"... and Red, that's your basket of eggs, milk, juice, bread and fruit," said Little Red Riding Hood's mother affectionately. "Yes, mother," Red said, then hugged her mom. "Don't forget to take your bottle of water now, walking through the woods is thirsty work, especially on a day like this," she instructed. "Yes, mother," Red repeated. "And most importantly, NO interacting with strangers," Little Red Riding Hood's mom told her daughter. "Understood," Red replied. She then quickly hurried to her room, grabbed her prized possession and popped it into her hoodie-robe.

Red was called Red Riding Hood for a reason. Her mother had made her a flowing red cloak when she was little, with a nice comfy hood on top. "Wear it when you get older," she used to say. Now Red was big enough for the hoodie to fit her. It carried old memories, of stories, and more than anything, her mother.

She walked out of her little cottage, then strolled along whistling, listening to the flowers and the trees talk among themselves about the Scarlet Girl. Red chuckled softly. "Almost there," she whispered to herself. Then she stopped. Stopped walking. Because she was at the spot where nobody, from no house, could see her, or what she was doing. Maybe other than the forest itself, though. She pulled out her 'prized possession' from her robe. It was a fiercely sharp knife, like Red herself. Its blade glinted in the sun, and looked sharper in the shadows. Red grinned, then popped her weapon back inside.

"Better not be late now," she said aloud, just to entertain herself. In fact, she was glad to not be at her granny's yet. Walking in the woods alone was just something else. She skipped along and hummed to herself. Red scanned her surroundings, to make sure she wasn't being watched or followed. Then she heard something. It sounded like a whimpering dog. She traced the sound from its direction and stumbled upon a wolf, and a thorn stuck in his front-right paw. "Aww, you poor thing," Red said, then lifted up his paw and plucked out the thorn. "Let's take you to granny's and get the rest of your wound sorted," she continued, then began to walk ahead with the wolf in tow.

'Should be here by now,' she thought. And in front of her lay a small cottage, quite similar to hers. Since this part of the forest was shaded by numerous trees and received minimal sunlight, lit flame lanterns were hung on either side of the wooden door. Red stepped forward and knocked. There was no need, the door was open and it swung inwards with a creak at her tap. Her granny must've kept it open, expecting her granddaughter any time soon. The wolf scampered in with her.

"Granny, I brought you this," she said hesitantly, showing her basket towards the bed.

Then as Red inched closer, she looked at her granny in shock. Well, she wasn't exactly... her granny. Instead, in the bed lay someone who seemed different. Red couldn't be sure. Maybe she was overreacting. Maybe it was just how her granny looked when she was sick. Red's mother had told her that she was sick.

"My, granny, what big eyes you have!" Red retorted. "All the better to see you with, my dear," she responded. "And granny, what big ears you have!" "All the better to hear your sweet voice, dearie," "What about your hands? What big hands you have, granny!" "All the better to KILL YOU WITH!" she shouted, then pulled off her granny disguise, jumped out of the bed and took out a shining long sword from its hiding place under the bed. Red was not scared; she just smiled.

Red grabbed her knife after jerking it out from her robe and stroked its gleaming metal blade as if to say that the competition was on. "Stay in there like a lovely little granny," said the imposter, directed at the cupboard. A groaning noise and muffled screams came from it in response, presumably from the real granny. Just as the two competitors lifted their weapons, the door burst open and in entered a broad-shouldered, muscular man holding a giant axe.

"Imposter granny, surrender, NOW," he forced, in his loud and booming voice. The fake granny didn't oblige, or budge. When the man raised his axe over her head – she was at the cupboard, pulling out real granny and then heading out of the house. "Now for the wolf," he said, "Let me tackle him especially for you,". Red had put an innocent look on her face and hid her knife the moment the woodcutter had come in. Now she fixed a serious face in place, clenched her teeth, glared at the axe-holder and tugged out her weapon from the velvet cloak.

"Did he wrong you? No. So then, WHY ARE YOU WRONGING HIM?" Red shouted. "I can kill you, you know, I have the superior weapon," he said conceitedly, when she replied, "It's not about what weapon you have, or even if you have one, it's about how you use it," Red said, dodging about three attacks from the woodcutter within her one sentence. He fled right out the door and into the woods. Granny hugged her little Red.

And then they sat down and ate the delectable spread of food the little but fierce Red Riding Hood had brought in her basket, nursed the wolf to fine condition and (at least for that week) lived happily ever after. Who knows what fate is written for the Scarlet Girl in the future?