As Promised: My Take on Little Red Riding Hood
Author’s Note:
This is a spin off of the old fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. We have heard of the how she seduced the wolf, the huntsman had to cut her and her grandmother out, the huntsman saved her but not the grandmother. They are all old tales of same concept.
Anyone who has seen Enchanted has heard the story of how Red wound up chasing the wolf around with an ax.
Well, here you going to get a completely different aspect of the classic tale.
Hope you enjoy!
Sincerely,
Stacy Lynn Vanner
Side Note: This is a Zombie Story, so be prepared for the usual zombie mayhem, except toned down ever so slightly.
Rose was out in the gardens picking some flowers for her grandmother. She had been hit with an ailment that had, in all honesty, become a rather horrid local epidemic. The child felt some flowers and soup would make her loving grandmother feel better and so she took upon herself to find the most beautiful and most pleasant scented of the flowers. Once she was done she raced inside and went immediately to collect the basket with the soup.
“Rose,” her mother called, “don’t forget your cloak. It’s going to rain today.”
“Alright, mom.”
Father came into the room at that point, a soft, affectionate smile upon his face. “You be careful now, sweetheart. You never know what you’ll stumble upon out there.” He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Now get going so granny can start feeling better.”
“Right.” She pulled on her cloak and, a lovely white cloak, and scooped up the basket, which now had the flowers tucked into it with the soup and she headed out on her merry way.
Now further down the path our dear Rose was taking was a rather large Dire wolf. He had been patrolling the area for the past few months fore he knew something terrible was about to happen. This day as he was going through his daily patrols he saw our dear Rose in her lovely white cloak walking along by herself. She was humming a merry little tune and seemed quite happy, but our friend Dire knew something dark lay ahead.
“This will not do,” he muttered to himself. “When will parents learn to keep a better eye on their beloved children?” Agitated at the thought of such recklessness, Dire decided to follow young Rose. Where she went troubled him even more.
He knew this home. He had come upon it earlier. A terrible crime had been committed here not more than a day ago and this poor child was walking straight into the horrors that lay within.
Dire began to move more quickly so as to intercept the child, but he need not have worried, for the instant she saw the front door she stopped.
Rose stared at the front door of her grandmother’s house, stunned. The door had been virtually destroyed by something and there was blood smeared all over it. She barely had time to take in that bit of horror when she saw her beloved grandmother shambling her way forward. At first the girl just thought she was still week from her ailment but then she noticed the bloodstains and tears in granny’s nightgown. Then she noted the gaping whole in granny’s neck.
She stared in fright. Granny’s eyes were large as saucers, her teeth had taken on this unhealthy coloring and the gums seemed to have pulled back and her ears, which were already big to begin with, appeared larger because of the loss of hair.
“Granny, what is wrong? Your eyes! Their so big!”
Dire muttered under his breath, “The better to see you with.”
“What happened to your hair?! It makes your ears look so large!”
Once more muttering under his breath, “The better to hear you with.”
“Granny, oh granny, your teeth! They’re all decayed and the gums are gone? It makes them so big!”
Dire had finally had enough and yelled, “The better to eat you with, now run you foolish girl!”
Rose shrieked and ran… straight past the house and to the heart of the problem.
“Damn girl,” Dire muttered as he charged off after her, hoping to catch her before she reached the huntsman’s home.
He needn’t have worried about her getting there, though. The huntsman was out on the prowl again and she ran straight into him.
The man, covered in the blood of all his victims and dragging an ax in similar disarray, smiled evilly at the young girl who merely shrieked again and fell back.
Dire surged forward and let out a ferocious growl, the wind of it knocking the hunter back away from the girl.
“Dear white Rose, get on before he gets up.”
Rose looked up in confusion, tears streaming down her face as Dire charged between her and the huntsman.
“Get on now or he will turn you too!”
