Little Red
We all know the story of Little Red Riding hood, the girl with the red cloak, and how the big bad wolf eats her grandmother and eats her too but was saved by the huntsman. Well, what if I told this little red didn’t make it alright? This is the tale of Ruby Red, who some might call Little Red Riding Hood.
It all started when Ruby was only thirteen years old. Ruby was outside sitting under a large, shady tree that saved her from the burning hot sun that threatened to beat her down with its painful heat. Reading her favorite book that she read many times before, but still get deep in the story leaving reality, not realizing her mother was calling for her before she reached the tree, and touched the book. Ruby looking up to her mother’s smiling face as she spoke, “Still reading the same book, I see. You know we can always get you more books.” Ruby giggled replying, “You know it’s my favorite mother.” looking into her mother’s deep brown eyes.
Ruby looked much like her late father more than her mother. Both Ruby and her mother had long brown hair and long eyelashes. Ruby’s hazel eyes, and firm face was like her father’s, as she wore a red cloak that he had given her. Her mother always adjusted whenever she got taller. The cloak was a reminder of his love and her beauty, she never took it off after a pack of wolves murdered her father as he tried to protect her and her mother. Ever since that night Ruby hated wolves deep down to her core.
While lost deep in her thoughts of late her father, and the night the wolves attacked, she felt someone place a hand on her shoulder. Coming back to reality, without knowing Ruby had been stroking the cloak and crying. Her mother sighed as she hugged her before she spoke again. “You know what might help you feel better?” Ruby looked at her curiously, now noticing the basket behind her mother. “You can take these treats to your grandmother for me, so you can see her instead of being here alone.” This made Ruby smile, Ruby wasn’t allowed to go anywhere without her mother with her and now was her chance. As they stood her mother frowned stared at the edge of the forest. Ruby looked at the sun and saw it would set soon. She glanced at her mother worriedly. “If you stay on the path, you can get there by nightfall, and you can stay the night there.” She handed Ruby the basket, and kissed her forehead smiling as she went towards the path.
Ruby walked to the path waving goodbye to her mother, until she couldn’t see her anymore. She started to sing songs that she learned as a child, making small dance moves as she walked. Then there was a russell in a brush nearby. “Who’s there?!” She called as she took steps back ready to run. Suddenly a small bunny jumped out from behind the brush, she sighed and laughed at herself for getting herself worked up. Little did she know she was being watched as continued her journey. A few minutes later there was another russell but she ignored until a man came out from behind a tree. She stopped as she took a step back. His hair was silver and so was his short beard as he looked at her curiously. “What is such a young little girl doing out here alone on a full moon. You should be at home eating dinner by now.” His voice was rough as he spoke but she relaxed a little before she spoke. ” I’m going to my grandmother’s house to give her these treats, I didn’t realize it was a full moon tonight.” She stared at him cautiously. “Well you best be on your way child. nightfall will be here soon, and lots of wolves roam these woods.” He said as he walked the other way down the path. After she couldn’t see him she picked up the pace to her grandmother’s house.
When she finally arrived it was the sun was gone but it still showed a little of its color as the moon rose higher. She knocked on the door, thinking that someone would answer, or at least her grandfather, but no one answered. She knocked again but still no response, she twisted the knob to find it was unlocked. So she carefully walked into the house, noticing the television’s bright light coming from down the hall where her grandmother slept. As she walked down the hallway she could see through the window the large wheat farm that her grandfather worked on every day. Her heart stopped before she even entered the room. Standing at the doorway of the room she could see that her grandmother laid in a pool of blood with claw marks everywhere, but her grandfather was nowhere to be found. Dropping to her knees she cried knowing she lost another family member to wolves, and then there was a growl from the closet. She stood to her feet as a wolf with silver fur stepped out the closet going towards her slowly. She knew if she stood there any longer she would die, then she started to run.
Ruby ran down the hallway which now seemed longer than it was before, noticing the wheat field she ran out the door heading into the wheat towards the barn in the center. She could hear the wolf running after her with every step getting closer and closer as flashes of yellow pasted her face as she broke through the wheat.
Arriving at the barn, she found her grandfather laying dead on the ground. Next to him a scythe covered in blood splatter. His torn up body was close enough that she sat next to it with her back against the barn. Watching and waiting for the wolf to find her. “Poor little girl, you shouldn’t have been out all alone.” She heard the familiar voice from the man she meet in the woods, coming from the wheat. “Who are you?!” She screamed with pain and anger in her voice. Out of the wheat was the voice with a grin on his face. “Never tell a stranger where you’re going.” The words spoke from the wolf’s mouth showing his sharp bloody teeth. Anger boiled within Ruby, not willing to let herself die like this, not now, not never. As the wolf was about to pounce at her she grabbed the scythe quickly. His sharp bloody, teeth right in her face. She swung the scythe, decapitating the wolf, and letting his head roll on the ground. Breathing heavily she stood as she watched the wolf’s body turn into a human form without a head on its shoulders. Her anger had boiled up so much it made that one swing of the scythe chopped off his head. She cried but never made a sound as she walked back into the house and slept on the floor ready to go home.
Ruby woke to the sunlight shining in her eyes, as she stood with bloodstains on her clothes. It was over she thought as she began to walk home with the bloody scythe in her hand, but when she returned home, the anger boiled in her again. She ran into the house pushing open the already broken door. In the kitchen sat her mother with claw marks in her chest sitting in a chair. Blood poured onto the floor from the marks. Not too far from her body was her father’s shotgun and a body of a dead wolf. She fell to the floor and cried in agony. “No”. She thought as she stood. “This is not the end.” She went to her room and grabbed her stuff and put it into her bag. She went to the shed and added a few adjustments to her scythe, and left. From that day she became Little Red the Wolf Hunter.
