeller out of the water]



"Please keep the Salmon Family safe, dear friend." "That's when the boat just stopped. Didn't you see them swim by? Papa Salmon was so cheery and bright colored - - like flashing rainbows with the sun shinning through!" (She was so happy, how could the horse chauffeur and boat driver be angry? So, they weren't.)

"I was so worried," Mr. Sails said. "I forgot that you care for all Creator's family, Miss Riding Wolffe. I'm glad you saved the Salmon, especially the little ones! Thank you!" He was smiling a BIG smile.

"Oh," said Miss Riding Wolffe, "really it was Creator Who saved the Salmon. I just saw the danger, and asked Him to save them. He did it all."



When he stepped back up to the big, "helm," Mr. Sails saw that the little boat was almost up to the other side - and right where it needed to be! "Wow!" he cried. "Creator even steered us straight up to the landing!

"I know," Miss Riding Wolffe said, "that's what He always does if we trust Him!" She was beaming, almost like a rainbow, herself!



Soon they were up on the other side, and Mr. Neigh! was whistling a merry tune (Ever listen to a sound of a whinny - you know - "EEENNNNYYYY, EEEENNNNYYYY, EEENNNNYYYYEEEEE . . .!" - but, Mr. Neigh's "whistling" was more wheezy-sounding than it was real whistling sound, which is really more like what a mocking bird sings like!)

He had Green Hornet sounding like a whole nest of swarming hornets!


They were in the tall trees of the dark forest by now, and the car's sounds echoed in the silent woods. Behind one huge tree they saw a family of deer, which had just crossed the road. Just then Little Riding Wolffe saw a deep-blue Blue Jay flying past them.

"Oh! Stop!@" She cried. "I'll tell Blue Jay to go tell Grandma we're coming!"

"Well," said Mr. Neigh! (He was back to his business voice), "Blue Jay 'would' get there barely ahead of us. I think that Grandma will be there for us, little one." He had a bright twinkle in his eye, again.



[Picture of Green Hornet, with Mr. Neigh! driving, and Blue Jay flying over, on the road through the forest.]



But, neither the little girl nor the horse chauffeur knew that a very big, very scary surprise was waiting for them, just around the next big curve in the dark road through the forest! A surprise so very big that they would have . . . well, we'll just have to wait and find out!


But, first, there's something I just have to tell you! It's all about  . . . Grandma! The "Big Bush Landing" will just have to wait!


[Picture of Red Riding Wolffe with mom and daddy Wolffe]





[Picture of the clearing, the tree, and Grandma's house, with the little stream going by]



Grandma


You should meet "Grandma" You would love to meet Grandma! You see, Grandma is, well, er, she's "different." How do I tell you . . .? Let's see . . .

Just listen, I think you'll see what I'm trying to tell you in a moment.

There are things about Grandma that make her, well, they make her 'look' uh, well, just different. Take her nose - (yes! please, take it!). Besides a gray, hairy look, it is quite long. In fact, it's verryy long! And, it's black on the end! Besides her sharp, gleaming, white teeth, uh, er, well - I think you'd probably notice her nose!

Oh yes! Her eyes, too! Now there's something just a little too bright about Grandma's eyes! Some folk even claim they sparkle in the dark!

Have you ever seen a grandma with paws? I tell you, she's very different!

But, if you really, really, I mean, really, love your grandma, well, then it's OK for her to be 'different,' right? OK, then, she can even have her long, bushy, soft tail! And, in fact, that long, soft tail is one thing Miss Riding Wolffe likes best about Grandma! She loves to curl up in it and feel so cuddly she falls to sleep almost instantly!

If you were Red Riding Wolffe, you'd really like Grandma's little house, deep in the dark woods, in a very tall, big tree that is hollow, by a tiny brook that babbles merrily by.

[A picture of Grandma]



Grandpa used to live here, too, but he's been in Heaven for years, now. Should I tell you about him, now? The part about the Thorny Bush Landing could wait for awhile, I suppose?

No!? OK, very well, but I'll finish about Grandma, first! What do you suppose Grandma likes to do best here, in her little cottage? Three guesses.


How about a clue? It has something to do with music.  . . . Want another?      Uh, well, there are  . . . many singers.

Yep! You guessed it, She's choir director for the howling, er, I mean "Harmonizing Felines - OOPS! that's cats, I mean, the Harmonizing Canines! You should hear them on a full moon night  OOOOUUUUGGGHHHHH - AAA - OOOOUUUUGGGGHHHHrrrr!  Baby, it gets real spooky!

