A story my mom used to tell me

Once upon a time in a very poor neighborhood in Mexico, there lived a very cute cockroach named Cucarachita Mundinga. She longed to get married very much, but she didn’t have any money for her dowry or anything. She was a very clean little cockroach. One day, while she was sweeping the sidewalk she found a coin. She was dancing with joy thinking, “What should I do with it?” If I buy meat, I’ll eat it and it’s all gone. If buy candy, I’ll get all sticky and it’ll be all gone. “I know!” she said. “I will buy a little red ribbon and I’ll put it on my head and sit in front of my house to watch the people pass by.”

A big bull walked in front of her and said, “MOOO, Cucarachita! How beautiful you are! Will you marry me?” Cucarachita said, “How would you call me?” The bull gave a loud bellow and said “MOOOOOOO!” “Aye, no, no, no!” said Cucarachita Mundga. “That scares me!”

A while later a donkey passed by and he had long, soft ears and sweet eyes. He said, “Oh cucarachita! You are so beautiful will you marry me?” She answered, “How would you call me?” “Heee haw! Heee haw!” He answered and almost knocked her down. “Aye, no, no, no! You frighten me!”

Then a dog passed by and looking at her red ribbon said, “Oh cucarachita! You are so beautiful will you marry me?” “How would you call me?” she asked. The dog filled up his lungs with air and said “WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!” so loud that he knocked the red ribbon out of her hair! “Ay no, no, no!” because you scare me!

The sun was setting when out came a little mouse named Ratoncito Perez. He said, “Oh! Cucarachita Mundinga! How beautiful you are! Will you marry me?” Cucarachita said, “How would you call me?” “Eeek, eeek, eeek, eek.” “Oh yes! Yes! Yes!” said Cucarachita Mundinga.

So they got married and had a very beautiful wedding with Cucarachita Mundinga wearing her beautiful red ribbon on her little head.

Ratoncito Perez didn’t like to get up early in the morning. One day Cucarchita was going to church as usual and she shook Ratoncito Perez. “Please Ratoncito, I let the pot of beans on the fire.” He said, “Uhuh uhuh.” “Would you please stir them so they don’t get burned?” asked Cucarachita. “Do not use the short spoon. Use the long spoon so you can reach the bottom.” “Uhuh,” said Ratoncito, who turned over and fell asleep again. Half and hour later Ratoncito sniffed the air. Something was burning in the kitchen! He jumped out of his bed and ran to the kitchen. Sure enough, the pot of beans was bubbling. So he stood there and thought, “Big spoon; little spoon; big spoon; little spoon.....” Finally he just grabbed the closest one to him which happened to be the little spoon. He stood on the edge of the pot but couldn’t reach the beans. So he creeped over a little bit more and still couldn’t’ reach the beans. He leaned forward a little bit more and kerplunk! When Cucarachita Mundiga came back from church, she called out, “Ratoncito! Ratoncito!” Then she smelled the beans burning, so grabbing the big spoon, she started to stir them. It was then that she found poor little Ratoncito cooked in the beans!

The end.