Hey ladies. It's been awhile, huh? God. It's been so hectic lately. I just wanna curl up in a ball and lay there forever. D;
Anyways. That's not why I'm posting to finally let you guys read the story I wrote for my class a few weeks ago. The Little Red Riding Hood one. (;
Anyways, here it is.
The young girl slipped on her red baseball cap as she
made her way out the door. It was a particularly beautiful day. The sun shone
brightly in the clear blue sky with only a mere few clouds floating endlessly
by. Violet was her name, as given by her parents, who were long since deceased.
Rather, she dwelled with her grandmother in a little cottage down south, where
trees grew magnificently and woodland creatures ran about freely in the forest
that surrounded the village.
Violet gracefully walked along the path that led to the
village, humming a sweet tune to herself. Her grandmother’s house was on the
outskirts of the village, and this was the only way to reach the select few
shops that the village offered. Today, Violet was going for something particular.
As of late, her grandmother had fallen quite ill and the young girl wished to
visit the village to bring home some healthy foods for which to care for her
poor granny. Thus, she strode on with a purpose, and also hoped to not be out
for long.
____________________
The chimneys of the village came into sight, and Violet
picked up her pace. The shops weren’t too far, and in fact, she reached them
quite quickly. Her pace slowed to a steady walk as she searched the shop fronts
for the items she was looking for. There were many varieties to choose from,
but with the little money she had, Violet had to keep treading forward. Finally
she came upon a shop that seemed slightly dilapidated. This, she mused, seems like
the right place to shop. She entered the shop and looked about cautiously.
There didn’t seem to be anybody about, so she began to idly glance at the items
available in the store. There didn’t seem to be anything particularly
interesting just breads, jams and various sorts of fruits and vegetables. There
was something, however, standing on the counter that caught her attention. She
approached the counter warily, inspecting the object with immense curiosity.
The object was a small wooden hourglass. The sand slowly trickled into the
bottom, as if someone had recently flipped it over.
Just then a figure appeared behind the counter. This
startled young Violet, and she jumped away from the counter.
“Oh! I didn’t mean to scare you, dear.” The
figure stated sadly.
Violet looked the
figure over with languid fear, but he offered her a genuine smile to reassure
her safety. Violet relaxed slightly and took note of his features. It was a man
with slightly odd in appearance, tall, lanky, and hunched over. His face was
dirty and covered in stubble, and his facial features seemed almost
animal-like. His teeth, she noticed, were sharp and rotted.
“My, what sharp teeth
you have,” she pointed out carefully.
The man’s face
contorted in confusion, but he quickly understood her question and grinned.
“I am of a poor family.
My teeth have been sharpened throughout the years of eating rough meats and
stale bread.”
His answer was
understandable, so Violet nodded and looked around the shop once more.
“My dear granny is ill,
and I am wandering around the village looking for a meal to cook for her.”
The man’s grin grew further as he inquired her question.
“I have fresh bread that is fit for any sick folk. I can whip up a hot soup as
well.”
Violet’s spirit rose,
and a smile broke out upon her lips. “How much for the soup and bread?”
“Altogether..” he
paused briefly, “fifteen pieces.”
Fifteen? Violet
frowned. She only had eight pieces on her. “How much for just bread?”
The man shook his head.
“Oh dear, don’t you fret. I’ll deliver the soup and bread to your cottage for
just five pieces.”
Upon mentioning her
cottage, Violet grew wary of this man. “Oh, no. I wouldn’t be able to accept. I
will just buy some bread and carry it myself. I wouldn’t want to burden a poor
stranger.”
The man’s grin faded.
Instead, he adorned a look of sadness. “Nonsense m’dear. I will bring a hot
soup and some bread for your dear granny later t’night, and I won’t take any
more than five pieces from ya. Please accept this gift from a gentle stranger.”
Violet paused and
thought for a moment. This man did seem genuinely kind, and was willing to
offer her a cheap meal. Her granny would starve if she didn’t accept. Violet
didn’t have enough money for anything else.
“I accept your offer,
kind sir. Here is five pieces.”
________________________
The young girl spent a few more hours around town, seeing
if there was anything she could buy with the remaining money. She came across a
little shop selling candies, and decided she would treat herself. She entered
the shop and spent two of the three remaining pieces on a butterscotch candy.
Her favorite.
Violet gleefully stuck the butterscotch into her mouth
and suckled slowly, savoring the flavor. Her feet gently hit the ground as she
walked on the path back to her granny’s cottage. The strange man with the soup
and bread crossed her mind as she made her way back. She wondered why he was
being genuinely kind to her. Had he felt sympathy for her? Must be. Maybe he
went through the same experience before and felt empathetic. She was quickly
distracted from thoughts about the man as her gaze caught sight of the blooming
forest flowers surrounding the path.
The young girl finally made it back to her grandmother’s
cottage, and pulled off her red baseball cap before entering. “I’m home grann—“
she stopped suddenly as a sudden pungent metallic scent mixed with herbs filled
her nostrils. She carefully made her way into the kitchen and noticed a giant
pot sitting on her grandmother’s stove. She approached the stove and peeked
inside. The content within the steaming pot was a reddish liquid with a few
herbs and meats. Soup?
“You’re home, little
red cap.”
The little girl was
startled, but thinking it was just her granny with a voice hoarse from illness,
merely replied, “Yes, grandmother. What a hoarse voice you have. Are you
feeling alright?”
She turned around to
regard the health of her sick granny, but was frightened by the sight of the
man from the shop earlier. He must’ve delivered the soup and bread.
The man smiled,
assuring her it was alright.
“Where is granny?”
Violet inquired as her gaze settled upon his face warily.
“She is in bed, little
red cap. She has eaten and is fairing much better.”
Violet let out a sigh
and sat down at the table in front of the stove. Before her lay a bowl of the
strange soup, a cup of what she assumed was wine, and a slice of bread.
“Eat, little red cap. I
am sure you are hungry.”
“Is this for me?” She
questioned as she motioned towards the food set out before her.
The man nodded.
Violet
took hold of the spoon sitting with the bowl and took a sip of the broth. It
was a blend of odd flavors, and she gagged again at the metallic scent invading
her nostrils. She knew not whether to be intrigued or disgusted by this new
soup. Instead, she put the spoon down and took a bite of the bread. The bread
was a much better option and tasted wonderful. The soft dough was easy on her
taste buds. She grabbed the wine and took a swig to wash the bread down. It was
odd, she thought, how kind this stranger was. Should she be trusting him?
Her thoughts were soon interrupted as she began to feel
increasingly drowsy. Why was she sleepy all of a sudden? Must be because of her
little village adventure today. Such naïve thoughts, and unwise choices. Thus,
they were here last thoughts before she slipped out of her chair and slipped
into darkness. Before she fell to the shadows, however, she noticed something
along the wall. Hanging on the wall near the stove was her grandmother’s
nightgown.
© Copyright Marissa Vukmir
