Once upon a time, universally agreed to be the mid 18th century, in an indeterminate part of Western Europe, there was a young woman named Sophie. Sophie lived in a little village with her mother and father and two brothers. She had always been a daring and adventurous child, playing in the woods with her brothers and imagining the wild adventures she would have once she grew up and went into the wide world. Over the years, her elder brothers came of age and moved away seeking their fortunes in the wide world. Her eldest brother was to become a tailor in the city and make clothes for all the fine ladies and gentlemen of the court, and her other brother was apprenticed into the army, where he would learn to become a soldier and fight in great battles for the king.
Knowing the wonderful exciting destinies that her brothers were embarking upon, Sophie couldn’t wait until it was her turn to leave the village. So you can imagine her surprise and horror when her sixteenth birthday arrived, and she was told that she was not leaving the village at all, but being married to her second cousin Hans. Hans the idiot, as the village children called him, who was twice her age, bald, fat and as stupid as an ox. Sophie couldn’t imagine what she had done wrong to be subjected to such a fate.
When she asked her parents why she was to marry to her ugly, stupid cousin and remain in the village, rather than seek adventure in the world like her brothers, they told her that it was because she was a girl, and girls stay at home and look after their husbands. And besides, Hans may be stupid and ugly, but this way her father would get his cousin’s lands back which he felt had been wrongfully given away in the first place.
Sophie was horrified to discover that her parents valued her only as a pawn in a dodgy land deal. So she packed her bags, tied her favourite red hunting cloak about her to give her courage and ventured into the wide world, determined to seek her fortune herself.
Sophie hadn’t travelled many miles out of town when she came to a fork in the road: a fork in the
road and a very large wolf, leaning against the signpost. He was a grey wolf, dressed very fashionably in a blue velvet jacket, and buff leather waistcoat which matched his buff coloured linen breaches. He wore no shoes, but held in his paw an elegant, ivory handled walking cane.
“Where are you headed, young lady?” asked the wolf, in a surprisingly melodious voice.
Sophie regarded the wolf carefully wondering whether to speak to him or to walk on. Her parents had always told her not to speak to wolves, but then again her parents had tried to sell her off in marriage for a field and an apple orchard, so she wasn’t putting much stock in their advice these days.
“I am going to seek my fortune?” said Sophie, stopping before the wolf.
“I thought only boys did that,” said the wolf.
“No, girls do too. I thought wolves lived in packs.”
“Usually we do, but I am having a holiday from my pack. It is a bit lonely holidaying by oneself. I have a little cottage in the forest, would you like to join me for lunch?” said the wolf, offering his arm.
Sophie was beginning to feel hungry, and the road across the fields seemed very hot and dusty compared to the cool dark of the forest. So she accepted the wolf’s offer and allowed him to lead her along the path to his
holiday cottage.
Over lunch, Sophie got to know the wolf, who had left his friends and family on account of his love for a lady wolf, who had taken another fellow as her mate. He told his story with such sighs and tears, that Sophie could not help but be moved by the wolf’s sad plight.
“Is there nothing you can do to change her mind?” asked Sophie, after the wolf had composed himself once more.
“No, she promised her mother she would take her current mate, and so though I feel that she returns my affections, she will not break her promise.”
“Parents! That was why I ran away, my father wanted to marry me to an idiot.”
“And you love another?” asked the wolf, who was clearly of a romantic frame of mind.
“No, I want to have a life of adventure, not sit at home and darn socks forever. Perhaps an adventure would help cheer you up,” said Sophie. “Sitting here all on your own isn’t working.”
“Well, my lease is up in a few days, and I don’t really want to go back home. Alright, an adventure it is,” said the wolf, as he cleared away the lunch things, for he was a very tidy wolf and he did want to get his bond back on the cottage. “We will leave at first light, get my bond back from the woodcutter and then we’ll be off.”
