Once upon a time, in a cozy cottage, a baker named Mrs. Johnson decided to bake some gingerbread cookies. She mixed the dough, shaped it like a little man, and put him in the oven. As the gingerbread man baked, he came to life! He jumped out of the oven and shouted, 'Run, run, as fast as you can!'

The gingerbread man ran through the kitchen, out the front door, and into the street. Soon, a hungry cow spotted him and said, 'Moo! I want to eat you!' The gingerbread man replied, 'I can run away from you!'

The gingerbread man continued running, with the cow chasing behind. Then, he reached a river and saw a sly fox sitting on the riverbank. The fox said, 'Hello, little gingerbread man! I can help you cross the river.' The gingerbread man hesitated, but the fox promised he wouldn't eat him.

The gingerbread man thought for a moment and decided to trust the fox. He hopped onto the fox's back, and the fox started swimming across the river. But as they reached the middle, the fox said, 'Sorry, gingerbread man, I can't resist that delicious smell!' The gingerbread man quickly jumped off the fox's back.

Now the gingerbread man was in the middle of the river, and the sly fox was still hungry. He swam after the gingerbread man, who thought fast and shouted, 'I'm already halfway across! You won't catch me!' The fox stopped chasing, and the gingerbread man reached the other side just in time.

The gingerbread man ran as fast as he could until he reached a field. He saw a group of children playing and realized that they may catch him. So, he had an idea. He called out to the children, 'Why don't you all help me decorate myself?' Excited, the children gathered around and started adding colorful candies and icing to the gingerbread man.

By the time the children finished decorating the gingerbread man, he looked completely different. Thanks to their help, he no longer resembled a plain cookie. The children were happy, and the gingerbread man realized that he was safest when he had friends to support him. From that day on, he stayed with the children and brought joy to everyone he met.