arshxdeep

[arshxdeep]

Chapter 3: When I Was a Kid… The Story did not Feel the Same

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t let that boy’s words out of my head. How did he know me? I  had never seen him around here.

(Picture credit to AntarikFox on Pinterest)

Soon, my grandmother’s house came into view, and I let out a big sign. Finally, a moment of relief. As I approached the house, I felt the familiar feeling as if I was being followed again. I paused and spun around. Lo and behold I see the same boy who had scared me.

“Why are you following me,” I narrowed my eyes at him.

He doesn’t answer me but instead looks at the house behind me. “So, this is where the old hag has been hiding,” He scowled and slowly approached the house.

A worried concern wove its tendrils into my expression. “Hey! Stay back. I don’t know who you are and I’m sure you don’t belong to these parts of the forest”

“Oh you're right, I definitely don’t belong to these parts of the forest,” he smirked, “and as for who I am… I’m your worst enemy Little Miss Red Riding Hood.” With a slow, deliberate motion, he reached toward the inside of his jacket and curled his fingers around the hilt of a gleaming blade concealed within the folds.

“It seems like your grandmother has been hiding a big secret from you.” Step by step, he made his way towards me.

My heart pounded in my chest as the stranger's words hung heavy in the air, his ominous implications sending a chill down her spine. I stumbled backward, my eyes widening in disbelief and fear.  "I don’t understand. What is my grandmother lying to me about," I stammered, my voice barely above a whisper.

The stranger paused in his tracks and looked at me in thought. Moments later, he uttered the most outrageous sentence in the world. “Your grandmother is a witch.”

As my face dropped, he sucked a deep breath in and continued, “She has been killing my family, the wolves who are on the other side of the forest and feeding them to her soul to keep the dark magic alive.”

My face contorted in confusion, “So you’re a wolf?”

His body shook with anger, and he glared at me, “Is that all you got out of my sentence?” He raged, “first of all I’m a werewolf. My father was a wolf but my mother was a human. Thanks to you and your grandmother, my father was killed. Secondly, I can sense you don’t believe me, but I don’t care. Why don’t you meet your grandmother first and then we will chat.” He made his way towards a tree and sat against it.

My eyes widen in disbelief at the newly unveiled secrets. Although there seemed to be some truth to what he was saying, I couldn’t help but not trust him. After all, he is the son of the wolf who tried to kill me.

I made my way to the door and knocked three times. “Hey Grandmother, it’s me… Little Red Riding Hood,” I yelled. A minute goes by and I receive no reply or hear any movement. Slowly, I twist the brass knob and let myself in.

For the first time in many years, I see my grandmother’s home. But it’s not the way I remembered. Instead of a warm and fuzzy atmosphere, I was met with darkness and eerie silence that was laced with a heady mixture of earthy herbs, pungent spices, and a hint of decaying rot. The kitchen sink was full of dirty dishes.

(picture credit to kbeautyaddiction.com)

The shelves are lined with dead animals drenched in a preservative liquid and in the center of the room lies a large, black cauldron.

The room felt silent as the words from the boy hung heavily in the air, each syllable landing with the weight of a sledgehammer on my heart. My breath caught in my throat, my chest tightening as if constricted by unseen hands. With widened eyes and stunned disbelief, I darted back and forth as if searching for some resemblance of normalcy in the midst of chaos.

But that was when I heard of voice I no longer wished to hear, “Hello dear Red.”

[arshxdeep]

Chapter 2: Wonders of the Forest

There I was. Standing right in front of the entrance to the forest. Evergreen trees coloured the forest from left to right. Only patches of golden sunlight escaped the barrier of intertwined branches, dappling the forest floor with fleeting moments of warmth and light. Petrichor lingered around me with a hint of musky cedar spicing up the air, yet it did nothing to dampen the eerie atmosphere. My goosebumps responded to the slight breeze brushing against me and every rustle of leaves, every creaking branch made my heart race with fear. A single dirt path lay ahead of me lined with moss that engulfed the grass that was once there. The further I looked the darker into the forest, the more the shadows seemed to close around me.  

(picture credits to vadym_gorbachov on photo.net)

Taking a deep breath in, I puffed my chest out and started my trek towards Grandma’s house. If I’ve done it once in the past before, I can certainly do it again. Although now that I think about it, I’ve never understood why Grandma chose to live in the forest. Isolated from the village, she is surrounded by the ominous allure of the forest. I shivered at the thought.

Everything was going well until I started to hear a second crunch of leaves every time I took a step. I couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was following me. It would be the first time that happened, but as far as I remember, the brave hunter that sauntered into my grandmother’s house and saved us had definitely killed the wolf.

I paused and looked around. There was nothing there except the dark and foreboding nature. However, from the corner of my eyes, I spotted the rustling of the bushes. I pivoted my head and despite my throbbing heart, I quietly approached the bush as I let my curiousness get the best of me.

