The Girl in the Little Red Riding Hood
The girl pulled the red hood over her head and looked down at the food she was carrying in the brown picnic basket. Bananas- check, pears- check, peanut butter sandwich- check, chocolate chip cookies- check, orange juice- check. Yes, all the food she was supposed to bring was in the basket. After looking back at her wooden house one last time, she happily skipped down the dirt-and-gravel path towards her grandmother’s house.
The girl’s grandmother had been ill with the flu for a few days, and the girl hoped she would be able to cheer her grandmother up with some food and entertainment. Grandmother has been ill for quite a while, so surely the girl could cheer her up, right? She hoped her grandmother would get well soon.
The day was warm and sunny, which made the path shine in golden bliss. The brown pebbles that were always stranded on the ground shined an amber gold, and the pine trees arched over the girl with their emerald green leaves glistening in the bright blue sky. The air was crisp and fresh- easy and healthy to breathe in. It really was a beautiful day- not too hot, yet not too cold. The girl hoped her grandmother noticed the beautiful weather.
The little girl must not have been paying attention to her surrounding because, just then, a big, hefty wolf with ashy gray fur sneaked up on her and grabbed her hand.
“Hey there, sweetheart,” the wolf greeted in a gritty, raspy voice, “Whatcha got in that picnic basket of yours?”
The little girl stopped and froze in fear, pulling her red hood over her rich, brown hair. Her mother and father have often warned her not to talk to strangers, but it looked as if this stranger wasn’t going to stop bugging her until she gave at least one answer. Oh well, maybe one little answer wouldn’t be so bad.
“I only have bananas, pears, a peanut butter sandwich, chocolate chip cookies, and orange juice,” the little girl answered timidly, slowly opening the basket so that the wolf wouldn’t think she was lying.
The wolf stared at the contents of the basket with a critical dull in his icy blue eyes. “So, no meat?”
The little girl shook her head. There was no meat. “My grandmother’s a vegetarian,” she said.
“Ah, forget about it!” the wolf growled, shoving the girl away from him, “You ain’t worth my time.” He crossed his arms and stomped off towards where he came from in the first place.
Whew, that was a close one! She had to be more careful next time and not get so distracted by the beauty of nature. Right, time to get back to business.
So, the girl walked on towards her grandmother’s house until she finally arrived to an ivory white, one-story house with a maroon roof on top of it and a wooden brown deck inviting everyone in- her grandmother’s house! It was about time, and there were no distractions, too!
“Grandma, I’m here with your food!” the girl chirped as she walked up the deck’s steps and opened the wooden brown door to step into the warm, inviting living room where her grandmother was lying on the couch. But the strangest thing was that the person, or rather, thing, lying on her grandmother’s black leather couch wasn’t her grandmother, it was that same wolf she had run into earlier… or was it?
“Grandma, what big ears you have!” the girl exclaimed in shock.
“The better to hear you with, my dear,” the wolf replied with a cracked and squeaky voice.
“And what big eyes you have!”
“The better to see you with, my dear.”
“And what big hands you have!”
“The better to hug you with, my dear.”
“And what big teeth you have!”
Just then, the wolf looked up from its glasses with an annoyed and rather angry look on its face. “Excuse me?”
“I said, ‘What big teeth you have!’.”
The wolf stared at the girl in the little red riding hood. who was trembling in fear at that point. Her hair, which was as straight and brown as sticks, were tied into braids, and her big blue eyes covered half of her pale white face, which was also covered by a blush as red as her hood.
“Who are you, might I ask?” the wolf asked.
The girl in the little red riding hood gulped and answered in a small, squeaky voice, “R-Rosie.”
The wolf sighed loudly and exhaustedly. “Well, Rosie. I’m Mrs. Wolfe, and I think you may have entered the wrong house.”
Rosie gulped with tears stinging her eyes. “I’m sorry,” she barely whispered.
“Oh, it’s no issue for me,” Mrs. Wolfe said, slightly sighing as she pulled herself off the couch and leaned onto her silver walker. “We all make mistakes. Now, come on. Let’s go find your grandmother. Tell me her address.”
As soon as Rosie told Mrs. Wolfe her grandmother’s address, the two girls walked out of the house… only to be stopped by a tall woodsman.
“Where are you taking this little girl?” the woodsman asked, towering over them. The woodsman was a tall, white man with strawberry blond hair and scratchy beard of the same color, dark brown eyes, and dirty blue jean overalls thrown onto him. Rosie hoped the man wasn’t going to hurt them with his big, heavy ax.
“I’m taking her to her grandmother’s house,” Mrs. Wolfe answered in a strong, determined voice, “She got the wrong address.”
The woodsman glared at Mrs. Wolfe, as if he didn’t believe her. Then, he looked down at poor little Rosie and asked in a low voice, “Are you safe with her?”
Rosie nodded.
“Are you sure, young lady?”
Rosie nodded more certainly. “I’m safe, Mister,” she said.
The woodsman looked around before his eyes darted back to Rosie and Mrs. Wolfe. He sighed and reluctantly said, “Alright, you two are free to go. But if I sense any danger centering you two, don’t forget that I’ve got my ax with me. Do you understand?”
Both Rosie and Mrs. Wolfe nodded. As soon as the three went their separate ways, Mrs. Wolfe sighed through her wide nostrils and muttered under her breath, “Well, it could’ve been worse.”
Rosie wondered what all Mrs. Wolfe had gone through with woodsmen.
It didn’t take long for them to reach Rosie’s grandmother’s house, which looked just like Mrs. Wolfe’s house. The two walked up the deck and knocked on the door.
“Who is it?” a frail, old woman’s voice called out from farther away in the house.
“It’s me, Grandma- Rosie!” Rosie called back out.
“Hello, Rosie. You just wait a little bit while I open the door,” Rosie’s grandmother said.
Rosie and Mrs. Wolfe waited at the front door for several minutes before Rosie’s grandmother finally opened the door. She was a pale, wrinkly woman with a giant hump, hair as white as snow, and glasses as thick as an encyclopedia.
“Grandma!” Rosie exclaimed with tears of joy in her eyes. She quickly jumped onto her grandmother and embraced her in a big bear hug.
“Oh, do be careful, my dear. And put your basket on the kitchen table. We’ll eat in a little bit,” Rosie’s grandmother said. As soon as Rosie skipped into the kitchen, she looked up at Mrs. Wolfe and asked, “What are you doing with my daughter?”
“She got the wrong address,” Mrs. Wolfe answered flatly. She hoped this lady wasn’t going to give her trouble as well.
“Oh.” Rosie’s grandmother barely nodded. “Well, thank you for bringing my daughter here.”
“It’s no problem,” Mrs. Wolfe said, “I’m very happy to help out.”
“Thank you for helping me, Mrs. Wolfe!” Rosie yelled out happily.
“You’re very welcome, dearie. I must go now. Enjoy your lunch with your grandmother.” With that, Mrs. Wolfe closed the door and walked towards her own house, leaving the two humans in loving embrace.
“Hey, sweetheart!” the first wolf called out to Rosie when Rosie was skipping back towards her house, “You got any other food for me?”
Rosie shook her head and opened her picnic basket for proof.
“Ah, forget about it,” the first wolf said with a tiny smirk on his face, “I gotta get to my grandma’s house in a little bit. She’s been having trouble walking, ya know. Anyway, have a nice trip, and stay safe, sweetheart.”
Rosie nodded back and continued skipping towards her house. Who knew that wolves, especially the stranger ones, were nicer than she had thought?
