Red raised her hand, the weight of the axe sending shivers down her arm as it came swinging down, each blow punctuated by screams echoing through the woods.
Thud,
Thud,
Thud,
The men wearing wolf fur fell to the ground, lifeless, as Red's vengeance consumed her, fueled by the memories of her grandmother's death.
With each strike, Red felt the weight of her burden lessen, but the chill in her heart remained. Even as lightning streaked the sky, casting an eerie glow upon her blood-stained figure, she couldn't shake the feeling of being as monstrous as the creatures her mother warned her about.
The rain poured down, drenching her to the bone, but Red paid it no mind as she dragged the bodies to the edge of the cliff, a macabre ritual of closure.
Yet, despite the finality of her revenge, the coldness persisted, seeping into her very being like the blood that ran down her face.
As she limped towards the cursed cottage where her Nan had met her end, Red's steps faltered, her weary body betraying her with every movement. The sight of the cottage, stained with memories of loss and pain, filled her with a hatred so fierce it burned like the flames she would soon ignite.
With a heavy heart and weary soul, Red set the cottage ablaze, seeking warmth in the inferno that consumed her. As the flames licked at her skin and smoke filled her lungs, she finally found release from the cold that had haunted her for so long.
In the end, half the forest burned with her, but no one mourned the passing of a girl who had died long before the flames claimed her.
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Snippet Fairy Tale Retellings
Short StoryStories that came alive with the reading of a queen who spun tales to see another day, and a legend who ended one of it.
