Little Red Riding Hood

Upon returning home, I handed the eggs to my mother.

"Mr Coop said to deliver these for you."

"Aah. How nice that he remembered. I nearly forgot."

"You forget a lot of things, ma," the voice of my older brother, Robin."

"Aish! You cheeky boy!" mama shook her head in annoyance.

"Hey, lil' sis," Robin rubbed my head affectionately, to which I respond by pulling my hood lower. It pained me to hide my face from him.

"I see you're still sick. Shall I pick up some medicine from the doctors?" he asked worriedly.

"No need. I'm fine. Just a little under the weather is all," I say and try to hold back my coughs, though one escaped. I cursed it.

"Ya' won't get better from nothing."

"I'll just drink some honey water. It'll help my throat," I try to assure my brother I was fine.

"Hmm... Remember to do so, okay? Can't have you sick forever."

"But I have been sick forever," I mumbled, soft enough so he wouldn't hear.

Walking up to my room, shutting my door, I coughed, not being able to hold them back. It was also difficult to breathe. It was as if the air itself was suffocating me.

I had been sick for as long as I remember. My body had always been weak. No matter how many times I went to the doctor, I was never cured. I had almost given up home and accepting that I would never be able to breathe in the air like everyone else could.

Until I walked past the gate. The gate that separated the Blackbirds from the Red Heads. I didn't see a Blackbird but it was the first time I felt as if I could finally breathe. Taking my first breath of air without choking on it felt like bliss. I had thought," Can I finally be like everyone else now? Breathe like everyone else can?"

Instead, the moment I stepped back into the village and took a breath of air, I started choking back on the air again.

I didn't tell mama about what happened, scared that I would be scolded.

"Red. Come down and help me prepare dinner!" mama's voice echoed up the stairs.

Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, mama tsked at me.

"A lady's job is cook for her family. You need to help feed the family, Red."

"Yes mama."

"I didn't take you in just for you to laze around forever."

"Yes mama."

I helped her prepare dinner for the family.

"Why are we making so much food, mama?"

"The Chops are coming over later, Red." mama said as she stirred the pot of creamy chicken.

"Ahh. I see," I held my tongue about what I wanted to say. The Chops were a nice bunch. It was just their sons. They had a set if triplets who were an annoying, lazy bunch. They were practically pigs.

We heard a knock on our door.

"Go get the door, Robin!" mama yelled.

Robin ran down the stairs and opened the door. Outside stood the Chops.

"Good evening Mr Chops, Mrs Chops, Browny, Whitey, Blacky," Robin greeted.

"Why Robin. How nice of you to greet us," Mrs Chops said.

"Why of course, Mrs Chops. Might I say you look lovely today."

"Why thank you, Robin."

Robin led the Chops to our dining table. I brought the bowls of soup to the table.

While everyone was eating, I could fee feet kicking my legs.

I ducked down and saw the triplets kicking me. Browny looked down as well and blew a raspberry.

"Red," mama whispered to me. "Get up. A lady does not duck her head under tables, understand?"

"Yes mama."

I continued to drink my soup, trying to ignore the kicking. It was seriosuly getting to my nerves.

"Why're you wearing a hood at the table?" Whitey asked cheekily.

"Yea! Don't you know it's rude?" Blackey laughed in my facd.

Embarrassed, I pulled my hood further down and continued drinking the too creamy soup. Never liked them. Too creamy.

I was able to make it past the dinner through the triplets' mean jokes and kicks.

"Hey, Red!" my brother called out.

"Hmm?"

"I know the triplets' kicked you. Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded.

"And what they said about your hood? Don't let them get to you. You know they just like to tease."

I nodded.

"Well, if you're okay, then... yea... night, Red," he affectionately rubbed my hair.

"Night, Robin," I said as I silently closed ny door.

"Why do I wear my hood?" I mumbled to myself, thinking about the triplets had said. I took a small leather book from hood and started writing as I always do.

"They won't ask that if they knew why... In fact, I think they'd beg me to keep it up. They'd call me a monster. They'd use me as a cautionary tale to keep children obedient. They'd lock me behind the gates, away from Robin, and away from mama."

All these I wrote down. All of these words that would never see the light if day. They could never be seen.

I looked up from my writing and into a full length mirror mama had bought me once. She said a lady should keep up appearances. Though, no one could see mine.

My hands instictively reached up to ny hood, lowering it to expose my head of hair. Hair that wasn't red or brown or orange. Exposing my eyes that weren't brown or green or blue. My cheeks that didn't have the pinkish tint that everyone else in town had.

In the mirror, sat a girl wearing a red hood. A red hood that covered a head of black hair. A red hood that covered purple eyes. A red hood that covered pale olive skin. A red hood that disguised me as a Red Head when I wasn't.

That red hood held the secret that only I knew. Neither mana nor Robin knew nor anyone else in town knew.

Whatever I was, I wasn't a Red Head.