Prologue: 'Into the Woods.'
Lydia had awoken from an awful nap, coated in sweat as she stared into the cracks of her bedroom ceiling, counting every ant and roach that crawled through the nook. Her windows were battered shut; the tree could only tap the wooden fixture as a harsh and unforgiving wind threatened to rip the nails out. It was a frightening night when the breeze grew angry with the ground. A storm threatened to huff and puff until it blew her little cottage down.
She squinted her eyes shut, trying desperately to fall into an ignorant slumber but she just couldn’t-something felt wrong. And it wasn’t the thunderous uproar; this happened almost every night. No, it was the little things that she usually heard-shuffling in the bedroom next to her own, wood crackling under the fireplace, and the loud and boisterous snoring of her grandmother-the little girl didn’t hear anything of that. Sliding from her bed, she quickly ran to her room and peeked inside. The sheets were ruffled, and the fireplace was cold and ashy; her grandmother was nowhere in sight. She couldn’t find her anywhere in their humble abode.
“Granny? Where are you?!”
Somehow, she’d vanished. But where could she possibly be?
“Ah!”
Lydia nearly jumped out of her skin. Something slammed into the wooden door, breaking it from its hinges. A haunted whistle flew in with it as the wind whipped into the cottage, pulling her eyes to the forest; dark, ominous, and waiting for her. Frightened, she used all her strength to lift the door, but even if she could put it back, she was quickly distracted by the deep, muddy footsteps that led to the trail between the trees.
“Granny?”
Her slippers were gone; perhaps she’d gone to town, but the girl knew that nowhere would be open at this hour. Her eyes widened at the horrible possibility that her frail grandmother had somehow slept walked her way into the woods and ran out to try and find her. But just as her tiny feet hit the ground, her lullaby stopped her in her tracks.
If you go out in the woods tonight. you’re sure of a terrible fright.
If you go out in the woods tonight, the monster is sure to bite.
For wolves are lurking there in the dark, watching, waiting, for a good fight.
So, stay in bed and pray that they’re not watching you.
For if you go into the woods tonight, they’ll find you...
Every inch of her skin ignited with goosebumps. Her fists tightened at the conflict, knowing that the lullaby held truth. Wolves were always in the woods. They hunted at this time of night. It was the town’s law not to leave their cottages at this hour.
“But my granny is out there. If I don’t find her, the wolves will.”
With all the courage she could muster and the strength her tiny body bared, she forced her way through the storm and ran down the trail.
“Grandmother? Grandmother? Where are you? Let me take you home!”
Lydia searched endlessly for her, but she could barely see the grass that scratched her feet, much less her tall, wrinkly, and white-haired caregiver. The little one was beginning to lose hope, but she couldn’t allow herself to turn back without her.
“Granny, please...”
Something snapped in the distance; too small to be a twig, so too big to be broken by the breeze or a small, defenseless animal. Lydia’s blue eyes snapped in its direction; her heart pounded in her chest, threatening to burst and bleed as she hoped it wasn’t a monster.
‘Please, please, please...’
A feral orange gaze stared back at her. It glowed brighter than the morning sun, with striking specks of forest green dancing around the irises. Such tantalizing eyes, bestowed in the head of a brown savage beast. Urine leaked from the little girl as its snout pushed out from the darkness, along with two rows of knife-edged fangs. A wolf stepped out into the clearing, standing as tall as the walls of her home, and its growl rattled the forest far greater than the storm ever could.
Lydia dashed off, wailing as she pushed herself to run as fast as she could. Time seemed to stand still as she ran away. There was nothing but trees for miles; the town was too far away. The wolf would gobble her up if she didn’t make it. It was a marvel that it hadn’t already-
A squeaky yelp escaped her as she tripped and fell to the ground. Sticks and pebbles ripped her skin open; her blood grew potent in the air. But none of that mattered to the little girl once she looked down. All the spit in her mouth dissipated. Her hands wobbled, barely keeping her off the ground. Even her heart nearly ceased beating once she recognized her grandmother’s hand, mangled and severed from her body... if there was even a body left to search for. Horror and despair climbed into her soul as she looked back. The beast was nowhere to be seen; perhaps it was too full to chase her.
‘It ate her... That wolf... ate my granny.’
Her grief-riddled screams echoed across the night, earning the attention of the beasts within the woods. If she hadn’t managed to pick herself up and run toward the town, she would’ve been eaten too.
