THE CRIMSON CLOAK (Little Red Riding Hood Retold)

The Nightshade Huntress

Who would ever suspect that she was the villain.

An innocent feeble old lady.

Or at least that's what we all see.

But in reality she's just a callous murderer.

Now I stand before her.

The person who once showered me with so much love when I was growing up..

We now find ourselves standing face to face, each armed with our own weapon, in stark contrast to the love once shared during my upbringing.

I never anticipated  it would escalate to this',she murmurs, her hand clasping the wound I inflicted on her lower abdomen.

I wipe the blood from my lips

Both of us winded,attempting to regain composure.

It's evident that we've both caused each other harm in various ways.

'Give me the elixir' I say with full fury.

'I'm afraid I can't do that' she says calmly.

You might be wondering why my grandma and I are on the brink of a showdown.

Let me tell you the dark truth about my story

The Little Red Riding Hood

The Tale Dark and Grim

***

Lately we've been having wolf attacks

It  had died down recently

But it  all spiraled up again one gloomy morning back at the village

I woke up prepared to begin my usual daily regimen.

My mom would typically wake up before me to get the pottery shop, inherited from my dad, ready for the day.

It was still a bit too dark outside

Really cloudy

Unusually dark...

I wonder why she set off so early today

Stepping outside, I notice that just a few of our neighbors remain indoors, presumably still in slumber.

I hear an ominous  sound

I don't like this feeling.

I detect menacing snarls.

What's going on?

Before I could retreat  to the hut a huge wolf pounces on me.

My life flashed before my eyes

'Youuuu' it said with a growling voice.

'The Nightshade Huntress took from us,what we cherished most...now it's our turn to take from her!'

Its paw ascended, prompting an instinctive response as I tightly closed my eyes,accepting my fate.

I hear a wolf's cry from afar

Then right after I hear a familiar woman's voice

'Noooo'

It was my mother

She placed herself between the wolf and me and suffered a lethal wound.

The wolf scampered off upon catching the cry of its kind echoing in the distance.

I fall to my mother's side,tears streaming down my face.

The handful of neighbors at home quickly emerged from their houses, rushing to our aid.

"Hurry to your grandma's place and request the elixir from her," the village doctor insists.

'Take my horse' he adds.

I make haste.

I get there but she's nowhere to be found.

'Mémé?' I call for her.

I quickly start looking for the elixir by myself

Medicine cabinet
No elixir

Closet
No elixir

Under the bed
No elixir

I am  devastated

I turn to face the  basement.

Then I see a  little door beside it.

A door I've never seen in this house before.

And I've been coming here since I was a little child.

Of course my curiosity piqued.

As I turn the knob and push the door ajar, a shiver runs down my spine as I'm met with a harrowing sight within the cramped confines of the closet, freezing me in place.

There's a massive inscription etched into the top of the wardrobe.

'THE NIGHTSHADE HUNTRESS'

And in it were collections of these rare looking wolf furs crafted into various kinds of items and the heads of these rare looking wolves.

It looks like some sort of shrine

The stench made me feel like I'd throw up

It is a truly sickening sight.

'You shouldn't be here,Blanchette'

A bead of cold sweat rolled down my face as I abruptly turned to confront the woman whom I had previously perceived as gentle and amiable.

She seems to notice the fear in my eyes.

'Let me explain' she speaks up.

I shake my head

'That won't be necessary'

'You're merely a  disturbed individual with a relentless fixation on killing for your own perverse satisfaction.'

'That's the only sane explanation here'

'I mean coming to think of it why else would a frail elderly woman want to live in the woods,alone?'

'When there's more than enough space back in the village for you'

She says nothing.

'ANSWER ME!'

She exhales exhaustibly.

I take out a weapon and point it at her.

'Because of you,wolves are attacking our village!WHAT DID YOU DO?'

I maintain my grip on the weapon, keeping it aimed at her.

'No let me rephrase..what exactly did you do?'

'Your cloak..' she says.

'The one I crafted for you,it's shade..was derived from soaking it in wolf's blood.'

With a genuinely bewildered expression,I ask, 'What exactly are you?'