Once Upon a Different Story

The Big Bad Wolf a public servant with a clipboard and an attitude.

Jack the Giant Killer a tattooed drug dealer out of control.

Snow White's frustrated stepmother, doing her best to be fair.

Mama Bear coping with a little golden-haired home invader and the child welfare system.

Cinderella in ragged jeans, with an "Unoccupy the Throne" protest sign.

Once Upon a Different Story is a collection of five fairy tales, updated from today's headlines and retold with a twist.

Here are classic tales you thought you knew, retold in their own voices by:

The Big Bureaucrat Wolf. The guys say the B. B. stands for Big and Bad, on account of I'm such a hardass in my building inspections. Most of them, they take a little cash on the side every now and then, to overlook stuff. Not me. But you wouldn't believe some of the things I see. Like that shack. It didn't just violate every building code in the book; it violated logic, common sense, and the law of gravity. Hell, I didn't even dare knock on the door for fear the whole flimsy mess would come down.

The Murdered Giant's Wife. Well, of course it all started because Jack found those beans. Magic beans, you Downlanders call them, but there's nothing magic about them, really. We all know how important the beans are to our diets and how dangerous they are to you. We all see the videos about Downlander addicts and how crazy and unpredictable they can get. So something we take seriously is bean control.

The Fairest Queen of All. From the beginning, I did the best I could to make friends with Snow White and love her even though she didn't love me back. I don't think I could have managed without the magic mirror. It couldn't help me deal with Snow White, but at least it simplified the other major challenge of being a queen: looking fabulous. Let’s face it, looking beautiful is what princesses and queens do. Nobody wants to know what we think; nobody cares how we feel. They just expect us to show up, look perfect, and smile graciously.

The Determined Mama Bear. Poor little Goldie; everyone in our part of the forest knew about her. Out in the woods by herself, all hours of the day, when she should have been safe at home. And her only a little older than my Baby. Oh, I'm sure Goldie's parents have plenty of problems of their own. Usually I'm not one to judge people if I haven't walked a mile in their paw prints, as the saying goes. But I don't care what their issues were—it was no excuse for neglecting that sweet little girl the way they did.

The Softhearted Stepsister. "Oh my God! That's Cinderella!" Jane's shriek made me drop my sociology book and focus on the television. A hunky young reporter with perfect hair and gleaming teeth was in front of the palace, reporting live on the latest demonstration from the anti-aristocracy group calling themselves "Unoccupy the Throne." The camera zoomed in on a slender girl carrying a sign so big she could barely balance it. I could see why they chose our little sister. Even in ragged jeans and a scruffy sweatshirt, Cinderella was beautiful.