Once upon a time there were three bears who lived together in a snug little house in the middle of a wood. There was a great big Father Bear, and a middle-sized Mother Bear, and a little wee Baby Bear, and each of them had a bowl for porridge, and a chair to sit in, and a bed to sleep in, sized just to fit.
One morning Mother Bear made the porridge for breakfast, but it was far too hot to eat, so the three bears went out to walk in the wood while it cooled, meaning to come back when it was just right.
Now while they were gone, a little girl with hair like spun gold came wandering through the trees. Goldilocks, she was called, and she was a curious child who had been told more than once not to stray, and had paid it no mind. When she came upon the little house she did not knock, but lifted the latch and walked straight in, as though it were her own.
On the table stood the three bowls of porridge, steaming gently. Goldilocks was hungry. She tried the great big bowl first, but it was too hot. She tried the middle-sized bowl, but it was too cold. Then she tried the little wee bowl, and it was neither too hot nor too cold but just right, and she ate it all up, every last spoonful.
Then she thought she would sit down. She tried the great big chair, but it was too hard. She tried the middle-sized chair, but it was too soft. Then she tried the little wee chair, and it was neither too hard nor too soft but just right, and she settled into it with a sigh. But she was too heavy for the little chair, and with a crack it broke to pieces beneath her, and down she tumbled onto the floor.
By now she was tired, and so she climbed the stair to look for a place to rest. She tried the great big bed, but the head was too high. She tried the middle-sized bed, but the foot was too high. Then she tried the little wee bed, and it was neither too high at the head nor too high at the foot but just right, and she pulled up the covers and fell fast asleep.
Presently the three bears came home for their breakfast.
“SOMEONE HAS BEEN EATING MY PORRIDGE,” growled Father Bear in his great rough voice.
“Someone has been eating my porridge,” said Mother Bear in her middle voice.
“Someone has been eating my porridge,” squeaked Baby Bear in his little voice, “and they have eaten it all up!”
Then they saw the chairs.
“SOMEONE HAS BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR,” growled Father Bear.
“Someone has been sitting in my chair,” said Mother Bear.
“Someone has been sitting in my chair,” squeaked Baby Bear, “and they have broken it all to bits!”
And so they went upstairs.
“SOMEONE HAS BEEN LYING IN MY BED,” growled Father Bear.
“Someone has been lying in my bed,” said Mother Bear.
“Someone has been lying in my bed,” squeaked Baby Bear, “and here she is!”
At the sound of that little squeaky voice, Goldilocks woke with a start. And when she saw three bears looking down at her, she gave a shriek, and sprang from the bed, and flew down the stair and out of the door and away into the wood as fast as her legs would carry her, and she never once looked back. Whether she ever found her way home again, the story does not say. But she never again walked into a house that was not her own.
Curiosity that will not knock nor ask leave has a way of ending in a fright.