Little Red by Tess Dunn by charlotte dunn

LITTLE RED T e s s

D u n n

Little Red

Acknowledgments I do not know many things, but I do know how useful a good editor is. Thank you to Lewis for always being encouraging and noticing things I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. And to my dad, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edits could be harsh, but elevated my writing to what it should be, thank you. A final thank you to all those who keep fairytales in the modern imagination. I would not have written this without you.

LITTLE RED B y Te s s D u n n

Little Red walked through a break in the thicket. Her eyes shined as she saw the wealth of berry bushes surrounding her. Her mother would be so happy if she brought home the berries, she may even bake her a pie! She heard that these berries had a variety of uses, for health and beauty. Her mother told her that a witch had blessed these bushes. Little Red had never met a creature like a witch, and decided it was just superstition. The berries hung heavy on the boughs, shiny and red. They were almost salacious in the way they sat so plump and felt so ready to be picked. She wandered closer, while eying the moon behind her, too full to be true. She grasped a branch in her hand, running her fingers down it quickly, pulling off the berries roughly. As she busily collected the fruit, she didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t notice the wolf behind her. He looked her up and down greedily. Eying the space between her socks and skirt like undiscovered land. He crept closer, on his haunches, low to the ground. Little Red obliviously plucked the berries, popping one into her

lush mouth. She savoured the taste as she felt a hand run up her thigh. She shivered and jerked her leg out of grasp. She turned towards the stranger and gasped in surprise. A wolf! A real-life wolf was standing there! A wolf balancing on his hind legs, wearing a jagged dinner jacket that hid nothing of his wolfish features. His hands were held tightly behind his back. She could see his muscles straining against his jacket. She stared him down, and he did the same to her. She didn’t know what to say, her thigh still tingled from the unwanted touch. “Do you need something, sir?” she demanded. The wolf took a step forward, tongue sliding over his teeth. A tongue thick and wet. She waited a beat, he gave no response. She started to sweat, she tightened her grip on her basket. His smile grew as if he smelled her anxiety, “Sorry dear, just curious as to what you were doing out here... Alone,” he drawled. The wolf talked calmly, as if he were trying to lure her in, trying not to scare her. She laughed nervously,

flattening out her skirts. Should she answer the wolf? She thought she would first ask a question of her own. “What are you holding behind your back?” she asked. The wolf shifted his weight, jumping from foot to foot. His hands tightening behind his back. “Nothing sweet, just collecting my thoughts” he answered. Her shoe scuffed the ground as she thought this over. “What thoughts could be behind your back?” He took another step forward. His crooked grin widening. He swept a hand through his matted fur. Her heart beat against her breast. The wind whispered in her ear. Those berries weren’t worth the trouble, no matter how delicious, she thought. Then he spoke in his rusty tone. “The ones to capture you with my dear.” She stepped back quickly, causing a twig to snap in two. The sound startled a crow overhead, his caw echoed through the woods. The black bird’s feathers ruffled as he flew, his distress mirrored her own. The wolf’s eyes glinted at the sound, he slowly pulled a knife out from his pocket.

Little Red gasped, turned, and started running. She ran through the woods. The branches seemed to reach towards her, curling around her, impeding her path. Her vision was a blur of green and shadows. Her breaths came quickly as she felt his presence behind her. She picked up the pace. Her lungs burned like fire. Berries flew everywhere from her basket, leaving a trail of red following behind her. She thought to herself, how happy she was that it was just the berries leaving a red trail. She kept running, faster towards what she thought was a light in the distance. Little Red was not sure if the light was real, or a figment of her mind. She had no choice but to keep going. The wolf walked behind her with long, leisurely paces. His legs arching over the ground. She searched around her, looking for a way out. The crow kept pace with the two, swooping down for berries and cawing merrily. Her nerves climbed, there seemed no way to reach that light. Finally! She saw a break in the woods! Sharp branches ripped at her cloak. They felt like claws lightly tearing her skin.

Her feet found ground worn down by many travelers. She followed the path towards an old wooden house. The windows were teeming with a light bright and warm. She ran to the door, threw it open and slammed it behind her. Little Red locked the deadbolt in place and breathed out a sigh of relief. The house was silent. What if no one was home? Would this empty house be where they found her body? Her mangled corpse? And then there was his heavy breathing. The ragged breaths seemed to fill the air. She jumped to attention and started running through the house. She ran into the adjacent hall, searching for a room with a lock. A big strong lock. Strong enough to keep out her deepest and darkest thoughts. Suddenly she spotted a faint light shining from under a door at the end of the hall. She threw open the door, surprised to see an elderly woman sitting up in bed. The room was musty, with walls made of the same timber that covered the outside of the house. The old woman was