Rose scrambled to her feet and had barely jumped on before Dire took off at a dead run, heading back in the direction of the child had originally come from. He did not stop at the child’s home, though. Oh no, he continued on past. He raced through the nearby village and bypassed the closest city. A fortnight had passed before our friend Dire finally stopped just outside a gypsy wagon.
“Lady Stallia, I beg of you, let us in,” cried Dire.
The door slowly opened and a raven haired gypsy stepped out. Silver, purple and blue were her clothes and trinkets and uncaring was her face. “Why should I allow you in, Sir Dire.”
“The wolf you had as a familiar was no wolf but one like me. He was my brother and your curse has destroyed many a innocent folk.”
“None are innocent. They all had a hand in your brother’s death.”
“Nay, Lady Stallia, not all, just one. The huntsman is the true culprit. He slew my brother when he was merely trying to save that poor little pig from the fire pits. No one else had taken part in that and this poor child that now travels with me has never done anyone harm.
“You must remove this horrid curse!”
Lady Stallia walked out of the wagon and began circling the pair, studying the girl carefully. “A white cloak turned red with blood. Eyes the color of the twilight, hair of ruby red. This is young Rose of Ellison.”
“Yes, ma’am, that she is.”
“Has the curse truly spread that far?”
“Further, my lady. Much further.”
“Then I shall remove the curse under one condition.”
“What condition would that be, my lady?”
“Rose of Ellison must remain with me. No longer will she be called Rose but Red and her cloak will be a riding cape of the same ruby red as her lovely hair.”
Dire looked incredulous. “You would take a child to stop something that should never have been inflicted upon another?”
“Those are my terms. If you do not accept them then the curse will remain.”
Rose finally spoke, “If it will stop any others from suffering as my poor family has then I agree to your terms.”
Lady Stallia smiled. “Excellent. Then by morn all be set right once more.” She held out her hand to they young girl. “Come, child.”
Rose climbed off the wolf and took Lady Stallia’s hand, allowing herself to be lead inside.
“I will come for you, lovely Rose. You have my promise!” Dire received no response, but he knew she had heard.
The End
This is a spin off of the old fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. We have heard of the how she seduced the wolf, the huntsman had to cut her and her grandmother out, the huntsman saved her but not the grandmother. They are all old tales of same concept.
Anyone who has seen Enchanted has heard the story of how Red wound up chasing the wolf around with an ax.
Well, here you going to get a completely different aspect of the classic tale.
Hope you enjoy!
Sincerely,
Stacy Lynn Vanner
Side Note: This is a Zombie Story, so be prepared for the usual zombie mayhem, except toned down ever so slightly.
Rose was out in the gardens picking some flowers for her grandmother. She had been hit with an ailment that had, in all honesty, become a rather horrid local epidemic. The child felt some flowers and soup would make her loving grandmother feel better and so she took upon herself to find the most beautiful and most pleasant scented of the flowers. Once she was done she raced inside and went immediately to collect the basket with the soup.
“Rose,” her mother called, “don’t forget your cloak. It’s going to rain today.”
“Alright, mom.”
Father came into the room at that point, a soft, affectionate smile upon his face. “You be careful now, sweetheart. You never know what you’ll stumble upon out there.” He leaned down and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Now get going so granny can start feeling better.”
“Right.” She pulled on her cloak and, a lovely white cloak, and scooped up the basket, which now had the flowers tucked into it with the soup and she headed out on her merry way.
Now further down the path our dear Rose was taking was a rather large Dire wolf. He had been patrolling the area for the past few months fore he knew something terrible was about to happen. This day as he was going through his daily patrols he saw our dear Rose in her lovely white cloak walking along by herself. She was humming a merry little tune and seemed quite happy, but our friend Dire knew something dark lay ahead.
“This will not do,” he muttered to himself. “When will parents learn to keep a better eye on their beloved children?” Agitated at the thought of such recklessness, Dire decided to follow young Rose. Where she went troubled him even more.
He knew this home. He had come upon it earlier. A terrible crime had been committed here not more than a day ago and this poor child was walking straight into the horrors that lay within.