Now, how's that for Grandma?! Now you know why Miss Red Riding Wolffe has the last name she does, and why she looks like, well, like a little wolf!

Wouldn't you like to meet Grandma Wolffe? Well, that's just what we're headed for, well, after we find out the BIG Surprise is, IF we can get past it!

[Picture of the tall tree with Grandma's little house inside]



After crossing safely over the stream, on the little ferry boat that Creator stopped to save the Salmon Family, when Red Riding Wolffe asked Him to, Mr. Neigh! was rather quiet as he drove the Green Hornet, except for his whinny-like whistling. He was remembering many other trips he had made right to where he was taking his little friend now.

Many years before, one of the best friends he ever had lived with his mother and father in the tiny, quiet forest cottage, by the little stream. He was just a little colt, way back in those times. His friend, who married Red Riding Wolffe's grandma, was a young wolf pup in those days, and the two young friends loved to gallivant for long hours through the deep forest, laughing, playing tricks on the squirrels, the deer, and even Mrs. Black Bear! (She always scolded them(If she could catch them!), and sounded very stern, but she actually enjoyed the pranks - until they pulled her berry bushes down, one day!(Then she really scolded them!)).

Mr. Neigh!'s mind was dreaming along . . . that is until he came around a big turn in the road, and wham! There 'She' was!



[Picture of Green Hornet in the big bush]



Now, if you ever, and I mean . . . "Ever," saw a mad Mrs. Moose, well I don't think you have, but, if you did, that's what Mr. Neigh! and Little Red Riding Wolffe very suddenly, right in the middle of the road, almost ran into! I say! We're talking two VERY surprised folk here!


"Stop! Stop! Stop!" screamed Riding Wolffe. "You'll hit her!"

And, just about even quicker, Mr. Neigh jerked the steering wheel to the Left (It's good no cars were coming toward them at that instant!), and . . . SMASH! . . . the Green Hornet had run off the road, and right into the middle of a very, very large thorn bush!

But, they were all OK, even Green Hornet was not damaged more than scratches, but, it was so deep into the huge bush that Mr. Neigh! could not move it front or back!

Anyway, he was still too surprised to even think about moving the car! Then Mr. Neigh let out a very loud sound, that was half whinny, half whistle, and ALL surprise, and said to no one in particular, "What was that? I thought we were goners!"

"That," said Miss Riding Wolffe, in her little scared voice, "was the very, very maddest of all the big momma mooses I have ever seen! (You can imagine a little bit how scared out of her wits she was!) "and, here we are!"

"Well, let's get out and check the damage." And Mr. Neigh! (Remember how he looks sitting in a car behind the driver's wheel?!) got out of the Green Hornet, stuck in the huge bush. Red Riding Wolffe opened her door, too. But, just as she was stepping down, the super angry Mrs. Moose had stomped up to her side of the car (It was the side closest to the outside of the bush), still very, very angry!

"What do you think you were doing?!!" yelled Mrs. Bull Moose, so loud practically the whole forest could hear her, You almost ran over my little calf! What got into you?!"

"Uh, uh, I wasn't the one driving," Miss Riding Wolffe stammered. "Your little calf?! Is it OK? Oh! I hope we didn't hurt it?!"

"No!, but you would have if I hadn't scared you nim-brains off the road!," she shouted, sounding more like a bull horn than a talking creature.  "So, who IS driving this?"

"I, uh, I, um . . . Well, I was." Mr. Neigh tried to say it gently, to keep from making her angrier. "Uh, uhm, I'm so sorry! I, I uhm, I was, well, I just didn't see your calf, or . . . I'm really sorry.."

"Well, what WERE you doing? Certainly NOT paying attention! You might've killed my little Bucky!"

Well, he's OK, and we're out of a car, now," said Mr. Neigh!. "So, if it's OK, I'll get Little Miss Red Riding Wolffe to her grandmother's house. I'll have to carry her the rest of the way."

"Well, there's not much else we can do." said Mrs. Moose, "But, mark my word, I'm going to tell my Bucky's father and the Owl Police, too! We'll see if you ever drive again!, you old mare!" (She knew that calling an old horse "mare," which is a young female horse, would make him mad!)(But, Mr. Neigh! was too scared to hear her, so he didn't say a word).

