Little Red's Secret Sauce

Little Red's Secret Sauce

Once upon a time in the Southwestern desert, there lived a coyote. He wasn't very big. He wasn't very small. But he was very, very mean. The Mean, Medium Coyote loved all kinds of yummy foods, but he was much too lazy to cook. He often stole food from his neighbors. But what he enjoyed most was tricking people into giving him the delicious meals they had worked hard to prepare.

One day, the Mean, Medium Coyote was walking down the trail when a delicious smell filled the air. “ I smell chili! " he said, sniffing happily. “ It has pinto beans, red onions . . . sniff, sniff. . . green peppers, and black olives. Only one person in the Southwest makes such a tasty chili. " That person was Little Red. Her spicy chili was her best dish. The coyote stopped Little Red as they passed on the trail. “ Where are you going in the desert with a pot of chili?" asked the coyote. Then he thought to himself, How can I get some?

" I'm going to my granny's house, " Little Red told the coyote. “ She's sick in bed with a fever. My spicy chili will help her sweat it out. " The Mean, Medium Coyote's mouth watered from the smell. He wanted that spicy chili. He needed that spicy chili. So he came up with a really mean plan. I will take Granny's place! To make sure he would arrive at Granny's house before Little Red, he told her about a shortcut through the desert. But the shortcut was really a longcut!

The Mean, Medium Coyote raced to Granny's house. He grabbed poor, sick Granny, shoved her into the toolshed, locked the door, and threw away the key. Then he put on one of Granny's nightgowns and jumped into her bed. " The chili will be mine, all mine! " he cried joyfully. " I hope there is sour cream in the house. "

Coyote's plan to trick Little Red might have worked, but he forgot that the toolshed was full of tools. Granny used the tools to break out of the shed. When Little Red finally arrived at Granny's house, Granny told her what had happened.