Scrapefoot
by Unknown · from More English Fairy Tales
Adapted Version
In a big, green wood lived three bears. The Great Big Bear lived there. The Middling Bear lived there too. The Little Bear also lived there. They all lived in a big castle. It was in a green wood.
A fox named Scrapefoot lived in the wood. He was afraid of the bears. But he wanted to know about them. He saw the castle door. The door was not locked. Scrapefoot pushed the door open. He looked inside.
Scrapefoot went inside the castle. He saw three chairs. One chair was big. One chair was middling. One chair was little. Scrapefoot wanted to sit down. He sat on the big chair.
The big chair was too hard. Scrapefoot got off. The middling chair was not good. Scrapefoot got off. The little chair was soft and warm. Scrapefoot sat down. The little chair broke. He broke it all.
Scrapefoot saw three saucers. One was big. One was middling. One was little. He tasted the big milk. It was sour. He tasted the middling milk. It was not nice. He drank the little milk. It was sweet. He drank it all up.
Scrapefoot went upstairs. He saw three beds. One bed was big. One bed was middling. One bed was little. The big bed was hard. The middling bed was not good. The little bed was soft and warm. Scrapefoot fell fast asleep.
The three bears came home. The Great Big Bear looked. "Who sat in my chair?" he said. The Middling Bear looked. "Who sat in my chair?" he said. The Little Bear cried. "Who broke my chair?"
The bears saw their milk. Big Bear said, "Who drank my milk?" Middling Bear said, "Who drank my milk?" The Little Bear cried, "My milk is all gone!"
The bears went upstairs. They saw the beds. Big Bear said, "Who slept in my bed?" Middling Bear said, "Who slept in bed?" The Little Bear looked. "He is in my bed!"
The bears saw Scrapefoot. They did not like this. They said, "We will put him out."
The bears carried Scrapefoot. They took him to the window. They put him out of the window.
Scrapefoot was scared. He ran very fast. He ran all the way home. He never came back. Scrapefoot learned a big lesson. Do not go into other homes.
Original Story
Scrapefoot
Once upon a time, there were three Bears who lived in a castle in a great wood. One of them was a great big Bear, and one was a middling Bear, and one was a little Bear. And in the same wood there was a Fox who lived all alone, his name was Scrapefoot. Scrapefoot was very much afraid of the Bears, but for all that he wanted very much to know all about them. And one day as he went through the wood he found himself near the Bears' Castle, and he wondered whether he could get into the castle. He looked all about him everywhere, and he could not see any one. So he came up very quietly, till at last he came up to the door of the castle, and he tried whether he could open it. Yes! the door was not locked, and he opened it just a little way, and put his nose in and looked, and he could not see any one. So then he opened it a little way farther, and put one paw in, and then another paw, and another and another, and then he was all in the Bears' Castle. He found he was in a great hall with three chairs in it—one big, one middling, and one little chair; and he thought he would like to sit down and rest and look about him; so he sat down on the big chair. But he found it so hard and uncomfortable that it made his bones ache, and he jumped down at once and got into the middling chair, and he turned round and round in it, but he couldn't make himself comfortable. So then he went to the little chair and sat down in it, and it was so soft and warm and comfortable that Scrapefoot was quite happy; but all at once it broke to pieces under him and he couldn't put it together again! So he got up and began to look about him again, and on one table he saw three saucers, of which one was very big, one was middling, one was quite a little saucer. Scrapefoot was very thirsty, and he began to drink out of the big saucer. But he only just tasted the milk in the big saucer, which was so sour and so nasty that he would not taste another drop of it. Then he tried the middling saucer, and he drank a little of that. He tried two or three mouthfuls, but it was not nice, and then he left it and went to the little saucer, and the milk in the little saucer was so sweet and so nice that he went on drinking it till it was all gone.
Then Scrapefoot thought he would like to go upstairs; and he listened and he could not hear any one. So upstairs he went, and he found a great room with three beds in it; one was a big bed, and one was a middling bed, and one was a little white bed; and he climbed up into the big bed, but it was so hard and lumpy and uncomfortable that he jumped down again at once, and tried the middling bed. That was rather better, but he could not get comfortably in it, so after turning about a little while he got up and went to the little bed; and that was so soft and so warm and so nice that he fell fast asleep at once.
And after a time the Bears came home, and when they got into the hall the big Bear went to his chair and said, "WHO'S BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR?" and the middling Bear said, "WHO'S BEEN SITTING IN MY CHAIR?" and the little Bear said, "Who's been sitting in my chair and has broken it all to pieces?" And then they went to have their milk, and the big Bear said, "WHO'S BEEN DRINKING MY MILK?" and the middling Bear said, "WHO'S BEEN DRINKING MY MILK?" and the little Bear said, "Who's been drinking my milk and has drunk it all up?" Then they went upstairs and into the bedroom, and the big Bear said, "WHO'S BEEN SLEEPING IN MY BED?" and the middling Bear said, "WHO'S BEEN SLEEPING IN MY BED?" and the little Bear said, "Who's been sleeping in my bed?—and see here he is!" So then the Bears came and wondered what they should do with him; and the big Bear said, "Let's hang him!" and then the middling Bear said, "Let's drown him!" and then the little Bear said, "Let's throw him out of the window." And then the Bears took him to the window, and the big Bear took two legs on one side and the middling Bear took two legs on the other side, and they swung him backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards, and out of the window. Poor Scrapefoot was so frightened, and he thought every bone in his body must be broken. But he got up and first shook one leg—no, that was not broken; and then another, and that was not broken; and another and another, and then he wagged his tail and found there were no bones broken. So then he galloped off home as fast as he could go, and never went near the Bears' Castle again.