reading a thick novel, propped up by frilled pink pillows. Then she placed her book onto her lap, a frail hand grasping her nightgown as she adjusted her glasses. “What is wrong child for you to come into my house this late at night?” worried the old woman. “A wolf! A wolf chased me through the woods” Little Red cried. The old women gave her head a quick shake and beckoned the young girl over. “Oh my! Come hide behind me child, he wouldn’t hurt a frail old woman,” she said. The sound of breaking wood echoed through the house. Little Red jumped into bed, pulling the covers over her head. There was something comforting about the enclosed space between the blankets and the matress. Little Red could only make out shadows and light through her shield of cotton. The wolf’s heavy footsteps made the old floorboards creak. “You cannot hide from me my dear, the night has just begun,” carried the wolf’s voice through the door. The door to the bedroom began to creak open. Just as Little Red thought they were done for, the old women patted her head through the cover. “Don’t you worry child,

a lady who lives on her own is prepared for these things.” The old women reached under her mattress and pulled out a rusted fire poker. She proceeded to roll up her sleeves and adjust the blankets to fully cover the young girl. As the wolf entered the room, the old women tightened her grip on the poker and readied her aim, “Well, well, little girl, come out while I am still in a forgiving mood,” the wolf said as he opened the door wide. At the exact moment he entered, with a mighty thrust, the old woman threw the rusted poker stabbing him in the eye. The wolf let out a yell like no other, staggering back against the wall. All Little Red could see was shadows. He scratched desperately at his eye, trying to dislodge the foreign object. Little Red’s cotton cover was pulled away. “Come child, this is our only chance” The women ran down the hall towards the cellar. Then back out into the forest air, “My grandson lives not too far from here, we can seek refuge there.” They ran into the forest followed by a gruesome howl. It sent shivers down her spine. The old woman thought of her late husband. He had been a skilled hunter. He had passed down

those skills to their grandson. There would still be some of those old rickety traps leftover from bear season. “There is a large oak tree nearby, keep an eye out for it. My grandson set up a trap underneath it” she said as they ran hand in hand. The old woman prayed she was right. Little Red looked astonished. “Could the wolf be foolish enough to be tricked?” she said in a hushed voice. The two hid behind the large oak tree. “The day is now dark, with one dead eye the wolf will be more vulnerable.” The pair could hear the wolf’s growl coming from near the edge of the forest, Little Red looked back. The wolf’s shadow was the only darkness to the light of the doorway. How wrong he looked there, how unnatural. As the pair kept weaving through the brambles, berries fell to the ground. Then they reached the old oak. It stood hunched, crippled by time. In the tall grass, Little Red saw the telltale glimmer of iron, “Perch your cloak on a low branch to lure him over. We can only hope this will be enough.” Little Red threw her cloak over the low branch. The young girl

shivered as the breeze hit her breast. The old woman looked for a hiding spot. They heard another roar from the wolf. The berry bushes would have to do. The old woman helped Little Red through the bush, following closely behind. The wolf’s eye throbbed. The old woman had taken him by surprise. He would see to it that she would know the same pain he felt. The wolf picked up his pace. His long legs covered ground quickly. The crow flew by his head, making him jump out of the way. The wolf swatted his hand, attacking the crow sending the bird soaring downward. Then a stroke of luck. The wolf saw a flash of red near a large tree. He crept up towards it, the stupid girl didn’t even hear him. That old woman wouldn’t be far. He would enjoy his time, then head home with his trophy. Little Red could see the wolf through the leaves. She kept her breathes shallow. The young girl didn’t dare to even look at the old woman.

SNAP! A scream, a guttural, skin-crawling scream. Not even a thousand crows could compare. The wolfâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foot was partially severed between the teeth of the iron trap. The tendons were hanging out, the bone jutting. Blood didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t trickle out. It gushed! The two women got out of the berry bush and started running again. They tripped over themselves in their haste. Sweaty palms plastered together, a lifeline of skin. But alas, an old woman can only run for so long. In the distance, behind the old oak tree, the wolf stood still. The wolf was in shock. His claws gripped into the trap, trying to pry it apart. It slammed shut harder, causing him to bark again in agony. He pushed his hands once more between the jaws. The teeth cut into his fleshy palms as he forced the jaw wide. His foot slid out flaccidly. The wolf snatched his hands back as the metal jaw snapped shut. His gaze was going red. The wolf bit through the leftover tendons and completely

