(Scene fades to Rachel and Jake walking through the village at sundown and a few people are seen smiling and waving at them. Rachel smiles and waves back to be polite before she notices a few others making decorations)
Rachel: Hey, Jake? What's going on?
Jake: Oh, everyone's preparing for the Full Moon Festival in a couple weeks.
Rachel: The Full Moon Festival?
Jake: You've never heard of it? (Rachel shakes her head) Well, the Full Moon Festival is a pretty big deal. Once a year around the end of every October, everyone in the village gathers together to celebrate a very special and very rare full moon.
Rachel: What's so special about it?
Jake: They say that when the moon rises into the sky on that one night, it shines brighter than ever before and there's even a legend surrounding it. Legend says that anyone who stands in the light of the moon in any of its forms will be granted the courage to go anywhere and do anything, no matter what the risk.
Rachel: Whoa, that sounds incredible. But my Papa would definitely scoff at that. He doesn't believe in magic.
Jake: If you ask me, I think he should. The moon is meant to be a symbol of renewal, emotion, and mystery. And I also heard that wolves share a connection with the moon, which is kind of why they howl at it most nights.
Rachel: Wolves? Aren't they kind of the same as wild dogs?
Jake: Well, yes and no. Wolves are generally pretty noble and mysterious animals. And people say that a pack of them even helped the founding fathers start the village we live in. See? (shows a wolf head insignia on a nearby flag) That's why the town mascot is a wolf.
Shopkeeper: That's right.
(Rachel and Jake stop to see a friendly shopkeeper walking towards them)
Shopkeeper: Wolves are a very big deal around here. They're said to fight off evil spirits in the dead of night and keep our village safe from any harm, physical and spiritual. The light of the moon is said to give them strength and they howl at the moon pretty much every night to not only communicate with other wolves, but to also show their respect and loyalty. But there is one occasion where not all wolves do what's right.
Rachel: What do you mean, sir?
Shopkeeper: Well, it's a very, very, very, VERY rare occurrence, but every generation or so, there's always one rogue wolf that strays from its pack and pursues its own path in the world... a darker path. (holds up an old newspaper with the headline reading "Vicious Monster Devours Innocent Child". Rachel and Jake gasp) THIS is a perfect example. Rumors about this one news story have spread like wildfire ever since the article was published. Most people believe the creature that attacked the child was just a big dog, but others say it was a real monster and it may still be out in the world somewhere.
Rachel: Oh my gosh, that's horrible! That poor boy.
Jake: A dog that... walks on TWO legs?
Shopkeeper: So it would seem.
Rachel: (takes the newspaper) Is... this what my fathers and aunt were talking about a few days ago?
Shopkeeper: Your guess is as good as mine, miss. (pauses) Wait, fathers? Pardon me, but are you Leo the woodcutter's daughter?
Rachel: Oh, yes. I am. My name is Rachel.
Shopkeeper: Rachel, that's right. Leo has told me quite a few things about you since he sells me a fraction of the wood he collects. But I'm rather surprised I haven't seen you before. Why is that, if I may ask?
YOU ARE READING
Red Riding Hood
Fantasy[Inspired by an episode of Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theater] This is how I imagined Little Red Riding Hood as an animated Disney film in the format of a script (with a few songs written with the help of a very good friend of mine)
