There are so many quotes about reading. I have chosen one for this evening. Hope you like.

“Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another’s skin, another’s voice, another’s soul.” — Joyce Carol Oates

Following is another story from the collection:'Bedtime stories'.

Enjoy reading it.

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The Gingerbread Boy       

                          

Once upon a time there lived a little old man with his little  old wife in a little old house in the woods. They were very happy, but they had no children and they did want a little boy of their own.

One morning when the little old woman was baking gingerbread she chuckled to herself and said, I’ll make my little old man a gingerbread boy. So she took a piece of spicy dough, and she rolled it out smooth, and she cut it out in the shape of a fine gingerbread  boy. She gave him raisins for eyes, and a wide smiling mouth, and down the front of his jacket  she put a row of currant buttons. 

Then, with a little pat, she popped him into the hot oven. When she thought the gingerbread boy should be baked clean through, the little opened the door to peek in. But before she had time to put a finger on him, the ginger-bread boy hopped right out of the oven, skipped through the kitchen door, and ran down the path to the woods. The little old woman ran after him, calling come back, come back. But the gingerbread boy only laughed and cried out:

Run, run as fast as you can,

You can’t catch me,

I’m the gingerbread man.

               

                 He was right. The little old woman could not catch him. The little old man saw the gingerbread boy run past with the little old woman after him. Come Back, come back, he called. But the gingerbread boy only laughed  and cried out:

Run, run as fast as you can,

You can’t catch me,

I’m the gingerbread man.

I’ve run away from the little old woman

And I can run away from you, too.

I can, I can.

                              Then into the woods he dashed. A plump bunny nibbling greens at the edge of the woods looked up as the gingerbread man ran past, and  his bunny nose quivered hungrily. Come back, come back, he called. But the gingerbread boy only laughed and cried out:

Run, run as fast as you can,

You can’t catch me,

I’m the gingerbread man.

I’ve  run away from the little old woman

And the little old man

And I can run away from you, too.

I can, I can.

                              The bunny hopped along as fast as he could, but he could not catch him either, so the gingerbread boy ran on deeper into the woods. A fuzzy bear cub sniffing for honey looked up as he passed, and his little red tongue flipped out hungrily. Come back,come back, he called. But the gingerbread boy only laughed and cried out:

Run, run as fast as you can,

You can’t catch me,

I’m the gingerbread man.

I’ve run away from the little old woman

And the little old man

And the bunny

And I can run away from you,too.

I can, I can.

                               The bear cub scrambled along as fast as he could, but  he could not catch him.So the gingerbread boy ran on into the deep woods. A fox peeked out of hiding as he passed, and his sharp eyes shone hungrily. Watch out, gingerbread boy, he called. The gingerbread boy only laughed and cried out:

Run, run as fast as you can,

You can’t catch me,

I’m the gingerbread man.

I’ve run away from the little old woman

And the little old man

And the bunny

And the bear cub

And I can run away from you,too.

I can, I can.

                                But the fox did not run after him. He just said sweetly. I don’t want to catch you, gingerbread boy. But there is a river just ahead, and I will give you a ride across on my tail if you like, so that the little old woman and the  little old man and the plump bunny and the fuzzy bear cub will not be able to catch you. The gingerbread boy looked at the river ahead. He looked  at  the woods behind. Then he looked at the fox. Kind fox, since your tail is so far from your mouth I will accept the ride, he decided. So he hopped onto the fo’s tail and the fox started across  the river. As the water grew deeper he called to the gingerbread boy: Hop on my back or you will get wet. So the gingerbread boy hopped up onto the fox’s back, and on they went. Then the water got still deeper and the fox called out: Hop up on my head or you will get wet. So the gingerbread boy hopped up onto the fox’s head. Suddenly the sly fox flipped his head and opened his mouth and in popped the gingerbread boy. And that was the end of that gingerbread boy.