Red in the Hood

Urban Twist to Fairy Tale

Red in the Hood

 

       There was once a little girl named Ruby, but mostly they called her Red because that was the color of her hair.  She absolutely detested her hair color and often wore hats and hoodies to cover it up.  She was a twelve year old girl who lived an average life in the inner city.  One day her mother and father sent her to her Grandmother’s house with a bag of groceries.  Her Grandmother Glenda was ill and needed her family’s love, support and help. 

       Red strolled down the broken sidewalk toward her Grandmother’s house.  She passed by the tall, dark looming shadows of the empty buildings of the ghetto.  The sounds of children playing silences and Red knew then she was in the most dangerous part of the city.  Her mother and father had warned her about the cunning wolves that existed there.  The wolves were not real animals, but gang members who were most barbaric and dominated the area. 

       Lurking in the dark ally was a wolf named Price.  He saw Red bounding along in her red hoodie.  He growled to himself, ah perfect! Price stepped out of the shadows of the ally and said to Red, “What’s up?”

        Red looked around and pointed herself.  Was he talking to her? He nodded. She stepped closer to him though her mothers words “Don’t talk to strangers,” echoed in her mind.

        “You wanna take a ride with me in my hoopty?”

        “Nah, I was going to my mama’s place.  I gotta git rite there and git rite back ya know?”

        “I can save ya sum time,” he said slyly.  His red eyes glowed wickedly.  “Where does you mama live?”

        “Thanks meester, but I’s can walk.  It’s just over yonder.”  She pointed down the hill toward the edge of a park.

         “Yur missin the ride of yur life.  Ya see I’s got sum cool tunes and some happin juice to drink.”

          Red shook her hair, her curly red locks bouncing around her pretty young face.  The six foot man made her very uncomfortable. Anxiously, she moved on, thankful that her grandmother’s house was just down the hill and around the block.  She’d be safe there she told herself.

         Cursing to himself, Price crept back into the shadows.  He climbed into his pimped out convertible and started it up.  Keeping a good distance away, he followed Red.  He tiny figure was just insight, unmistakable in her Red hoodie.  Seeing where she was headed, he took a short cut and came to her grandmother’s house first.

         With his gun in hand, he went to the back door of the broken down house.  He put the gun in the waistband of his droopy pants and knocked.  Price looked nervously around as he waited for Grandma to open the door.  He wished the old b***h would hurry up.  Red was going to arrive any moment and he didn’t want her to see him standing there.  The Grandmother finally answered the door. 

         “Yes?” she asked suspiciously and tiredly at him.  The eyes that were now wrinkled with age had seen many things good and bad during their day.

          “Inside, b***h!” he yelled.

           The old woman turned and slowly walked inside.  Price followed, slamming the door being him.  Quickly he grabbed the old woman and put duct tape around her arms, legs and mouth.  She did not struggle or scream as he shoved her in the closet.  Price grabbed a polka dotted dress from the closet before closing her inside.  Swiftly, he put the dress on over his clothes and grabbed one of her hats from the top of her dresser.  In lightening speed, he applied lipstick and threw on a house coat as well.  The Price leapt onto the couch and pulled a big blanket over himself.  Red came up through the metal gate and up the broken walk to the cement steps.  She knocked upon the wooden door through the Iron Gate that protected it. 

         “Come in,” Price called trying to sound more like an old lady and less like a gangster.

          Red opened the unlocked door and peered inside the dark, dank house.  “Are you okay mama?”

          “Ah-huh.  Too tired to get up my dear,” he cooed.

          The young girl shut the door and walked inside.  She asked, “You’re voice, it sounds so hoarse mama.  Are you sick?”

         “Yes, my darling.”

           Red held out her bag.  “I brought you some of Ma’s chicken soup to help you feel better.”

          “Why don’t’ you set it down and come close so mama can give you a hug.”

          Red sat her bag down on the coffee table in front of her and walked around it to the stained green couch.  With the shades pulled and the lights off, she could barely see her grandmother.  She stopped beside her, “Mamma, you look like you’ve grown!”

          “Just the ole blanket dear,” he said smoothly.

          “And your eyes….They’re…”

          “Just tired.  I can’t see you dear.  Come closer please.”

          Red stood still and Price reached his arms out toward, beckoning her ever closer.

          “Your arms….they are so muscular!”

          “The better to grab you with,” he laughed as he pulled her roughly toward him.  He kissed her hard on the lips.  She screamed and tried to pull away, but Price moved and threw her down on the couch.  Red screamed again as Price straddled her small body.  Her screams stopped when he duct taped her mouth.  Unlike her grandmother, Red struggled against the attack.  She tried to buck him off or kick him, but she succeeded in neither. 

         Then there was another knock at the door.  “Hey what’s goin on in there?” a deep voice yelled. This was just the distraction that Red needed.  She raised up her right knee right into Price’s groin.  After that, it didn’t take much to knock him to the floor.  Red pulled the duct tape from her mouth.

         Gun shots burst through the door and then the door was knocked down into the house.  A tall, muscular mad stood in the door way.  “You alright?” he asked Red.  Red nodded and pointed to Price, rolling and moaning on the floor before her.  The man shot Price for good measure and then went to find Grandma Glenda locked in the closet. 

        Red and Glenda embraced happily and all was well.  The Wolf was dead.  The man told Red that the wanted rapist would have never been caught if it hadn’t of been for her courage.  He said that everyone should feel safe with Red in the Hood.