A tiny rabbit jumped out of the bush and lunged toward my basket of treats. I quickly raised the basket and let out a small laugh. “That was not nice,” I said to the small furball.

(picture credits to zemlyanaya3554 on Pinterest)

I was mesmerized by the small creature until a quiet, haunting voice whispered against the back of my ear. “Boo.”

My body jolted with shock, muscles tensing as it prepared for flight or flight. My eyes widened in terror and was momentarily frozen in place as adrenaline flooded my system. Then as reality came back to me, I let out a deafening scream and threw my hands in the air. The basket flew and the tiny rabbit jumped away from the scene of the crime. I swiftly turned around and faced the culprit.

There in front of me was a young boy, probably a year or two older than me, laughing on the ground clutching his stomach. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes as he heaved and couldn’t stop howling with laughter.

I narrowed my eyes at the strange boy. “Very funny,” sarcasm coated my voice.

Seconds later, his giggling died down and he collected himself and stood up.  He cleared his voice, “Sorry about that. It’s just that you looked so frightened as you walked through the forest, so when you momentarily got distracted by the rabbit, I took my chance and decided to scare you.”

I rolled my eyes and searched for my basket. Everything was scattered so I decided to salvage what I could and collect the remaining items.

“Let me help you,” He muttered as if sensing my annoyance.

He picked up a couple of items and placed them in my basket. I turned and was about to leave but his voice halted my actions, “Hey wait. You forgot your note.”

He picked up my note and scanned it. His eyes darkened as he glanced back at me and gritted his teeth. “So you’re Little Red Riding Hood,” each word dripping with an unsettling blend of malice and mystery.

I snatched the note from him and quickly put it in my basket. His words left me unsettled so with a quick “yes”, I left on my merry way toward my grandmother’s. I could feel his eyes boring holes in the back of my head but I ignored the feeling.  

(picture credit to aclotheshorse.co.uk)

[arshxdeep]

Chapter 1: Was it Just Dreams?

I hated it here. I really hated it here.

But I didn’t even know where I was.

The darkness enveloped me impairing my vision as I couldn’t see a single speck of light. All I could feel was the growing onyx air that was seeping into the pores of my skin. Tears were streaming down my face as I felt dark matter choking me, punching me down until I was squashed into a single particle that would float into oblivion. The only thing keeping me alive was the pounding of my heart which got louder and louder as the minutes went by. Lub dub. Lub dub. Lub dub. The rhythms of my heartbeat sped up because my gut knew that there was something there lurking in the darkness waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.

“Hello dear Red,” a gentle whisper brushed against my left ear.

Swiftly, I turned around and struck my arms out trying to push away the creature haunting my being. I frantically pivoted my head left and right but there was nothing there.

(picture credit to craftyguy2009 on Pinterest)

The wind blew and then a soft murmur caressed my ear again, “Not so fast, but we will meet soon little Red.” The next thing I knew was that something grabbed the hem of my shirt and yanked me down until I was met by a blinding white light that was intense, it forced my eyes shut.

“RED!” I jolted my eyes open and was immediately met by the bright streaks of sun trickling into my room. My eyes frenziedly searched my bedroom and took in my surroundings: the light yellow heughs painting my walls as well as an angry mother glaring at my soul with her arms crossed.

My mother grits her teeth and spat, “Young lady, do you realize what the time is? The sun has been up for hours now!”

It was then I realized I had been asleep. I was nestled in the safety of my plush bed and not stranded in an abyss of darkness. My disoriented hands stretched for the clock ticking on the bedside table and realized the time was 11 am.

(picture credits to maddytoulman on Pinterest)

“Hurry up and get ready. Your grandmother is sick again and the boy that usually does the deliveries is sick, so I need you to deliver some bread.” My mother slammed the door on her way out as a way to remind me she was in a very bad mood today.

After doing my usual morning routine, I raced down the stairs and made my way to the kitchen. As I entered, I spotted the familiar basket filled with baked treats and couldn’t help but wonder how Grandma had gotten sick again. It’s the third time this month! I quickly stuffed a buttered toast into my mouth and grabbed a small piece of paper hiding in the drawers of the kitchen counter. After signing off a sweet note to my grandma, I carefully tucked it in with the treats.

Yelling out a final farewell to my mother, I grabbed the red cloak that gave me my famous name and trekked to the front door with the basket of treats.

“Red, wait a second,” My mother yelled as I started twisting the doorknob.

She came around the corner with lines of concern etched onto the contour of her face. Putting a hand on my shoulder, she exhaled a sigh, “Please be careful out there. You know how dangerous the forest is.”

I mumbled an okay and made my way out of the house. I couldn't help but look back at my window and remember the nightmare I had this morning. I’m usually not superstitious but I wonder whether that was a bad omen or not.