The Gingerbread Man

Once upon a time, there was an old woman who lived in a small cottage at the edge of a forest. One day, feeling lonely, she decided to bake a gingerbread man to keep her company. She mixed the dough, shaped it into a little man, and gave him raisins for eyes, a chocolate button for a nose, and icing for his mouth and buttons. Then she popped him into the oven to bake.

To her surprise, as soon as she opened the oven door, the gingerbread man jumped out, sprang to his feet, and ran out of the cottage shouting, "Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!"

The old woman chased after him, but the gingerbread man was too quick. 

He ran out of the cottage and down the road. As he sprinted, he encountered a cow grazing in a field.

"Stop, little man," the cow called out. "You look delicious, and I want to eat you!"

But the gingerbread man only laughed and said, "Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!" And off he ran, with the cow now joining the chase.

Soon, the gingerbread man met a horse by the roadside. The horse neighed and said, "Stop, little man. I want to eat you!"

But the gingerbread man only replied, "Run, run, as fast as you can! You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man!" The horse joined the chase, but the gingerbread man was too fast for them all.

Next, the gingerbread man came across a sly fox lounging near a riverbank. The fox licked his lips and said, "My, my, what a fine-looking gingerbread man you are! Surely, you must be tired after all that running. Let me help you cross the river."

The gingerbread man hesitated for a moment, knowing he needed to cross the river to escape, but he couldn't swim. The fox, noticing his hesitation, quickly added, "Just hop onto my tail, and I’ll carry you across."

The gingerbread man agreed and jumped onto the fox's tail. As the water grew deeper, the fox said, "Climb onto my back, or you’ll get wet."

The gingerbread man moved up to the fox’s back. As the water became even deeper, the fox said, "Oh dear, the water is getting very deep. Climb onto my head, so you won’t drown."

The gingerbread man did as he was told and climbed onto the fox's head. But as soon as they reached the middle of the river, the fox tossed the gingerbread man into the air, opened his mouth wide, and snap! The gingerbread man was gone in one bite.

And so, the clever fox outsmarted the speedy gingerbread man, proving that while you might be fast, there's always someone cleverer. The old woman never saw her gingerbread man again, and the forest returned to its quiet, peaceful state.