She set off into the woods, her little Bucky right behind her (I suspect that she, herself, had not paid attention to the road when she just began walking across it with her calf, right in front of the Green Hornet! Parents make mistakes, and sometimes they even try to blame others for their mistakes, so they don't look bad in front of their children! Gotta' watch those parents, you know!)

Mr. Neigh! walked over to a stump where it was easier for Riding Wolffe to climb onto his back, and once she had secured herself comfortably, they were off again, Grandma's Lemon cookies safely tucked in a blanket corner. Rescuing the Green Hornet would just have to wait.

"We'll be late, since I have to carry you, but, we'll make it there . . . I hope! (Ever see a horse grin? Well, he looked around at her, and grinned!)

Now, Mr. Neigh! wished that he'd let Miss Riding Wolffe tell Blue Jay to let Grandma know they were on the way, but just as he had this thought, there was Mr. Blue Jay!

He flew just above them, and called, "Screeee! Screeee!!"

"Wait!" Mr. Neigh whinnied back. "Go tell Miss Riding Wolfe's Grandma we're coming to visit!"

"OK! I thought you were when I saw you back on the road before, and went to tell her then, and waited with her. but you never came up the road. Is everything alright?," Blue Jay called back from where he circled just above the pair of travelers.

"Oh, "that," Mr. Neigh! whinnied, "We'll have to wait and tell you the story when we get there." 

"Well, I saw you are not in the Green Hornet," Blue Jay called, "and I wondered if you are having problems. I'll go back to Grandma Wolffe, and let her know you're OK, and on the way!"

As Blue Jay flew out of sight, Mr. Neigh! wondered, "Boy! I sure hope nothing else is going to happen on this usually fun, easy journey!" His fears would soon come true, as another Big Surprise was waiting for them.

Did you know? It was just before Christmas Day, when they traveled to the tiny cottage in the woods where Grandma lived. Grandma had been hoping and praying for her beloved little granddaughter to visit her. She was like all grandmas, and loved her precious grandchild very, very much. At least good grandmas love their grandchildren lots, and she was one of the best grandmas any child could hope to have!

Sometimes grandchildren are too busy to hear how much their grandmothers love them, and even though good grandmothers often plead with Creator to tell their grandchildren to come for a visit, children are too often so busy with learning about life, and doing life, that they do not hear the soft call from Creator to make frequent visits with Grandma.  I know this, for I live with a grandma! You should hear how much she loves her grandchildren, and so wishes that they would visit much more often!

Well, this time it was no different, and like every good grandmother I know, Grandma Wolffe also asked Creator to keep her granddaughter safe on the journey to visit, if she did come. She simply trusted Creator to do what He knew was right for her granddaughter, so Grandma released her anxiety for Miss Riding Wolffe's safety to Creator, trusting Him to care for her precious child. Some grandmothers I know have discovered this really works, and practice trusting Creator to care for their dearly-loved grandchildren.

However, "safe" to us creatures isn't what "safe" to our Creator means! He has things for us to learn, and some things require us to go through the very worst of storms and events that we are very afraid of, and would never go into them on our own! This trip, although it was safe so far, had taken the pair of travelers into danger twice, once for the Salmon Family, and the incident with Mrs. Moose.


[Picture of Grandma's home at Christmas time]



[Picture of Grandma reading her Bible, by the tree]



Creator is teaching His family that He leads each of us through the "Storms" that He sends us into, to learn to trust Him in all things our life will encounter. Thankfully, Grandma knew very much about "Storms," and that Creator would make sure that her grandchild was safe, even though it might mean she would be taken from this life to be where Creator needed her more. That thought made a lump in Grandma's throat, since she really loved to see her sweet granddaughter, and to lose these wonderful visits would break her heart. So, she prayed, "Creator, I trust you, and will try to not worry!"

But, as grandmas I know, Miss Riding Wolffe's kindly grandma was a wee bit worried, when, just as he said he would, Blue Jay came and told her about the delay in arrival, and that Mr. Neigh! was carrying Red Riding Wolffe, not driving the Green Hornet. "Something must be wrong," Grandma told herself. "I still trust they will be safe," but it looks like not too safe!"


[Picture of Grandma fixing Christmas Dinner]



In the big forest where Grandma lived, snow was very rare. It didn't fall often, maybe once a year, in small amounts. But, this year, it would be VERY different!