Dire began to move more quickly so as to intercept the child, but he need not have worried, for the instant she saw the front door she stopped.
Rose stared at the front door of her grandmother’s house, stunned. The door had been virtually destroyed by something and there was blood smeared all over it. She barely had time to take in that bit of horror when she saw her beloved grandmother shambling her way forward. At first the girl just thought she was still week from her ailment but then she noticed the bloodstains and tears in granny’s nightgown. Then she noted the gaping whole in granny’s neck.
She stared in fright. Granny’s eyes were large as saucers, her teeth had taken on this unhealthy coloring and the gums seemed to have pulled back and her ears, which were already big to begin with, appeared larger because of the loss of hair.
“Granny, what is wrong? Your eyes! Their so big!”
Dire muttered under his breath, “The better to see you with.”
“What happened to your hair?! It makes your ears look so large!”
Once more muttering under his breath, “The better to hear you with.”
“Granny, oh granny, your teeth! They’re all decayed and the gums are gone? It makes them so big!”
Dire had finally had enough and yelled, “The better to eat you with, now run you foolish girl!”
Rose shrieked and ran… straight past the house and to the heart of the problem.
“Damn girl,” Dire muttered as he charged off after her, hoping to catch her before she reached the huntsman’s home.
He needn’t have worried about her getting there, though. The huntsman was out on the prowl again and she ran straight into him.
The man, covered in the blood of all his victims and dragging an ax in similar disarray, smiled evilly at the young girl who merely shrieked again and fell back.
Dire surged forward and let out a ferocious growl, the wind of it knocking the hunter back away from the girl.
“Dear white Rose, get on before he gets up.”
Rose looked up in confusion, tears streaming down her face as Dire charged between her and the huntsman.
“Get on now or he will turn you too!”
Rose scrambled to her feet and had barely jumped on before Dire took off at a dead run, heading back in the direction of the child had originally come from. He did not stop at the child’s home, though. Oh no, he continued on past. He raced through the nearby village and bypassed the closest city. A fortnight had passed before our friend Dire finally stopped just outside a gypsy wagon.
“Lady Stallia, I beg of you, let us in,” cried Dire.
The door slowly opened and a raven haired gypsy stepped out. Silver, purple and blue were her clothes and trinkets and uncaring was her face. “Why should I allow you in, Sir Dire.”
“The wolf you had as a familiar was no wolf but one like me. He was my brother and your curse has destroyed many a innocent folk.”
“None are innocent. They all had a hand in your brother’s death.”
“Nay, Lady Stallia, not all, just one. The huntsman is the true culprit. He slew my brother when he was merely trying to save that poor little pig from the fire pits. No one else had taken part in that and this poor child that now travels with me has never done anyone harm.
“You must remove this horrid curse!”
Lady Stallia walked out of the wagon and began circling the pair, studying the girl carefully. “A white cloak turned red with blood. Eyes the color of the twilight, hair of ruby red. This is young Rose of Ellison.”
“Yes, ma’am, that she is.”
“Has the curse truly spread that far?”
“Further, my lady. Much further.”
“Then I shall remove the curse under one condition.”
“What condition would that be, my lady?”
“Rose of Ellison must remain with me. No longer will she be called Rose but Red and her cloak will be a riding cape of the same ruby red as her lovely hair.”
Dire looked incredulous. “You would take a child to stop something that should never have been inflicted upon another?”
“Those are my terms. If you do not accept them then the curse will remain.”
Rose finally spoke, “If it will stop any others from suffering as my poor family has then I agree to your terms.”
Lady Stallia smiled. “Excellent. Then by morn all be set right once more.” She held out her hand to they young girl. “Come, child.”
Rose climbed off the wolf and took Lady Stallia’s hand, allowing herself to be lead inside.
“I will come for you, lovely Rose. You have my promise!” Dire received no response, but he knew she had heard.
The End