i.
It was dark. She couldn’t tell how much time it had been since she first ended up locked inside. She’d counted a thousand heartbeats, just as Grandma told her to do, and now someone had come.
ii.
Once upon a time, there was a sweet little girl. She always kept a red-hooded cloak Grandma made fastened around her neck. She was known as Little Red Riding Hood.
iii.
Red’s dad died soon after she was born. She grew up with Mother and Grandma.
iv.
Red was a clumsy girl, often tripping over chairs or spilling hot soup over herself. Grandma moved out of the house when Red turned six; her clumsiness got even worse after.
v.
Red loved Grandma very much. After she started school, she made sure to visit her on weekends and every day after classes. Red often stayed until the sun started to set and Grandma shooed her out.
vi.
“Your mother will get worried. You know what she’s like when she’s worried mad.”
vii.
When Red was twelve, Grandma fell ill. She was old, after all. Red tried to visit every day, but Mother kept her home. “Grandma needs some rest,” she said. “Let her be.” Red was a sweet little girl, so she stayed, but she worried about Grandma very much.
viii.
Red fell down the stairs and broke her leg. She hadn’t been so clumsy in a while. Her mother got her new baking supplies.
ix.
Red’s leg got better, and she decided to visit Grandma. She made two batches of cookies: one for Mother and one for Grandma. Mother loved the cookies and let her visit Grandma. She felt bad since Red had to stay home for a long time to recover. “Be back before dark. The woods are dangerous.”
x.
Red fastened her red-hooded cloak. She packed pieces of writing she had planned to show Grandma, writing supplies, and some clean clothes.
Just in case she couldn’t return before dark.
xi.
To get to Grandma’s, Red needed to pass through a deep, dangerous forest. She limped and limped and limped. And bumped into the Big Bad Wolf.
xii.
“Hello there, my dear. I must say, those cookies look delicious. Where are you limping to?”
The wolf grabbed Red by the arm, and she winced.
“I’m going to Grandma’s. She’s sick, and I wanted to bring her some freshly-baked cookies.”
“How nice of you! Grandma is so fortunate to have you. Some kids these days…”
“Anyway, Mr. Wolf, it’s been a pleasure talking to you, but I should get going. I wouldn’t want to be around here after dark!”
“No, of course not. Go now, my dear.” The Big Bad Wolf licked his lips.
xiii.
The Big Bad Wolf was starving. He followed Red back to Grandma’s.
xiv.
Red stopped at the edge of the forest. She could see Grandma’s house. The sun was setting. There was no way she could get home before dark. She stared into the woods for a long, long time. “Mother would be furious,” she thought. “But she won’t come all the way here to look for me. At least not tonight.”
xv.
There were daisies at the edge of the forest. Red used to weave daisies into flower crowns for Mother. She stopped to pick some daisies. She missed Mother.
xvi.
On second thought, Red hoped Mother would come through the forest tonight. But what if she got hurt?
xvii.
The Big Bad Wolf slipped inside Grandma’s house while Red was staring into the woods and picking daisies. He swallowed Grandma in one bite - no screams.
xviii.
Grandma was dead.
xix.
Wolf put on Grandma’s spare pajamas and lay on her bed. Her pajamas were awfully tight.
xx.
Red knocked on the door. “Come in, my dear,” squeaked Wolf in his best falsetto.
The air was stale and dusty. Red tiptoed closer to the bed.
xxi.
“Grandma, what a deep voice you have! I’m sorry I haven’t dropped by to take care of you.”
“Well, the better to greet you with. I haven’t seen you in so long.”
“Grandma, what big eyes you have! Has your illness gotten worse?
“Why, my dear, the better to see you with. I’m perfectly fine.”
“Sorry, Grandma. Mother hasn’t let me out of the house because I fell and broke my legs. You know what she’s like.”
“Indeed.” The wolf was getting impatient.
xxii.
“Grandma, what a big mouth you have! I’m sure it’s my imagination, but…”
“Why my dear, the better to eat you with!”
xxiii.
The wolf gobbled Red down in one gulp. He fell asleep.
xxiv.
Red was alive.
xxv.
She opened her eyes, blinking to adjust to the darkness. If she was alive, surely Grandma would be too, right?
xxvi.
Grandma lay dead beside her. She was not bleeding.
xxvii.
Grandma’s body was cold. Dead before the wolf ate her. Red cried. One by one, she pulled out her pieces of writing and read to Grandma. She was going to publish them after seeking Grandma’s opinions. Grandma did not respond.
xxviii.
Red rocked herself to sleep. She was sorry she did not come earlier.
xxix.
Red woke up, but Grandma did not. She showed Grandma her wounds this time, new wounds and old wounds. She was a sweet little girl, but she was also a clumsy child. She fell down the stairs quite a lot.
xxx.
Red tried to feed grandma the batch of cookies. They were no longer fresh. Grandma would not open her mouth. “After I fell, Mom gave me new baking supplies. I don’t even like to bake much, but I know you both love cookies. Eat?” Red hoped Mother would come.
xxxi.
The wolf stirred. Someone had come. Mother.
xxxii.
Mother swayed in front of the wolf. “Where is Red?” she slurred. “Where did you hide her this time, you miserable wretch?”
xxxiii.
The wolf pounced. Mother shrieked. The wolf tried to swallow Mother, but Red tugged, hard, on his stomach lining. The wolf bit down in surprise. Chomp.
xxxiv.
Red’s red hood was stained red.
xxxv.
Mother’s body was warm. Alive before Wolf ate her. Red cried. One by one, she pulled out her pieces of writing and read to her mother. “You hurt me. When I was six and crying, you locked me in my room and starved me for days. Grandma left.”
She showed Mother her scars. “See? You slapped me right here when I was eight, and your rings scraped my cheeks.” She read and read and read. “Grandma fled when I was six, but I couldn’t. I stayed, and I was a sweet little girl. See, Mother, I even baked cookies.” Mother did not respond.
Mother’s eyes were open, frozen in a scream. “‘You see? You see, mother? Your favorite cookies.”
Red rocked herself to sleep. She was sorry she did not come earlier.
xxxvi.
Red was a sweet little child. She sat there without making a sound. Mother was around.
xxxvii.
It was dark. She couldn’t tell how much time it had been since she ended up locked inside. She’d counted a thousand heartbeats, just as what Grandma told her to do, and someone came.
Mother, who now lay beside her.
xxxviii.
Red wove three crowns from wilted daisies. One for Grandma, one for Mother, one for herself.
Red lay down between Mother and Grandma.
Red was happy. She smiled.
xxxix.
The end.
xxxx.
And they lived happily ever after.