Red Riding Hood; Editing

Visiting grandmother, and learning some surprising things

         I awoke to the sound of breathing in my ear and almost jumped up, groggy and still half a sleep I tried to remember where I was. In the meadow, with the red and blue flowers, Did I fall asleep? Of course I did, the sun has almost set and it will soon be dark. Oh, my mother most be so worried, and Aaron! I must get home right away, whatever made me go into the meadow anyway, I thought it smelled sweet but now it smelled bitter. I started to run for the village, past the trees and the Brooke. By the time I got to the gate it was dark and the moon was high above me in the sky and I could sense my fear coming on.

       I looked to the trees breathing hard form running all the way and rang the cord for someone to open the gate. I expected to see Tom looking down at me smiling, or scowling because I was out so late. But I saw Jeremy there instead, Toms apprentice, frowning down at me like always. I felt a sense of sadness and grief wipe over me and I frowned back. He opened the gate and I walked through and ran to my home, where there was no smoke coming from the roof.

     I opened my door to enter the dark and empty house. The fire had burned out awhile ago and I ran through the house calling for my mother but no reply came. I saw a note on the table and sighed in relief picking it up and reading the contents:

Have your mother. If you want to see her again you will meet me. Your grandmothers. Tonight. Tell no one.

 

     I dropped the paper and it fluttered to the ground soundlessly, I stared stunned at it and then I knew that if I wanted my loved ones to stay safe I would have to kill him or die trying. I already had my spell book in my silk bag, my red cape I was wearing. I grabbed a basket and put a loaf of bread, a chunk of cheese, and a couple of apples, and a bowl of soup that was cooking on the stove, still piping hot, and a very sharp knife, to kill, in it with my book in the silk cover on the bottom covering the basket with the lid, disguising any strange actions with an excuse of my grandmother being very sick and that my mother was to busy getting ready for the festival to come that she sent me instead. Sat down and wrote a short note, for Aaron for I know he would come looking for me. I couldn't think of anything to write, looking at the blank piece of paper I just wrote five short words:

                                                Don't try to find me.

 

      Then I thought to add, since I didn't know if I would survive the three words that I wanted to say since the beginning.

                                                     I love you.

 

        Putting my hood up, I walk out of my dark home with the basket and walk down the road without looking back. I walked to the gate silently, not making a sound and rang for the gate keeper to open the door, Jeremy looked down at me and yelled, "Red, it's late, no one is allowed to go out."

          I gave an annoyed look, I hate when he calls me that. And then I said it a worried voice, "My grandmother is very ill. I have to go see her to give her healing soup and to make sure she is alright."

        "Your mother can go, you should not be alone in the forest Red."

      "She's busy getting ready for the festival, please, she is very sick. Let me pass."

      I could see that he hesitates. "It's dangerous."

      "When has that ever stopped me?" I raised my eyebrows, "Why do you care anyway? Your the one who dared me to cross the woods to the other side and try to find a terrible beast when we were eight years old."

      He hesitated again and gulped, "Red"

      "And what did I find, a beast, terrible one. One that, did try to attack me."

     "Then one that saved you, a beautiful wolf with green eyes. You told us that so many times that people started to believe you, that's when they really started to get scared of you, and the girls, they were jealous. Of course the uproar brought the elders and you were told never to tell the story again."

      I remembered, that bright sunny day when I almost died and my savior a beautiful wolf with green eyes, Aarons eyes, saved me. Even then he was protecting me. Then running home telling everybody what happened, my mother thinking I made the tale up and the children my age looking at me either afraid or staring at me like I was a freak and then finally being told to shut my mouth. "I remember."

      "I always believed you, you know. The way you said it, they way you said it so admiringly, I knew you were telling the truth."

       I stared up at him stunned, my mouth gaping open. "It was true, I thought everybody forgot about that."

        "Not me, I remember every time you talked about it, you would get that look in your eye, like you had found your soul mate in a wolf. It was a scary thought. I knew you would never find anybody in the village after that day, even though we were so young. I always wanted you to look at me that way but you never did."

      If my mouth would not have already been open it would have dropped to the ground and I blushed deeply. I looked up and saw he was blushing even more then me. "I never knew, I thought everybody hated me."

       "They were intimidated by you, I was and scared. I was wrong though, you look at the Chief's son like that, you talk like you have known each other forever."

       I was surprised, "It seems like it sometimes. Why were you scared?"

      He blushed a deep red and whispered, "You are so beautiful and strong. I was afraid that if I came to you, you would dismiss me. You were adventurous and I wasn't."

      He thought I was beautiful, and strong. What was the world coming too, did the gods know I was going to die and take pity on me, letting me know that I was not as hated in the village as I thought. "I would never have dismissed you, it's to late now for my heart belongs to only one, but if you would have told me, maybe not even then but I would not have ever dismissed you." 

     He smiled at me softly, "Yes, I knew that too, it was just an excuse I guess. You were never like the others."

      I remembered that it was late and I had to hurry, my mother's life was on the line. "That means a lot, really, it does. I need to be going before it gets any later, my grandmothers waiting."

      "Of course, sorry." He opened the gate and let me through and I started to walk down the road when he called to me. "Destiny, I always thought you were brave, braver then you should be. I was wrong." I smiled and he smiled back and I turned from the only place I knew as home and started to walk down the dark road to perhaps my doom.

      It was a lot darker then I remember, maybe a little scary but I gathered my courage and held my shoulders high. Soon I saw smoke coming from not far from where I was and I walked faster exited about seeing my grandmother again and scared about the wolf and what happened to my mother. I saw the cottage not long after I saw the smoke.

      It was beautiful, just like I remembered. The log cabin with a beautiful wooden door and silver door knob and blue flowers growing out front, and a swing on the big oak tree to the left and a bench on the right. The grass seems even greener and theirs a stream in the back, I can hear it. It's silent other then the stream and dark except for torch lights lighting around the house and the lights in the house. I walk up to the front door and knock.

      "Grandmother, it's me. It's your little Red. Are you home?" The door opened wordlessly and I walked in, to the warmth of the fires light.