One day, there was a little girl Si Merah who lived in a village near the forest.  Whenever she went out, the Si Merah wore a red riding cloak, so everyone in the village called her Si Merah.

One afternoon, Si Merah asked her mother if she could go to visit her grandmother as it had been a while since they'd seen each other.

"That's a good idea," her mother said.  So, they packed a nice basket for Si Merah to take to her grandmother.

When the basket was ready, Si Merah put on her red cloak and kissed her mother goodbye.

"Remember, go straight to Grandma's house," her mother cautioned.  "Don't dawdle along the way and please don't talk to strangers!  The woods are dangerous."

"Don't worry, mommy," said Si Merah "I'll be careful."

But when Si Merah noticed some lovely flowers in the woods, she forgot her promise to her mother.  She picked a few, watched the butterfly’s flit about for a while, listened to the frogs croaking and then picked a few more.

Si Merah was enjoying the warm summer day so much, that she didn't notice a dark shadow approaching out of the forest behind her...

Suddenly, the lion Si Belang appeared beside her.

"What are you doing out here, Si Merah?" Si Belang asked in a voice as friendly as he could muster.

"I'm on my way to see my Grandma who lives through the forest, near the brook," Si Merah replied.

Then she realized how late she was and quickly excused herself, rushing down the path to her Grandma's house.

The lion, Si Belang, in the meantime, took a shortcut...

Si Belang, a little out of breath from running, arrived at Grandma's and knocked lightly at the door.

"Oh, thank goodness dear!  Come in, come in!  I was worried sick that something had happened to you in the forest," said Grandma thinking that the knock was her granddaughter.

Si Belang let himself in.  Poor Granny did not have time to say another word, before Si Belang gobbled her up!

Si Belang let out a satisfied burp, and then poked through Granny's wardrobe to find a nightgown that he liked.  He added a frilly sleeping cap, and for good measure, dabbed some of Granny's perfume behind his pointy ears.

A few minutes later, Si Merah knocked on the door. Si Belang jumped into bed and pulled the covers over his nose. 

"Who is it?" he called in a crackly voice.

"It's me, Si Merah."

"Oh, how lovely!  Do come in, my dear," croaked Si Belang.

When Si Merah entered the little cottage, she could scarcely recognize her Grandmother.

"Grandmother!  Your voice sounds so odd.  Is something the matter?" she asked.

"Oh, I just have touch of a cold," squeaked Si Belang adding a cough at the end to prove the point.

"But Grandmother!  What big ears you have," said Si Merah as she edged closer to the bed.

"The better to hear you with, my dear," replied Si Belang.

"But Grandmother!  What big eyes you have," said Si Merah.

"The better to see you with, my dear," replied Si Belang.

"But Grandmother!  What big teeth you have," said Si Merah her voice quivering slightly