Story DNA
Moral
Uninvited intrusion into others' private spaces can lead to unpleasant and dangerous consequences.
Plot Summary
A curious fox named Scrapefoot, despite his fear, sneaks into an unlocked castle belonging to three Bears. He proceeds to try out their chairs, breaking the smallest one, drinks all the milk from the smallest saucer, and falls asleep in the smallest bed. The Bears return home, discover the disturbances, and find Scrapefoot in the little Bear's bed. They decide to throw him out the window, and Scrapefoot, unharmed but terrified, flees and vows never to return.
Themes
Emotional Arc
curiosity to fear to relief
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
This version of the story predates the more famous 'Goldilocks' variant, featuring a fox as the intruder.
Plot Beats (12)
- Three Bears (big, middling, little) live in a castle in a wood.
- A curious Fox named Scrapefoot, afraid of the Bears but wanting to know about them, finds the castle door unlocked.
- Scrapefoot enters the castle and explores the hall, trying the three chairs.
- He finds the big chair too hard, the middling chair uncomfortable, and the little chair perfect, but breaks it.
- Scrapefoot then tries the three saucers of milk, finding the big one sour, the middling one not nice, and drinking all the sweet milk from the little one.
- He goes upstairs and tries the three beds, finding the big one hard, the middling one uncomfortable, and falling asleep in the soft little bed.
- The three Bears return home and discover someone has been sitting in their chairs, with the little Bear's chair broken.
- They then discover someone has been drinking their milk, with the little Bear's milk all gone.
- Upstairs, they find someone has been sleeping in their beds, and the little Bear discovers Scrapefoot in his bed.
- The Bears debate what to do with Scrapefoot, deciding to throw him out the window.
- The Bears swing Scrapefoot back and forth and toss him out the window.
- Scrapefoot, though frightened, finds no bones broken and gallops home, never to go near the castle again.
Characters
Scrapefoot
A lean, agile fox with a lithe body, approximately 2 feet long from nose to tail base, with slender legs and a bushy tail. His fur is a rich reddish-brown, typical of a red fox, with a white belly and chest, and black 'stockings' on his lower legs and paws. His muzzle is pointed, and his ears are triangular and alert.
Attire: None, as he is a wild fox.
Wants: Driven by intense curiosity about the Bears and their castle, and a desire for comfort and sustenance.
Flaw: His fearfulness and his tendency to break things (like the little chair) due to his size or clumsiness in unfamiliar settings.
Begins as a curious intruder, learns a harsh lesson about trespassing, and ends up terrified and resolved never to repeat his actions.
Curious, adventurous, easily frightened, somewhat mischievous, and opportunistic.
The Great Big Bear
An enormous brown bear, towering over the other bears, with broad shoulders and a powerful build. His fur is thick and shaggy, a deep, dark brown, almost black in places. He has large, heavy paws and a formidable presence.
Attire: None, as he is a wild bear.
Wants: To protect his home and belongings from intruders.
Flaw: His temper and perhaps a lack of subtlety in his reactions.
Remains consistent as the powerful, protective head of the household.
Dominant, easily angered, territorial, and decisive (suggesting hanging Scrapefoot).
The Middling Bear
A medium-sized brown bear, noticeably smaller than the Great Big Bear but larger than the Little Bear. His fur is a lighter shade of brown than the Great Big Bear's, perhaps a warm caramel color, and slightly less shaggy. He is well-built but less imposing.
Attire: None, as he is a wild bear.
Wants: To maintain order and security in his home.
Flaw: Follows the lead of the Great Big Bear, lacking independent initiative.
Remains consistent as a protective member of the household.
Observant, protective of his belongings, and slightly less aggressive than the Great Big Bear (suggesting drowning over hanging).
The Little Bear
A small, cub-like brown bear, the smallest of the three. His fur is a lighter, softer brown, possibly with a slightly golden tint, and appears fluffier. He has a more delicate build compared to the other two.
Attire: None, as he is a wild bear.
Wants: To enjoy his comfortable belongings and to see justice for their destruction.
Flaw: His small size makes him vulnerable, and his emotional reactions can be strong.
Remains consistent as the sensitive and observant youngest member of the household.
Sensitive, easily upset by damage to his belongings, and somewhat impulsive (suggesting throwing Scrapefoot out the window).
Locations
The Great Wood
A dense, expansive forest surrounding the Bears' castle, providing cover for Scrapefoot's approach.
Mood: Mysterious, slightly foreboding due to the presence of bears, but also a place of exploration for Scrapefoot.
Scrapefoot lives here and ventures from here towards the castle.
Bears' Castle - Great Hall
A large, central room inside a European castle, containing three chairs of varying sizes and a table with three saucers.
Mood: Initially quiet and inviting, then tense and chaotic upon the Bears' return.
Scrapefoot enters, tries the chairs, and drinks the milk. The Bears discover the intrusion here.
Bears' Castle - Bedroom
An upstairs room in the castle containing three beds of different sizes, where Scrapefoot falls asleep.
Mood: Cozy and comfortable for Scrapefoot, then startling and dangerous when the Bears discover him.
Scrapefoot sleeps in the little bed and is discovered by the returning Bears, then thrown out the window.