A New Adult retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
A young woman spends her days going back and forth between her home and her grandmother's, both tucked away in the woods at the edge of a sleepy little town. All her life her parents have warned her...
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Deep crimson curled around her fingers rolling down her palm to ease onto her wrist, the last human sacrifice she would ever make. At least, that was what the woman hoped as she dipped three small moonstones into the bleeding heart before her. She looked back over her shoulder as a wet rasping breath quickened from her lungs. She did not have long before they returned. She knew she had to be quick. She knew they would be enraged. But this would be the end of her time with her sisters. Bayan would leave of her own will or she would die trying.
Frantic quivering lips spoke the words, the spell that would protect and bind to the three glowing white moonstones in her hand, the wearers would be shielded from the eyes of her sisters. Hairs on the back of her neck rose in the cold sweat there in the earthen cottage. The protection spell felt like nothing. The spell that had broken her from her sisters had not felt like she expected either though. Bayan had expected a hot, blindingly painful cleaving feeling when she freed herself from her bond of sisterhood. It had been anything but. Cold had slowly slithered over her bones and body like a cool shadow. It had chilled her to the point of shivering even though the Summer night was balmy. There had been no pain, no agony like she had expected. Just cold, like a frozen lake slowly dragging her body down down down into its depths.
Her lips finished the final words and she nearly ripped the necklaces free of the still warm blood. She couldn't bring herself to look at his face, the face of the young man she had lured here then killed so she could be free. Bayan knew that no matter how many lives she lived, she would never be at peace over the innocence she had taken from this world. But it was over. The fire witch had cleaved herself from her sisters. She was free now, and so would be her daughter and grandbaby thanks to the enchanted moonstones in her fist.
A shriek rose up in the light of the full moon that nearly had Bayan's spine shattering. She jerked away from the dead boy and ran. Her feet slicked with the sacrifices blood tore over the earthen floor as she knocked reeds, potion bottles, herbs and more aside as she raced for the door of the home she had shared with her sisters. They knew what she had done and they were coming for her now. With only a small bag on her back Bayan ran through the night, moonstones still wrapped tightly in a fist as she ran over fallen leaves, roots, rocks and the full moon sprites. Her eyes looked up through the limbs of the Fall trees to the moon. It was red. Such a deep crimson like the blood that coated her hand still. The fire moon was over. The blood moon had begun. Bayan smiled as her feet carried her farther and farther away from the earthen home she had once known.
When her feet could carry her no further and her limbs cried out, Bayan stopped at the edge of the forest and laid down on the soft moss. She closed her eyes with a winning smile. She had escaped, she had gotten away. Her life was hers now. She could be to her daughter's by morning to bestow the protection charm to her. She had every plan to be. She would only allow herself a few hours to sleep. Bayan closed her eyes and sleep took her. For the first time in years, she slept well. A deep and dreamless sleep. The next morning when the first rays of sunlight kissed her eyelids, Bayan woke with a smile. A hand width away from her face laid a small rolled parchment tied with a black ribbon. Her heart sunk in her chest and she felt the cold sinking feeling again. Gingerly her hands reached out and picked up the scroll. She pulled the ribbon free and read the words etched in gold.
A promise of futures ruined and futures past
While the light of a fire moon cast
There is no liberty gain without debt
That which you love most is the price set.
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The world is a rough place right now. I'm not trying to distract you from the weight of what is happening. It will forever change the world. But this change and lack of change is heavy on so many. If in the middle of a great storm I can bring your heart a moment of happiness and a smile, that is what I want to do. Don't loose hope. We have to keep fighting for goodness to win today and every day. I'm here for you, feel free to shoot me a message or comment, you are not alone.
I hope you'll enjoy this new little project of mine I've been working on for months now. It's been an idea in my head for a long while and with everything going on this week, it just felt like the right time to put it out there. Please don't forget to vote, it helps me out so much! Hoping to find a way to add photos of characters soon.