severed his foot. “Oh-ho! When I get my hands on those two their pain will not even match those in the seventh circle of hell!” The outraged wolf declared. That damn girl is too delicious for her own good, she deserves what’s coming to her, he thought. The wolf was losing blood. The blood trailed him like a shadow, dark and dank. He started off towards where the women had run. The old woman and Little Red had made some distance, but not nearly enough. “My child, I can go no further. You must leave me and head east, that is where you will find my grandson,” the old woman said raggedly. Little Red was distraught, she had brought the wolf to the woman’s doorstep. It was all her fault! As if reading her thoughts, the old woman pulled Little Red to a halt, “Do not worry over me, my sweet girl. None of this is your doing! Just leave me to my own devices,” the old woman whispered to the shaking young girl. She couldn’t allow the old woman to die, “I know! We will hide you under some leaves near the bushes. As long as you

keep your breathing even and low, he shouldn’t notice you,” Little Red said. The old woman laid between the branches and Little Red hurried around collecting leaves. “You… cannot…hide…I…can…smell…YOU” the garbled voice of the wolf came from nearby. The two women jolted at the noise. “Go now, you’ve done all you can,” the old woman said smiling and pet the young girl’s hand. Little Red leapt up and headed east. Towards what she hoped was shelter, and not more danger. The crow had followed her and cawed from overhead, black wings shadowing her face as he flew past the moon. She had to get up, had to keep going. Her knees wobbled. She started to cry. Not pretty and soft feminine tears, but hard and ragged sobs. The wolf heard her anguish, though he could not see, and though he could not walk. The wolf pulled his damaged body towards the noise. He ignored the old woman, he couldn’t hear her anymore. The forest, the dirt, the berries, his blood. Everything melded together.

Did not matter, the wolf was going to enjoy this one. He thought he would start on her delicious thighs. Now limping, Little Red was shaking and dirty. She could feel the wolf, could almost smell his hot breath. She could sense that she was nearing the end. She realized she was so incredibly lost. She tried to reign in her sobs. She thought about what she knew. She knew the wolf was weakened. She knew that the dark forest would make hiding easy. She also knew her only chance was now. Little Red looked around. She squinted her eyes as she tried to differentiate between tree and shadow. Her foot rolled on a stick. It was knife-like in shape, though it splintered her hand as she held it. This was a weak weapon, she would have to put all her force into her thrust. Possibly his neck, or straight to the heart. She tried to think where she could attack him. If she came at him from the front he would swat her away. It would be nearly impossible to attack him from the back. That leftâ&#x20AC;ŚLittle Red looked up. A branch swooped low towards the ground. She hastily climbed up the trunk onto the branch. She perched there,

her breaths ragged, her fear bubbling. She gripped the stick, praying for the courage she needed to kill. The wolf crawled closer towards her, leaving a slick trail of blood behind him. His ears perked as the sound of her breathing got closer. Closer. Closer. He sniffed the air, hidden under blood and dirt, was the sour scent of fear. He crawled towards the nearest tree. He stopped at the sound of rustling and shaking. As well as sniffling. Coming from…Above him? The wolf didn’t even have the chance to look. Little Red came down with a crash on the wolf’s back. Her sharp stick pierced the creature’s neck. Her knees slamming down on his back. His body convulsed. His final breath escaped him, his working eye dimmed and his writhing body slumped. Little Red stilled, letting go of the stick with shaking hands, she pushed off the body. The stick jutted oddly from his neck. Her legs wobbled as she stood. Little Red took a step back, then another, before collapsing. She stayed there sightlessly staring at the wolf. This had not been a kind and innocent forest creature. She had once as a young girl seen

her father skin a deer. She had cringed then at the smell of death. Now it enveloped her. “I am no longer a little girl,” Little Red whispered. Then her mind went to the old woman alone in the leaves and ran to her. “Hello! Hello? It’s safe now, the wolf – the wolf is slain!” she called into the dark woods. A rustling of leaves followed, and a croaking voice whispered in response, “Come and help me up” the old woman’s voice carried over the breeze. Little Red parted the branches. The old woman laid unharmed, if not a little cold. She took the woman’s weight onto her shoulders, “What do we do now?” Little Red asked the woman beside her. The old woman thought. She had seen how shaken the young girl was. Hands and knees bloody. “We will survive, just as we have had to so far” the old woman said, giving the young girl’s hand a hard squeeze. As if brought out by the women’s combined sense of determination, the cool light of the moon shone down on them, illuminating the path back to the old woman’s cottage. It felt as if the moon had witnessed their trial and deemed them worthy.

Tears filled Little Red’s eyes. “Let us head back inside. I will brew some hot tea and start you a bath” the old woman smiled. Little Red nodded. As they started walking back towards the house, she could not help a glance back. No unnatural movements, just the scurrying of the small nighttime creatures. She let go of a breath she did not know she had been holding and turned back around. Far in the distance, away from the two women huddled together in bed. The wolf’s body lay beneath a crooked old tree. Defeated and left to rot.