Before leaving the house to go and get food, I called my seven kids together. I said, “Children dear, I am going into the woods. Be on your guard for the wolf. If he gets in, he will eat up all of you all, even your skin and hair. The villain often disguises himself, but you will recognize him by his rough voice and his black feet.”

The kids said, “Mother dear, we will take care of ourselves. You can go away without any worries.”

I bleated with relief, and went on my way with a mind at ease.

When I came home, the door to the house stood open. Table, chairs, benches, and wash-bowls were all thrown down on the floor, and my children were nowhere to be found.

The Old Mother Goat in The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids, Grimms. Picture by Arthur Rackham.