LIFE
Grim Tales, Fairy Dusts and All That Makes Us Gullible at Bedtime
I’ve been trolled a long time ago before social media made it a trend
“And they all live happily ever after.” That’s the oldest hyperbolic fish tale we’ve been telling ourselves and worst of all, to children. I was flagged on this faux pas by my nieces when I tried telling them a bedtime story.
Here I thought I could lull them into slumber, turn off the lights, and pat myself for a job well done. That’s how my father did it to me and my brother when we were little. My father loved telling us about the troll that lived under the bridge. The troll snuck on three goats crossing a bridge and scared them to death. Maybe it was me who enjoyed it. Dad would shut the book, kissed us good night, and off we slept.
With my nieces however, I wasn’t expecting a question and answer session. It felt like a tutorial.
“But that’s not how it ends with Little Red Riding Hood. She got eaten because she was stupid.” My niece sat upright on her bed looking more wide awake than before the storytelling began.
“Excuse me, who told you that?” I paused the reading and adjusted myself.