As old Mr. Neigh! walked on he rather steep, winding mountain road. first one fluffy snow flake melted on his nose, then another, another, and soon many were beginning to stay icy on his nose, making him sneeze from the tingling. At the moment, they were climbing a steep part of the road, where a sharp turn lay just above. The road went around a rocky overhang, and came out at a very steep, high point on the mountain side, with a wide view of the valley below. Red Riding Wolffe almost jumped off Mr. Neigh!'s back when she saw it, it was so beautiful! It was the first time in her short life to see this rare sight. For the whole distance she could see through the silent snow blizzard, for this was a true blizzard, there was white snow covering everything!

"Oh! I'm so tired!" Mr. Neigh sighed. And, he was very tired. In his younger years, this was a fun, fast and easy trip to his friends' house. This time, however, he was carrying someone, and it was cold, and he was not young anymore. He 'was' tired.

Carefully, Mr. Neigh! made his way down the road, for it was going down the mountain side at this point, and it was getting quite slippery with the piling snow blanket. It was also harder to see ahead. He whinnied softly to reassure Miss Riding Wolffe that all was "OK." But, he wasn't so sure himself. There wasn't anyone else on the road now, leaving them all alone; it was getting quite cold. In the Green Hornet, they would simply turn the heater on, and since it worked very good, the cold would have been gone quickly. But, the Green Hornet was stuck in a huge bush many miles back down the road.

CRASH! Right in front of them a huge tree hit the road with the loudest noise either of them ever heard, and such a swirl of blinding, white snow! Of course, Mr. Neigh! stopped immediately, and the thought struck him, "Wow! I'm glad we weren't in the Green Hornet for that! We'd have been helpless to stop in time! He had stopped so fast that he almost fell over!

When the swirling snow cleared just enough to see the road ahead, he saw the road was completely blocked! The enormous tree blocked their way completely! Up above where the tree had stood all its many years, the bank was very steep; below the tree, where its trunk led down the mountain side, it was much too steep to walk!

Know what? Almost before she knew she wasn't Miss Riding Wolffe wasn't afraid anymore! (But she sure was when the tree fell!) She whispered, "Father (She liked to talk with Creator like a father, for He is a real father, anyway), we've got a problem! A little tree fell across the road, and do you suppose that you could help us?"

Now, I don't know about you, but it's awfully hard for us fathers of sweet little girls, who love their children, to not say, "OK, my little one, I'll do what you need!" (I know, 'cause I have a precious little daughter!) Well, I think that Creator must also feel that way. Not a day passed for Red Riding Wolffe but that she had something to ask Creator for His help with.

No sooner did she finish the request than the huge, broken tree began to move! And, so did the road! In a moment, nearly before they could realize what was going on right before their eyes, there was no road left! Quickly, Mr. Neigh! backed up, and just in time! Where he had stood almost touching the huge tree trunk with his nose, there was no road left! It had simply disappeared down in the steep canyon below.


[Picture of the broken road, with just a narrow pathway left]


Old Mr. Neigh just stood there, frozen in his footprints, snow piling up around him. "Oh! Look!," exclaimed his little rider, "There's a little path over by the bank!"

Sure enough, the inner edge of the road still clung to the mountain, but it was barely wide enough for Mr. Neigh! to walk over. If he was very, very careful, and the broken road held up, Mr. Neigh! could cross over to the other side of the gap.

He said, "We've got to be very cautious, my little friend. One slip, and we will join the rest of the road, and the tree, way down there!"


[Picture of the road, a view past the overhanging ledge, and across the broken place, on the Right half of this page. Text on the inside half]


"Oh! I know we'll make it! Creator cleared the tree for us - I asked Him to! And, He stopped the boat for the Salmon Family, and He sent Blue Jay. I know we'll be OK," his little friend said with a very confident voice.

"Then, let's go!" He was off with a very careful step, and another, another, and more slow, careful steps. But, just before they reached the whole road again, another section of road fell away down the mountain! Had he stepped on it, they would have plunged down with it! The narrow ledge was even longer now!

Riding Wolffe was too scared to look down the steep mountain side below, but she dared peek anyway. "EEEE!" she squeaked. She quickly sucked her breath in fast. The distance down the almost straight down mountain side was much farther than she expected!


[Picture of Mr. Neigh! with Riding Wolffe on his back, going over the narrow path, covering the bottom of two facing pages]

In fact, it was so far that she couldn't see the bottom! "Don't look! Just hold tight to my mane, and sit still! If you shake me, we just might fall!" By now, they were almost to the other side. "One more step, little friend . . . We're across!" said Mr. Neigh! "We made it to safety!"

