Little Red had an immense appetite for adventure and unlike many of Missions citizens who feared the forest, Red was filled with curiosity and wanted to explore this mysterious place that many considered to be 'the wrong side of the tracks'.
"Grandma?" Red timidly said. "I was just wondering since it's my eighteenth birthday tomorrow, would I be able to visit the forest on the other side of the tracks?”
"Red, that is ridiculous!" Her Grandmother exclaimed. "No one in their right mind would go to the forest! It's dangerous over there!”
Red was outraged that her Grandmother wouldn't at least discuss the topic and immediately shut her down. Red quickly rose to her feet to defend herself.
"But Grandma I will be old enough to make my own decisions and I will be safe!”
Before Red could get another word in, her Grandmother had risen to her feet and lay down the law.
"Go to your room now Red!" her Grandmother exclaimed.
Although her Grandmother was very frail and old, she was very intimidating when she was angry. Red accepted her loss and walked away. Red sadly walked into her room. She closed the door and flopped herself on to her bed. She pulled her pillow towards her and wrapped her arms around it and buried her face into the pink pillowcase. She closed her eyes tight and began to picture the lush green grass, freshly covered with morning dew. The smell of pine was crisp and surrounded her completely. Red then felt a cool night breeze brush her side. It gave her goosebumps. She felt the breeze again, she soon realized that it wasn't in her imagination but the rear window of her bedroom was wide open. This window looked out over Mission and the forest. She walked over to close the window and couldn't help but feel tempted to leave right there and then. To jump out the window and run away, and that is exactly what she did.
Red briskly walked through the deserted streets of Mission. She lifted her red hood over her head to hide her face so she couldn't be recognised and stopped by Missions authorities, if her Grandmother had already alerted them of her disappearance. Red had finally made it to the train tracks. She looked to her left and right. All she could see was a never-ending railway. She had no idea where it came from or where it was going. Red stood on the tracks and stared into the dark and mysterious forest in front of her. She glanced over her shoulder to her little cottage on the hill where she lived with her Grandmother. It was brightly lit up and had smoke pumping out the chimney. This was the complete opposite to the forest. She then began to think about the stories people around town would say about the forest. She thought about her Grandmother, would she ever see her again? But Red quickly snapped out of that mindset. She didn't want to let that fear infest in her body any more, so she took off running towards the forest and didn't dare look back.
Red finally reached the cover of the forest. She was certain no one would be able to stop her now. Red looked around her. Everything she saw, touched and heard was so new to her. It was so exciting. She absolutely loved it. She continued on walking deeper and deeper into the forest. The sounds of Mission town were becoming fainter with each step, but Red didn't care. Her curiosity and craving for knowledge was fuelling her to go further. Red was a bit surprised that she hadn't encountered any animals in the forest. Little Red had no idea what creatures lurked in the shadows of the forest, but she was soon to find out.
Red had been exploring for what felt like hours. She decided she needed a rest, so she found a pleasant space of grass which had been sheltered by a fallen pine tree. The tree kept Red out of the wind and would do for the night. Red snuggled up into her make-shift home and wrapped herself in her red coat. She smelt the coat and it reminded her of home. The smell of fresh baking which her Grandmother would make every Sunday was still very much imprinted in her woollen coat. Reds eyes soon filled with tears. Although she was very happy to be on her way and exploring, she hated how she left things with her Grandmother. The poor girl lay there and sobbed loudly, not knowing that someone was listening.
Just as Red was falling asleep, she heard the crunch of the autumn leaves on the ground. Her eyes shot open. There it was again. There was someone or something out there. Red shot up and her eyes stared into the never ending darkness. To her dismay there were two golden eyes starring right back at her. Red squinted her eyes to try and get a better look at who or what is was, all she could see was a black silhouette. Soon a wolf emerged from the darkness. Red was startled but soon looked down at herself and realised that she too was standing on all fours and completely covered in thick black fur. She too was a wolf. It turns out that the haunted forest was a magical and enchanted forest as well. Any human that was to enter it was later turned into a wolf. The wolves became trapped in the forest and were only allowed to leave on a full moon. They terrorised Missions citizens in a hope to keep them away from the forest. Keep them safe from suffering the same fate. However, there were still the unlucky few that didn't listen and soon fell under the forests spell.
Reference
Interesting story Peta! The idea that you play with the wolf is really special and fascinating. If the story could be turned to a movie, it would be awesome too :)
ReplyDelete