By Tim Porteus

 

THERE wis yince a young lassie ca’d Wee Rud. She wis ca’d Wee Rud cause whenever she gaed oot, she wore a rud hoodie. So her pals gied her that nickname, aifter the story aboot Wee Rud Riding Hood.

Wee Rud hud missed her grandma awfy much durin the lockdoon. She hud spoken tae her oan the computer, but that wasnae the same. She’d missed her hugs and the smell o’ soup in her hoose.

Sae when the lockdoon wis being lifted, Wee Rud asked her mither: “Can I gang tae grandma’s noo?”

Her mither smiled. She understood how hard it hud bin: “Aye darlin, yer allowed noo, she will huv missed ye tae.”

Wee Rud jumped up n doon in wi joy. She packed a basket fu o’ cakes she hud learnt tae bake during the lockdoon, and gied her ma a wee cheerio kiss.

“Dinnae forget, gang straight tae grandma’s hoose,” her mither said. “Dinnae footer aboot alang the way and mind no tae talk tae ony wolves.”

“Aye, dinnae worry ma,” said Wee Rud, “I’ll be carefu I ken the rules.”

Wee Rud wis a clever lass. She kent a wolf hud been hangin aboot, following folk an eatin grandmas. It wis a gye sleekit creature, it kent how tae hide and trick ye. But Wee Rud wis mair clever, she kent how tae keep safe frae it.

She saw the wolf but she wisnae scared. She kept her distance and gied him a wee smirk as she went oan her way tae her grandma’s hoose.

Wee Rud knocked oan her grandma’s door and gaed in. “Granny it’s me! Wee Rud! I’ve brought ye some cakes. I baked them masel.”

Her grandma stairted tae greet. They were tears o’ joy, not sorrow, fir she hud missed her beloved Wee Rud sae much. They hugged sae tight their een near popped oot!

“Ye gang ben the hoose wi thae cakes an I’ll put oan a cup o’ tea, and we’ll have a richt guid blether,” said grandma.

While Wee Rud wis putting the cakes oan the coffee table, her grandma came wi the tea. Wee Rud telt her grandma that she hud seen the wolf skulking aboot, but that she’d flung him a deefie.

“Guid lass,” said Grandma, “that wolf is a richt sleekit creature, but noo that we ken his tricks we can change the story.” They baith laughed.

But the wolf wisnae laughing, he wis angry. It couldnae get intae the hoose tae eat grandma. Wee Rud hud bin tae clever.

Aifter huvin a braw time wi her gran, Wee Rud gied her another hug and left fir hame.

Wee Rud arrived back at her hoose wi a happy shine oan her face. “It wis sae nice tae see Grandma,” she said tae her mither.

But the wolf wasnae happy; in fact he wis ragin. “This isnae how the story is supposed tae be,” he said tae himself, “she’s supposed tae break the rules and I get intae her grandma’s hoose and eat her.”

Just then, twa nurses were passin by oan their way tae work and heard whit the wolf said.

“Aye weel, that lassie wis wise tae ye, and so are we,” they said.

They picked up a stick and waved it in the air, and the wolf ran away.

Noo it wis the wolf that wis feart.

It looked for ither folk tae follow but noo people kent its tricks and sae it didnae hae much o’ a chance tae eat grannies onymair.

The story hud been changed by Wee Rud, and she hud a wee laugh every time she thocht aboot it.

And her grandma wis richt pleased she hudnae been scoffed by the wolf, thanks tae the wisdom o’ her granddaughter.