"Oh, look!" cried Riding Wolffe, "the snow's awfully deep!" Sure enough, it was. "I must work very hard to get us to Grandma's, now," said Mr. Neigh!. We still have a long way ahead."


"Can I help?," his little friend asked. "Will you be OK?" "Just be calm, little one. If you can sing, that will help me to work harder, and to feel better, 'cause I know Creator has come to help."

"OK, I'll sing!" (She always loves to sing, and she especially loves to when her friends join in singing! Actually, she just whispered to me, as I write this, "Do you want to ask Cindy, Melissa, and Eriel to sing this with me? I think we all can be comforted together to sing this song!) I told her I would write her request into this story, so now here she is singing . . .

[Oh! I just remembered. Miss Riding Wolffe lived in a time before the name for Creator in His Human form, "Y'shuah, was changed to  a name some pagans liked better, which is "Jesus." The pagans liked it better, because it was made up of two names for their highest pagan idols, Ieputer, and Sus, also called Jupiter an Zeus, today. Miss Wolffe uses "Y'shuah, so we will too! In fact, it fits perfectly with the other words . . .]

"Y'shuah loves me!, This I know, because the Living Word tells me so. Little ones to Him belong(Grandpas and grandmas too!), this I know, because He gave me this song!"

"Ohhh! Black and Yellow, Red and White, all the little children are loved in His sight!; And they are safe in His might!"

[Picture of Miss Riding Wolffe, Cynthia Joy, Melissa Joy, Eriel, Mr. Neigh!, Grandma Wolffe, and Blue Jay, singing at Christmas in Grandma's little tree-cabin]


"Oh! What fun it is to sing with my friends!, exclaimed Miss Red Riding Wolffe. "Can we do it again?"

"Of course! Maybe, if you ask them, they know a new song to teach you, my little friend," Mr. Neigh! said. His spirits, and strength, had perked up with all the cheery singing. "Why don't you ask them?," he said.

Well, it wasn't very long at all till Mr. Neigh stopped right next to Grandma's door! He gave a very loud snort (To let Grandma know they had arrived, and extra loud, because she couldn't hear so well), and Grandma opened the door!

"Oh my! Just look at all the snow!, she cried. "I've been very busy making a warm supper for the two of you."

"When Blue Jay stopped by hours ago, it was just starting to snow, so I carried extra firewood in for the fire, and began to fix supper.


[Picture of Grandma and her guests sitting at the table for their Christmas supper]



"You have come at just the right time! I just finished supper!"

So, with Mr. Neigh! right by her at the little, old-fashioned table, and Grandma right next to her on her other side, Little Riding Wolffe was cozy warm - and full of Grandma's wonderful-good food!

"Oh Joy!" she said, her eyes twinkling. But, no sooner did she say "Oh joy!" , than there was a very loud Crash, right outside Grandma's front door!


[Picture of the huge bear crashing the door]
"What's next!," exclaimed Mr. Neigh! What he wanted now more than anything else was a warm, comfy bed of hay, and a looonnnggg nap! he was very, very tired. "Well, I better go see."

But, before he could even get up, the little door almost flew off its hinges! There, bigger than the doorway, stood the biggest, THE BIGGEST . . .

Uh, uhm . . . what was it?! It was too big to see all of it!

Grandma's mouth fell open, and she had to push it shut with one paw. She had just started to say, "This apple pie is what I used to make for Grandpa, because it's his, or was, his very most favorite," but all she got out was "This appl . . ." and the door burst open!



[Picture of Mr. Neigh!'s kick on Mrs. Brown Bear's nose]



And, that's when Miss Riding Wolffe remembered something very important that she had promised to tell her momma, Mr. Neigh!, and Grandma, but she had forgotten it. And, I must tell you about that before I tell you what the crash at Grandma's door was all about!

You see, one of the things Miss Riding Wolffe loves to do is chase butterflies. If you ever ran after one, you know how much fun it is! And, Miss Riding Wolffe chased them for hours, sometimes.



[Picture of Mrs. Brown Bear at Grandma's house]



On one day, in fact, just yesterday, she had chased a very beautiful blue one, with bright red designs and golden edges around the wings, right into a mother bear's Winter home! Of course, down in the lower valley, Winter weather is warm, so butterflies still fly when bears sleep in the higher mountains. So it was, while chasing the beautiful butterfly, that it flew rather high up a particular mountain side, and right over Mrs. Brown Bear's cozy Winter house!



