Little Red Riding Hood (Watty Awards 2013)

One

In the distance, the girl could see the full moon shining brightly, stars sparkling around, in the vast sky looming over the eerie forest. She didn't mind roaming through the forest but tonight was the night of the full moon. Something about full moons made her uncomfortable.

The girl's name was Scarlett Mathews but everyone called her Little Red and she skipped through the dark shadowy forest. Tall birch trees loomed above her as she stopped to adjust the fastening of her red cloak, and sweep some leaves off the basket she grasped tightly in her hand.

Sighing, she straightened up and glanced around the dreary forest. Leaves which clung desperately to the tree branches seemed to half-dead dead and about to fall off, and although it was the middle of the night, the moon could barely be seen. Clouds and tall trees shrouded it and cast shadows all over the forest floor, littered with leaves. Some squirrels and foxes could be heard scampering about, but Red kept her gaze directly on the clean, evenly paved path laid out ahead of her.

Get lost in the forest, and you would never find your way out. She sighed again, wondering how long it would take her to get back to her grandmother's house. Having already been on the journey for well over a half an hour, Red was exhausted and was ready to discontinue her journey but she promised her mother that she would deliver the basket to her grandmother.

Red's grandmother is a 6 foot fall, woman with hair white hair with brown hues that was so shiny, that when the sun hits it was a faint copper, which complemented her beautiful tan skin. She was 76 and looked about 40 and had remained seemingly unchanged since her first memory of her.

She didn't mean to dawdle, but spotting some flowers growing close to the path, she wandered over and admired their beauty. The clutters of flowers were bright and alive with its color and beauty, a stark contrast against the cold lifelessness of the forest.

There was an eerie feeling that came over Red. Suddenly, a howl sounded off in the distance and she stiffened. she had heard many stories about these woods and all the animals they were home to, and wolves, of course, were one of them, as her grandmother had warned her countless times. A howl sounded again, closer this time, and she dropped her cell phone startled. She bent over to retrieve it, oblivious as a menacing shadow slowly approached her from behind. She rearranged her dress so that nobody could look under it.

A twig cracked, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Someone, or something, was behind her. she whipped around quickly and let out a shriek.

There was a shortcut that cuts through the forest. It will make her journey quicker, easier. Instantly the forest closes in, knotted roots burst from the sea of dull, snatching at her feet. The air turns colder, biting at her exposed skin. Little light has been shed by the moon, now high above the earth, and it is gobbled up by the shadows. Fear flutters inside her chest and her footsteps quicken.

The shadow billows out behind her, a beacon in the night until she who sought her out, anticipation hot in her breath, the burning hunger flowing freely in her blood. Keen eyes pierce the darkness and steady limbs carry her deeper into the forest, in Red's footsteps. A snarling smile with large white teeth gleams. Now the air is charged with electricity. she feels it within herself and she stops, alone in the glade, cautious in the night. From the shifting black a figure approaches. Only the ragged gasp of her harsh breath can be heard, it muffles the sound of footsteps.

The man stands before Red, her amber eyes glittering, a smirk playing on her lips. Muscles bulge underneath the stormy gray of the man's coat. Red watches the man carefully, examines every detail. Red bows her head, hides her face from the intensity of the creature's gaze. A creeping shiver across her flesh makes her aware that she has not looked away. Their eyes meet again and something changes. The man's amber eyes appear to smolder, rich and dark.