Sophie didn’t think that tidying up an administrative matter was quite how one began an adventure, but the wolf seemed to think this was important, so she agreed. And the next morning at first light, though it was about ten o’clock by the time the wolf had found the woodcutter and sorted out the paperwork, Sophie and the wolf set off on an adventure.
“So wolf will we seek out an adventure, via the mountains or the city?” asked Sophie once they were ready to leave.
Knowing the wonderful exciting destinies that her brothers were embarking upon, Sophie couldn’t wait until it was her turn to leave the village. So you can imagine her surprise and horror when her sixteenth birthday arrived, and she was told that she was not leaving the village at all, but being married to her second cousin Hans. Hans the idiot, as the village children called him, who was twice her age, bald, fat and as stupid as an ox. Sophie couldn’t imagine what she had done wrong to be subjected to such a fate.
When she asked her parents why she was to marry to her ugly, stupid cousin and remain in the village, rather than seek adventure in the world like her brothers, they told her that it was because she was a girl, and girls stay at home and look after their husbands. And besides, Hans may be stupid and ugly, but this way her father would get his cousin’s lands back which he felt had been wrongfully given away in the first place.
Sophie was horrified to discover that her parents valued her only as a pawn in a dodgy land deal. So she packed her bags, tied her favourite red hunting cloak about her to give her courage and ventured into the wide world, determined to seek her fortune herself.
Sophie hadn’t travelled many miles out of town when she came to a fork in the road: a fork in the
road and a very large wolf, leaning against the signpost. He was a grey wolf, dressed very fashionably in a blue velvet jacket, and buff leather waistcoat which matched his buff coloured linen breaches. He wore no shoes, but held in his paw an elegant, ivory handled walking cane.
“Where are you headed, young lady?” asked the wolf, in a surprisingly melodious voice.
Sophie regarded the wolf carefully wondering whether to speak to him or to walk on. Her parents had always told her not to speak to wolves, but then again her parents had tried to sell her off in marriage for a field and an apple orchard, so she wasn’t putting much stock in their advice these days.
“I am going to seek my fortune?” said Sophie, stopping before the wolf.
“I thought only boys did that,” said the wolf.
“No, girls do too. I thought wolves lived in packs.”
“Usually we do, but I am having a holiday from my pack. It is a bit lonely holidaying by oneself. I have a little cottage in the forest, would you like to join me for lunch?” said the wolf, offering his arm.
Sophie was beginning to feel hungry, and the road across the fields seemed very hot and dusty compared to the cool dark of the forest. So she accepted the wolf’s offer and allowed him to lead her along the path to his
holiday cottage.
Over lunch, Sophie got to know the wolf, who had left his friends and family on account of his love for a lady wolf, who had taken another fellow as her mate. He told his story with such sighs and tears, that Sophie could not help but be moved by the wolf’s sad plight.
“Is there nothing you can do to change her mind?” asked Sophie, after the wolf had composed himself once more.
“No, she promised her mother she would take her current mate, and so though I feel that she returns my affections, she will not break her promise.”
“Parents! That was why I ran away, my father wanted to marry me to an idiot.”
“And you love another?” asked the wolf, who was clearly of a romantic frame of mind.
“No, I want to have a life of adventure, not sit at home and darn socks forever. Perhaps an adventure would help cheer you up,” said Sophie. “Sitting here all on your own isn’t working.”
“Well, my lease is up in a few days, and I don’t really want to go back home. Alright, an adventure it is,” said the wolf, as he cleared away the lunch things, for he was a very tidy wolf and he did want to get his bond back on the cottage. “We will leave at first light, get my bond back from the woodcutter and then we’ll be off.”
Sophie didn’t think that tidying up an administrative matter was quite how one began an adventure, but the wolf seemed to think this was important, so she agreed. And the next morning at first light, though it was about ten o’clock by the time the wolf had found the woodcutter and sorted out the paperwork, Sophie and the wolf set off on an adventure.
“So wolf will we seek out an adventure, via the mountains or the city?” asked Sophie once they were ready to leave.