There are two sides to every story

Junior, 1st prize

Ruth O’Dea, Kilrush Community School

FAIRYTALES, a word people associate with happy endings. I do not agree. Children love them because the “bad” character always gets defeated, hence a happy ending for everyone else. This makes them believe that anything bad will be overcome. But what if the bad guy is not so scary and mean as you thought?
Let me introduce myself. My name is Ralf Wolf. You might remember me from the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Yes, I am the wolf who was wrongly accused of trying to eat Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother. Everyone could only listen to Little Red Riding Hood’s story about the “Big Bad Wolf” trying to gobble up herself and her grandmother. But every story has two sides, and mine was never heard. I am going to tell you how that day really went.
It started off like any other day. Got up, breakfast, walk. It was a lovely day. I could hear the birds chirping and the wind gently swishing through the trees. You know what happens next. I noticed Little Red Riding Hood picking some flowers. I had heard her grandmother was ill. I was hoping to pay her a visit. I am that sort of person. “Oh my! What pretty flowers you have picked” I exclaimed. “Thank you, they are for my grandmother, she is ill at the moment”. “How sorry I am to hear that. Is she getting better?” “Yes she is. I am on my way to see her now”.
“What a kind granddaughter you are. Could you tell me where Granny is living? I was hoping to visit her”.
“Just over the road. It’s a yellow house”.
“Why thank you dear, you have been most helpful”.
“Ok, well, I must go now,” and Little Red Riding Hood tripped along.
I went home and got the cookies I was going to give to the children in the orphanage. I like to do some charity work. Then I set off to Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother’s house.
“Who is it?” a voice called when I knocked on the door. “It’s Ralf Wolf. I have come to visit you?”
“Oh Little Red Riding Hood you have come! Do come in dear.”
“I am Ralf Wolf, not Little Red Riding Hood”.
“You are not scared of your granny are you Little Red Riding Hood? Come in!”
I had decided to go inside and explain further. I opened the door and there was Little Red Riding Hood’s grandmother sitting on a couch. The moment she saw me she screamed. “Help, help, a big bad wolf has come to gobble me up for his dinner! Help!” It was the first time in all my life I had been called The Big Bad Wolf. “No, no I am not here to eat you! I have come to see how you are”. “Help!” she screamed again, ignoring my answer. Next thing I knew she was on the floor in front of me. The poor woman had fainted with fright. But now I heard another voice. It was Little Red Riding Hood. “Granny, it’s me, can I come in?”
I didn’t want Little Red Riding Hood to see her grandmother like this because I thought she would get scared, so I decided to hide her. There was no need to have the child upset. I am that sort of person.
“Just a minute dear!”    ‘
After much struggling, I managed to shove her grandmother into one of the kitchen presses.
“Ok, darling you can come in now.”
I threw on a nightcap and hopped onto the couch.
“Hello Granny. How are you? I brought you some lovely buns that I made and some freshly picked flowers”.
“Oh how nice of you dear”.
“Shall I put them in the kitchen?” “No dear, that is ok. I’ll do it later”.
“Granny, has your illness made your eyes, ears and mouth bigger?”
Before I could answer, the kitchen door flew open. At the doorway, you guessed it, there stood Granny.
“Little Red Riding Hood, step away! That’s the Big Bad Wolf.” And you see what I mean about that name calling.
I pulled off the nightcap, took the teeniest step towards them and the two of them screeched so loudly, I had to cover my ears. “I can explain!”
You guessed it. The door opened. It was the woodcutter.
“I heard someone yelling?”
“Th-th-the Big Bad Wolf is trying to eat us! Please help us!”
And, now this crazy, mad man was running after me, screaming and shouting at the top of his voice.
I had never run so fast in my life.
But everyone would only listen to one side of the story. Whose side of the story was believed: the wolf’s or the sick elderly woman and a little girl about to be eaten? Yes, of course. And when I tried to explain my side of the story was I listened to? No.
My life since that day has been terrible. I can’t walk out of my house without being booed or hissed at. People I thought were friends are no longer my friends, because I supposedly tried to eat a sick woman and a little girl. I couldn’t possibly have done that anyway. It is inhumane and also I’m a vegetarian. I now have a sad, lonely life.
Fairytales do not have happy endings for every character in a story. There is always someone left out, someone with no happy ending. If you ask me, fairytales are like politics, we are shown one side but there is always another.
So as you read a fairytale, don’t make the presumption of one character being the bad guy. Think to yourself, did he just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time? Because, remember there are two sides to every story.