Red Riding Hood

Red Riding Hood

Maerwynn laid atop her bed on her stomach, her headphones booming loud, but muffled heavy metal music. She had a pencil in her hand, scribbling notes into her music book as she continued to compose her own song. All of the sudden, the door opened and her mother, Mariette stepped inside.

"Sweetie," said Mariette gently. Maerwynn did not respond, since music was all she could hear. "Sweetie..." Mariette became irritated and banged the door powerfully with her fist.

"Maerwynn Josephine Ancartè!" she shouted.

Maerwynn sprung up and turned around to face her mother, quickly taking off her headphones.

"Yes, mother?" she asked, her heart skipping beats in fear.

Mariette's facial expression changed from daunting to sweet. "Sweetheart, I just got a call from your grandmother. She said she had to leave your grandfather alone for a bit while she is out grocery shopping. Sadly, your grandfather is feeling ill and has no one to aid him."

"And you want me to go take care of him?"

"Precisely." She walked up to her daughter's bed and gave her a basket with a cloth over it to protect what's inside. "I would like you to give this to your grandfather."

"Sure." Maerwynn took the basket and looked inside to see heaps of sweets as Mariette walked to her daughter's wardrobe.

She threw a bright red hoodie at Maerwynn. "I also want you to wear this jacket over that top of yours. It is too far too revealing. I don't want you presenting yourself like that to your grandfather, understand?"

Maerwynn nodded.

The ground was wet, water soaking through the soil and small puddles of mud dotted the field. The roof was dripping with water and in the air lingered the smell of rainfall. Light grey clouds cloaked the afternoon sky, the atmosphere making it feel more like morning.

Maerwynn stepped out into the cold. She put on the hood over her head and put her hands in her hoodie pockets, the basket dangling from her arm by the handle. The German Shepherd on the porch jumped to its feet at the sound of Maerwynn's exit. The creature barked and stood up on its hind legs, resting its front paws on Maerwynn's chest. She smiled and pat the animal on its head.

"Good afternoon, Hunter," said Maerwynn. "How are you?"

Hunter aimed to lick his long tongue on Maerwynn's face, but she tilted her head back in time to dodge the dog's kiss.

"No, Hunter." She pushed his paws off her chest and the dog began to circle around her excitedly. "No licking, unless you want the taste of foundation in your mouth."

She gestured to Hunter to stay, and the dog lied back down on its stomach. She walked down the small steps of the porch and began to make her way to the stable, mud gluing to the soles of her combat boots. She grabbed her horse and rode into the woods.

As she ventured into the group of trees that loomed ahead of her, she looked back at her home, the farm becoming smaller and smaller each step she took with her horse. Hunter laid with his head raised high and tilted, looking as though he wanted to come with her. Maerwynn smiled at Hunter's pose and looked back ahead of her, pulling the hood further over her head. She then plugged in her earphones and began to play her metal music on full volume the entire journey.

During her journey, Maerwynn would daze off into her own world of music, thinking about the song she was currently composing-how she was going to continue it when she got home, and how she could end the song with an amazing bang.