Tales from the Brothers Grimm and the Sisters Weird by Vivian Vande Velde Read Free Book Online Page B

looked frantically at the door. "Jack!" she said. "What was that noise? Is that the giant outside?"
    Jack leapt to his feet, listening, though he hadn't heard anything.
    His mother said, "You better take the ax and check."
    Jack got the ax from beside the door.
    "Look in the barn and all around the yard," his mother advised.
    "All right," Jack said.
    While he was gone, his mother changed the locks.

SEVEN
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EIGHT
The Bridge

    Once upon a time before there were toll bridges, there were troll bridges.
    One day three billy goat brothers were munching on the tall, sweet grass on the south side of a river, when the smallest and youngest ot the billy goats happened to look up and notice that the grass on the north side of the river was taller yet and looked even sweeter. So the smallest billy goat headed off across the bridge, his tiny hooves going
click-click
over the wooden boards.
    When he got halfway across, however, a long, skinny, hairy hand reached out from underneath the bridge and grabbed hold of his leg.
    "Mmmm," a troll voice said, and the smallest billy goat could hear the smacking of troll lips. "This looks like a tasty treat for a midmorning snack."
    "Oh, please don't eat me," the smallest billy goat pleaded. "I'm so small and skinny, it would hardly be worth the effort of eating me."
    "A mouthful is better than none," the troll said, dragging the smallest billy goat closer and closer to the edge of the bridge.
    "Yes, but," the smallest billy goat said, catching a glimpse of yellow troll eyes and sharp troll teeth, "my older brother, who's much bigger than I am, is right behind me. If you eat me, he's sure to see, and he'll never come across. If you let me go, you can eat him."
    The troll looked over the smallest billy goat's shoulder and saw that there was, indeed, a somewhat larger billy goat approaching. The troll licked the smallest billy goat's leg but then let him go.
    The smallest billy goat trotted across the bridge as fast as his skinny legs would carry him.
    The middle billy goat—who was middle both in size and age—had noticed the tall, sweet-looking grass on the north side of the river, and now he saw his brother was there. So the middle billy goat headed off across the bridge, his medium-size hooves going
tap-tap
over the wooden boards.
    When he got halfway across, however, a long, skinny, hairy hand reached out from underneath the bridge and grabbed hold of his leg.
    "
Mmmm,
" a troll voice said, and the middle billy goat could hear the smacking of troll lips. "This looks like a tasty treat for lunch."
    "Oh, please don't eat me," the middle billy goat pleaded. "I'm so small and skinny, it would hardly be worth the effort of eating me."
    "Two mouthfuls is better than none," the troll said, dragging the middle billy goat closer and closer to the edge of the bridge.
    "Yes, but," the middle billy goat said, catching a glimpse of yellow troll eyes and sharp troll teeth, "my oldest brother, who's much, much bigger than I am, is right behind me. If you eat me, he's sure to see and he'll never come across. If you let me go, you can eat him."
    The troll looked over the middle billy goat's shoulder and saw that there was, indeed, a quite large billy goat approaching. The troll licked the middle billy goat's leg but then let him go.
    The middle billy goat trotted across the bridge as fast as his medium-size legs would carry him.
    The biggest and oldest of the billy goats had seen how the grass across the river looked tall and sweet. He now saw one brother was there and the other about to join him. So the largest billy goat headed off across the bridge, his big hooves going
thump-thump
over the wooden boards.
    When he got halfway across, however, a long, skinny, hairy hand reached out from underneath the bridge