Goldilocks' Bears

A young woman is torn between her three lovers, all of whom have given her a stuffed bear as a gift. Her final decision has disastrous consequences for all involved.

Goldilocks’ Bears

Once upon a time there was a beautiful young woman with golden curls and bright blue eyes. She was the most popular girl in the town, and the object of affection of many. She would often find herself presented with gifts and tokens from her many suitors, but the three that she treasured most of all were the stuffed bears that sat in a row on her bed. 

They were all quite different. One was small and white and fuzzy, and wore a bow around its neck. The second was medium sized with thick brown fur, and the third was very large with a slick black coat. The young woman loved each of the three bears very dearly, but could not choose between the three of them which she liked best. 

One day, one of the young woman’s friends asked her who the three bears had been gifts from. She answered that they were from her three lovers, all three of which she was deeply infatuated with. However, just like the bears on her bed, she could not pick between the three of them.

She said that the lover who had given her the white bear was a gentle and sweet man named Luke, one who cared for her a great deal and was always happy to listen to her. Although, he was not quick to take action in situations that required haste. The young woman felt that she could not trust her safety to this man in a dangerous situation.

Her second lover was Alex, an intelligent man who could also make her laugh. Though, he also was not very strong and not very reliable, either. Finally, her third lover was the mighty Nicolas, who like the latter two gentleman loved her very much. However, he was not very educated and was often in a sour mood. He occasionally yelled at the young woman, although he never put her in any danger, and in fact was often shielding her from it. 

The young woman simply could not choose, but she could also not stop the passage of time. She grew a little older every day until finally the time to consider marriage was upon her. Naturally, all three of her lovers proposed. They each chose a different way to do so, but each was very close to the other in date. 

The young woman was very confused and didn’t know what to do. Up until now, the three lovers did not know of each other. Now, not only would she have to finally choose, but she feared that this situation could lead to the men becoming aware of one another. 

Eventually, her indecisive grief led her to Luke. She rejected his marriage proposal telling him that he was not strong enough for her. Next, she went to Alex and turned him down as well, explaining that he was not trustworthy enough for her. Finally, she went to Nicholas and sadly declined his proposal. She declared that he was not kind enough for her. 

After these three rejections, she went back home to her bed and clutched her three bears in her arms, weeping for her threefold loss. As she wept, all three of her scorned lovers angrily burst into her room through the window. Like bears in their rage, they slaughtered her and gobbled her up. 

The next morning, the young woman’s three sisters walked into her room. They found what was left of her on the floor, and a man sitting on their departed sister’s bed. 

“I know who you are. You’re my sister’s lover, Luke,” exclaimed the youngest sister.

“No, that can’t be right. That man is our sister’s lover, Alex,” said the middle sister.

That’s when the eldest remaining sister said, “That man is indeed our sister’s lover, but you are both mistaken. That man is known as Nicolas.”

The three sisters were scared and confused. But not so confused as the man who had destroyed his lover. He looked upon himself in her mirror, finally realizing that the only person who could have accepted his three faces was gone. 

Author's Note

Number 16 of the No One Special Fairy Tales. A short, bloody spin on an old classic.

Reviews

[Omegax45]

Wow. and a twist at the end too. Good job. I love this.