[ Picture of the butterfly with red designs in wings, and gold edges]



Red Riding Wolfe ran smack into the leaf-covered den, and it caved in, waking Mrs. Brown Bear from a very good dream, and a long Winter's sleep!

The bear, which has long, dark brown fur, very long, sharp claws, a funny, stubby tail, very sharp, long teeth, and beady black eyes that are very shiny, jumped up and ROARED at Miss Riding Wolffe; "What are you DOING In MY HOUSE?!" I was in the midst of a great dream about eating the best berries, and having the best salmon lunch I've ever had! Now, you spoiled my dream! I'm going to have to tell your mother, young lady!"


As the angry, huge Mrs. Brown Bear said this in a most angry voice, Red Riding Wolffe thought to herself, "Well, I'm glad I interrupted "That" dream! Just to think, this old bear eats my salmon friends! Out loud, she said, "But, I was just having fun!

"You woke me up!" shouted the huge Mrs. Brown Bear. "Now, go tell your momma, grandma, and Mr. Neigh! that you bothered me! Maybe your family can teach you some manners! Now! GO! HOME!"

Well, she went home alright, but momma was outside, gathering food for supper, and new, soft fur for their Winter beds, and Little Red Riding Wolffe forgot to tell her about the accident with Mrs. Brown Bear. Now, it looked like she was in BIG TROUBLE, because right there at Grandma's door stood Mrs. Brown Bear! And, was she angry!



[Picture of Grandma telling Mrs. Brown Bear


"I want to speak to Little Miss Red Riding Wolffe, NOW!" demanded the angry, huge bear, in her most demanding, booming voice. I told her to speak to her mother about waking me from my Winter's nap, and she didn't!

Little Riding Wolffe sat very quiet and still, scared witless by the terrible, loud bear.

In her haste, Mrs. Brown Bear missed seeing Mr. Neigh!, who she feared especially after she got angry at him one year for just speaking with her cubs, and he chased her clean off the meadow when she tried to bite him! He had turned around, and had put both hind hooves firmly into her side, knocking her for a loop, and the wind out of her lungs!

But, Grandma knew what the problem was, because, when Blue Jay came to tell her of company coming, he also told her about Riding Wolffe's troubles with Mrs. Brown Bear! He'd seen the whole thing, yesterday, because he was trying to catch a nap up on a limb just above Mrs. Brown Bear's house, when Riding Wolffe's laughter chasing the butterfly had wakened him.

Now, Grandma said, "Mrs. Brown Bear (Grandmas can be very LOUD and clear when they need to be!), I happen to have a better story than you, or my granddaughter have to tell! And YOU! (She was VERY LOUD now!), YOU have one big apology to make to my little child, right here!"

Well, if there's one thing Mrs. Brown Bear hates most, it's saying "I'm sorry," especially to a little child, so Mrs. Brown Bear didn't wait to hear Grandma's side, from Blue Jay's eye-witness account! Instead, she just got angrier! She still hadn't seen Mr. Neigh!, so when he backed up to the door, and planted both his hind hooves, with all his might, right onto her nose, she fell over!

Shaking her huge, brown furry head to clear the surprise, she saw Mr. Neigh!, and ran for dear life! He was right behind her, tired as he was! Like the first time he had chased her, she lost sight of where she was headed, trying to watch behind her for any of his quick kicks, and all of a sudden, Grandma and Miss Riding Wolffe heard her screams of terror and pain! She had run smack into a thick berry patch, with a nest of now very angry hornets, whose house Mrs. Brown Bear had completely demolished!

Of course, they were all over her! For some strange reason, she seemed to not appreciate their clinging and stinging her! As she ran back through the forest toward her Winter house, she could be heard yelling, "OWWWW! AWWWW! . . . OWWWeeee! . . . . OUUCCHHH!!, as each hornet stung her.

Well, sweet children, we have laughed, and sang, and cried a little, with dear Miss Red Riding Wolffe, and even maybe we've been a bit scared. I hope you've had fun . . . at least the same as I have had sharing this great little story about Little Miss Red Riding Wolffe!

I love each of you - yes!, each precious one.

papa, and Grandpa


[Picture of Mrs. Brown Bear at Grandma's house, by the ancient, tall tree]


THE END





[Portrait of Miss Red Riding Wolffe with Cynthia Joy, Melissa Joy, And Eriel, Mr. Neigh!, and Grandma]