Red Riding Hood

Chapter Twelve

A wolf isn’t always the beast
that needs to be feared.

 

“Hello…” Scarlet knocks as she opens the door to her grandmother’s room, where her mother had fled to. “Everyone up?”

“Yes darling.” Her grandmother replies. Her mother and grandmother sit at the foot of the bed while Jackson sits on the ground in front of them, playing with an old toy. “Your mother tells me that you had a very successful hunt.” Her grandmother smiles sweetly.

“Yes…” She walks in. “I was wondering if Luca could stay for dinner?” She asks innocently. “Since he helped me catch it.” Scarlet adds in so they know that Luca is entitled to a piece of it. Her mother and grandmother exchange glances, her grandmother’s features hold approval while her mother’s hold displeasure.

“I thought you hated hunting with a partner.” He mother hisses.

“I do! I didn’t ask him to hunt with me. It was an accident.” Scarlet bites back.

“The both of you calm down.” He grandmother stands in between the two. “Just for one day, is it too much to ask for you two to get along?” She glares at the both of them. “Scarlet, Luca can stay. Go make use of him while your mother and I prepare dinner.” She decides by herself. Scarlet nods her head smiles to thank her. She canters back down the stairs with Jackson in tow, leaving her grandmother and mother to argue about the decision that was just made. Luca stands awkwardly in the sitting room, with his arms at his side, shuffling from one foot to the other.

“Come on.” Scarlet says as she beckons Luca to follow her. “You can make use of yourself.” They walk out the front door together and make their way around the back of the house, avoiding the ripe apple tree which stretches its fruitful arms towards the right side of the house. “Well Mr Woodcutter, show me what you can do.” Scarlet picks up her father’s old woodcutting axe which was leaning against a stack of un-chopped wood. She pass the axe to Luca, who chuckles to himself as he takes it. Scarlet rolls a heavy log over to the cutting block where she huffs and straitens her back and smiles for Luca to do the rest.

“Ha…I’ve got to do everything, do I?” Luca drops the axe while he lifts the log onto the cutting block.

“Not everything…I rolled it.” Scarlet says ‘matter of factly’.

“Oh, well then, that was such a big job. Would you like to sit down? Rest your poor little self, wouldn’t want you collapsing of exhaustion.” Luca snickers.

“Smart ass.” Scarlet mumbles under her breath and sits on the stack of logs, smiling smugly and crossing her arms over her chest.

“How do you want it cut?” Luca asks, picking up the axe.

“In to four.” Scarlet says. Luca lifts the axe over his shoulder and brings it down hard on the log. The axe slices through the log like a knife through butter and wedges itself into the block. Luca moves half of the log away and repositions the other while pulling out the axe with one hand. Scarlet marvels at his strength while she props her elbows on her knees and cups her face with her hands. She studies his muscles that ripple through his thin shirt, as he swings again and again.