Now everyone had heard the children’s version of Little Red Riding Hood but gather around boys and girls so I can tell you the adult version.
Little Red Riding Hood was really a 19-year-old girl home for the summer from college. The only family she had left in the world was her grandfather who lived in a small cottage in the middle of a forest.
Red would spend some days exploring the forest while a local woman took care of her grandfather’s cooking and cleaning. At night, Red would read to her grandfather or tell him about the places she had explored and the plants or animals she had seen until he fell asleep. Red’s grandfather as well as his caretaker always warned her to be out of the woods by dusk and safely back inside the cottage.
Red’s grandfather didn’t ask much of her other than she is home before dark. He also wanted her to keep her gorgeous 38-34-40 figure covered, no walking through the woods in skimpy shorts or halter tops, she had to wear jeans, hiking boots and a t-shirt. He also requested that she lock his bedroom door behind her every night as she left his room.
Everything went wonderfully for the first couple of weeks that Red was home. She got to meet the local woman who cared for her grandfather while she was at school. Mrs. Ives would come in three times a week when Red was a home to give her some time to explore the surrounding forest. One day, while following the sound of a chainsaw, Red came across Mr. Coleman, her grandfather’s closest neighbor who was cutting dead trees for her grandfather’s winter heat.
Sitting on a nearby stump, Red watched Mr. Coleman work. Even though he was at least 15 years her senior, eh was in excellent shape from the hard work he performed daily. She got a thrill from watching the way his plaid flannel shirt stretched over his muscles as he wielded the chain saw.
Upon spotting the beautiful girl watching him, Mr. Coleman turned off his chain saw and laid it on a stump near where he was working. After wiping his forehead on a towel he had tucked into the waistband of his jeans, Mr. Coleman took off his gloves and approached the young woman to introduce himself.
“Better to careful in these woods, Ms. Red,” the woodsman warned. “I’ve lived here close to 20 years but I’ve heard and seen things that will give you nightmares. There are critters around here that ain’t in any book or museum. Don’t go wondering around after dark, ya hear? Now you best be heading home.”
With that ominous warning, Mr. Coleman returned to his work. Red sat watching him for a little longer, puzzling over what he had said before she started walking home. She was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice Mr. Coleman turn to stare at her denim-clad bottom as she wondered out of sight.
Once at her grandfather’s cabin, Red wished Mrs. Ives a good night as she scurried out the door. After closing the door behind her, Red went to her grandfather’s room to eat dinner with him. As they ate, Red told her grandfather about meeting his neighbor, Mr. Coleman, as well as his strange warning.
“Oh, my dear, I’m afraid Mr. Coleman is right. We do have some creatures that roam these woods that have not yet been examined at length by any scientist. However, there are new species of plant, insects and mammals discovered every day. It’s only a matter of time before ours are given scientific names and put on display at museums all over the world. I do think it would be a good idea for you to stay inside at night though just to be on the safe side.”
After cleaning away the dinner dishes, Red picked up the novel she had been reading to her grandfather but only read a short time before he claimed he was tired and wanted to sleep. Marking the page, Red sat aside the book and kissed her grandfather good night before leaving his room.
Just as she turned out the light, her grandfather called out, “Don’t forget to look my door, child.”
Doing as he wished, Red called “good night” once more as she closed his door. Quickly walking through the house, Red checked that all the doors and windows were locked before washing the dinner dishes then heading upstairs to her room. As she passed her grandfather’s room, she double-checked that the key to his door was hanging on the wall next to the door.
Reaching her room, Red flicked on her bedside light and stripped naked before climbing into bed. For a short time, she lay there pondering Mr. Coleman’s remarks, her grandfather’s insistence at being locked in his room every night and Mrs. Ives’ apparent eagerness to be in town before dark. Red tried to imagine what type of creature could cause such warnings and fear but had not yet been discovered. No one had told her what the creatures supposedly looked like or what they were capable of. Red imagined creatures as strong as grizzly bears, giant spiders that ate human babies or bats as large as humans. Finally pushing these silly thoughts from her mind, Red picked up her own novel but was only able to read a short time before she dozed off.
Dreaming that she was being chased by some of the creatures her mind had thought up, Red jerked awake just as the beast hurled itself snarling on her back. She had flung herself into a sitting up position when she woke and sat there panting as she struggled to push the dream away. It seemed as though she could still hear the animal’s horrid snarling breath as it paced around her.
Suddenly Red realized that the sounds she was hearing were actually coming from downstairs, not from her dream. She could hear thrashing sounds that sounded as if they were coming from her grandfather’s bedroom and what she thought was a strangled cry of the old man. Hurrying into a robe that hung on the back of her bedroom door, Red rushed down the stairs, intent on saving her grandfather from whatever was in his room.
Reaching his room, Red had to fumble for the key as the door was still firmly shut and locked. “It must have come through his window,” she thought as she willed her fingers to stop shaking so she could unlock the door. Finally, she was able to unlock the door and flung it open. She could only gasp and stare in shock at what greeted her eyes.
