I present, for your reading pleasure...

This, my friends, is the tale of Carlotta, Jimmy, and Frank. I wrote this for my Religion assignment, but thought it was kind of funny. Read if you like.

Once upon a time, there was an old woman named Carlotta who lived all by herself. She spent all her time baking; day in, day out, Carlotta baked. She made all sorts of things, but her favorite things to bake were little gingerbread men. These were no ordinary gingerbread men, however. If she made them just right, they would come to life in a very Pinocchio-esque way and keep her company. Two such gingerbread men she made were called Jimmy and Frank. Jimmy and Frank had been around for a while, and they were her constant companions. If Carlotta was lucky, they would even help her with her baking.

One day, however, Jimmy decided he wanted more from the world. ‘A gingerbread man’s not meant to stay in one spot all his life,’ he thought to himself. So he asked Carlotta for his share of the inheritance he and Frank would receive upon Carlotta’s demise, packed a bag, and left to seek his fortune in the big city. It pained Carlotta and Frank to see Jimmy go, but what could they do?

When Jimmy reached the city, he was overwhelmed by the size of everything, from the buildings to the noise to the people. Back home, Carlotta was the only person around, so he was in no danger of being stepped on there. Jimmy tried his best to make a life for himself, but unfortunately Carlotta had no money, so the inheritance he had received was only a satchel full of gumdrops, a few sticks of cinnamon, and a few of Carlotta’s basic cookie recipes. “In case you get lonely,” she had told him. And Jimmy was lonely. He had no money, no friends, and no one to look out for him.

Meanwhile, Carlotta and Frank had settled back into daily life, not knowing quite what had befallen Jimmy. Though she tried to resist, Carlotta still found herself standing on her front porch every morning, hoping to see a tiny gingerbread figure making its way home. She did this every day for a long while, until one morning, she saw something— a bedraggled cookie form was stumbling down the pathway to her home! Jimmy was a long ways off yet, but Carlotta shouted for Frank to come quickly and see. Once Frank had retrieved his returning brother and tucked him up in a nice warm pan, Carlotta told him to fetch the nicest icing and the shiny black licorice whips.

Frank, who was simply garbed with gumdrop buttons and an icing face, asked Carlotta why Jimmy, who had run away, received the nice decorations while he [Frank], who had remained by her side constantly, only got the standards. Carlotta smiled and patted her gingerbread friend on the head, telling him, “Frank, it is true you have always been loyal to me, and so everything I have is yours. But you must understand, your brother was lost, and now he is found. He had been dead to us, and now he has returned. We must celebrate our wonderful luck. Few get such an opportunity as this, and we must be thankful.” Frank smiled and nodded as if in agreement, but when Carlotta was not looking, he took a black licorice whip and fashioned himself a bow tie.

THE END