Little Red

It was late November in the year 1717, the wind had a sort of cold chill to it. The streets of a small town called, Wolfpoint, were fairly empty. The sky was filled with threatening storm clouds, and thunder echoed through the cold air. Along the side of the road stood a young girl who was about nineteen. Wavy brown hair swiftly flowed behind her in a tangled mess, her eyes were forest green, and her skin pale. The girl wore a cream colored dress, with a maroon red cloak that was draped over her shoulders in an uneven way. She stared across the street at a dark eery building, her mind couldn't help but wonder who lived there, or who used to live there. The girl took a step forward into the middle of the street, and an oncoming carriage had to swerve so that he wouldn't hit the girl. She blinked a few times, watching the carriage drive away, and then she looked back towards the dark house, and it was gone.

The girl didn't flinch, she just turned around and went back to where she once stood, at the side of the road. The girl turned her head when she heard the sound of her mother's cheery voice calling her to come back inside. The girl let out a sigh of annoyance, and went inside their small two story house just as the cold rain began to fall from the gloomy sky.

"Yes mother?" She asked as she entered the living room of her house. Her green eyes gazed upon an unfamiliar face that stood next to the chair in which her mother was sitting in.

"Rosemary I would like to introduce you to Lupus Harrison, he is the Duke of Hamilton, and is in search of a bride," Rosemary's mother said, and was nearly shaking with excitement, and the Duke bowed respectfully and gave Rosemary a polite smile.

"Is that so? Well, good luck on your journey to find yourself a suitable wife," Rosemary said with a forced smile as she ignored her mother's stern glare.

"Rosemary, he found a suitable wife. You," her mother said, and Rosemary snapped her head over to her mother, glaring daggers into her, and then her attention snapped back over to the Duke.

"With all due respect Duke, I doubt I would make a suitable wife," Rosemary said with a smile.

"Well, the way your mother talks of you, you sound like the perfect woman," he said with reassurance.

"Ah, well, we will sleep on it. Come back for lunch tomorrow and we shall give you a solidified answer," Rosemary's mother said, her voice like honey, and her eyes like stars as she led the Duke to the door. Rosemary headed to her room as the Duke gave his thanks, and said goodbye. Rosemary took a seat at her desk, and pulled out a brown leather bound diary, as well as a quill and ink well, and she began to write. A few moments later the door to Rosemary's room swung open, her mother was standing there, the sweet innocent look that was once in her eyes was long gone, replaced with that of an enraged grizzly bear.

"You will marry this man Rosemary. You ruined both of your sisters lives, I won't stand by and see you do the same to yours," her mother roared and Rosemary turned to look at her.

"Mother, but I do not wish to marry-" she said and her mother cut her off.

"Silence child! I do not care what you wish, you will marry this man whether you like it or not. You will not end up like an old hag such as myself," her mother snapped, and Rosemary kept quiet. When her mother left her room, Rosemary got up and walked over to her window, her forest green eyes staring up at the full moon that rested among the darkness of the sky. She opened her window and a gust of cold wind came blowing through, she listened to the calm rain make its way to the cobblestone road, and in the distance she heard the howl of a wolf which echoed through the air and made its way to her ears.

"Sister, tis I. I have come back, I am listening to your pleading howl. I will come to help you, but first to deal with the bear that sleeps in the same house as I. Her voice is like honey which deceives those who meet her into thinking that she is an angel when she is a bloodthirsty monster who stole your life from this dreadful world," Rosemary whispered towards the moon. She walked over to her bed and grabbed her maroon cloak, as well as her silver dagger. She flipped the hood over her head so that her face was fully covered, and she silently headed downstairs to her mother's bedroom. She cracked open the bedroom door, and saw her mother standing next to her bed looking at a book, but she looked up when she heard the door creak open.