A Promise Kept

I've always hated it here.  Everyone does but somehow I feel like for me it's, I don't know, more valid, more visceral, real.  It's so many things.  The echo of my shoes as I walk down the hall.  The cracked doors, each with its own little tragedy just beyond its threshold.  It's all the sounds that scream you're not safe.  No one is safe!  For me, worst of all is the smell.  The sharp sterile smell of...  There is nothing like it.  No other place on earth you will find it.  I hate it.

Nervously, reflexively, I reach into my pocket again.  I feel the letter that was once torn and crumpled but is now taped and folded.

    "James,

    Look, this isn't any easier for me than it is for you.  You made a promise.  It's time to keep it.
    

    John."

The one line seemed to take up the whole page.  That promise was made in a different time, hell in a different world.  After all that had happened since my promise held no weight.  

I owe you nothing!  Not a second of thought.  

Never mind that you have invaded my thoughts every day for the last 25 years.

Damn! This God-dammed echo, I should fucking take off my shoes!

Room 1114... breath.

My hand reaches up to knock on the door.  My third attempt.  Failed again.

A gentle tap on my shoulder reminds me how long I have been standing here.

"I am sorry sir, I need to get by."

The door opens.  There he sits.  He looks up at me.  His eyes swollen and red, they turn to steel.  He stands up and pastes on a smile.  

In a moment we are face to face.  After all these years all I want to do is find out how far I can push my fist into it.

"I, I guess I'll wait outside.  His gaze drops and he slips by."

A sudden calamity yanks me back into reality as the nurse pulls back the curtains to let some sunlight into the tomb of a room.

I see her face, pale, bald, resting.  I thought I would gaze into those eyes for the rest of my life.

As if she heard my thoughts her eyes open.  Locked to mine tears well up. 

Assignment Two

 Two childhood best friends meet again after being estranged for 25 years. 

What caused them to drift apart?
What brought them back together?
What is their response?

Answer all some or none.

A Little Red

 A little red.

When she coughed now into her handkerchief, there were small spots of red. She knew she was lucky to have lived these past sixty years but she hoped to hang on long enough to see her granddaughter married to a kind man. 

She had been making due with meager portions of vegetable stew. Klaus, the fourteen year-old son of the Taubers, the farmers that lived a couple miles from her cottage, came by to check on her twice a week. Two days ago, he heard her rattling coughs and said he would tell her family about her illness. She told him not to worry himself or to worry her family. 

She knew that her daughter, Cecilia, would likely send “Little Red” to check on her. Cecilia would not be able to make the trek herself, having suffered a broken leg last year after their bitter mare kicked her. The woods were a dangerous place especially in the winter. The idea of something befalling her “Little Red”, in her red cloak, in those dark woods was more unbearable than the thought of her own death…

Sophie huddled under the pile of quilts, trying to shake off the chill and the dark thoughts.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang at the door. Hmmm. She expected a knock from either Klaus or Little Red would have been more timid…

Mustering what was left of her strength, she sat up on the side of her bed. She gingerly placed her feet into her slippers and shuffled toward the door. 

“Red, is that you?.”

She did not hear her granddaughter’s voice. Instead she heard heavy breathing on the other side of the door.

“...Klaus…?” 

There was no response. Just the breathing. 

Sophie had reached the door. She pulled the door slightly open, cold air blasting through the crack in the door.

BANG!

Sophie fell to the ground on her side, all the air forcefully leaving her lungs. She tried to sit up on her elbows and peered at the door. All she saw in the doorway was black fur, teeth, red eyes...she could not scream as the beast rushed toward her...

Big Green Woodsman (Little Red Riding Hood Story - Different Perspective)

Big Green Woodsman

It was a nice sunny day outside, the air blowing a soothing wind, the leaves wrestling from the trees and bushes giving off a relaxing sound, and the weather was just right. Not too hot, not too cold. Perfect to be chopping down small trees with the Big Green Woodsman. The Woodsman chopped down trees for a living, using his Axe to cut them down and gathering the wood. Selling them off so homes could be made.

Day in, day out, rain, or shine. He grabbed his trusty axe off his wall and set out into the forest. Chopping down those trees as hard and as fast as possible. Firmly gripping the handle of his axe and swinging endlessly until the tree would finally collapse as he would say, “TIMBURR,” after a hard work day. Although he wasn’t just a woodcutter, he was also a hunter. In order to survive living in the forest, he had to hunt animals for food. Although his house was relatively close to a lake, he was no fisherman. Anything he would go into the forest looking for wild animals to hunt. He carried his Bow and Arrows, and a Knife for good measure, just in case anything were to get too close, he could protect himself. The woodsman’s accuracy would get better and better with each kill he would get, earning him his dinner.

One day, when he was up and about doing his usual wood cutting, chopping down about 2 trees by now, wandering about. When he heard a sketchy wrestle in some nearby bushes, he turned around and saw a couple of bushes wrestling in a weird way, shaking violently from one bush to another. The woodsman pulled out his knife as he slowly tip-toed his way towards the bush proceeding with caution, his toes landing slowly on the ground to prevent making a single sound. When he looked over the bushes to see what it was, he saw an Old Lady tied up, panicking trying to set herself free but to no avail. The woodsman’s eyes widened in shock as he jumped over the bushes to cut the ropes and set her free, “Oh my god! What happened to you? Why were you all tied up!?”

The Old Lady could only panic like she seemed worried about something, before she could even thank the Woodsman for freeing her, she said,
“My Granddaughter is in danger!!”

Realizing the danger, the woodsman quickly asked, “Where is your granddaughter!?”

As if right on cue they heard a scream close by. The Grandmother picked herself up off the ground as the woodsman just booked it through the forest as fast as he could, with all the strength he could muster into his legs like he was getting ready to wrestle with a grizzly bear, following the sounds of the girl’s cries as she yelled, “HELP ME! WOLF!! WOLF!!”, turning into whimpers and tears.

When the Woodsman arrived at the scene, he saw the girl in a red hood curling up next to a tree and some logs, looking horrified and shaking, tears falling down her face in fear as the woodsman spotted the big grey wolf. Growling and slowly walking towards the girl with it’s sharp teeth, drooling in hunger ready to pounce and tear her apart. “You’ll make a fine delicacy my dear..!”, he snickered and growled.

However, before the Wolf could even get so much as a good sniff on her. The woodsman courageously jumped out of the bushes shouting, “OI!! GET AWAY FROM HER YOU CREATIN!!”

Rushing towards the savage beast with 0 hesitation, as if a horde of bulls were rampaging it’s way towards him. Giving the wolf quite a scare as he jumped away, missing the woodsman’s axe as he struck the tree with such force it nearly cut through the tree like meat. The woodsman has been doing this for so long his muscles have developed to the point he could bench press 2 big logs. 

The wolf was about to pounce on the woodsman until the man easily ripped the axe out with ease. The wolf may be a savage animal but he was a sentient creature, and he knew when to back off, so the wolf made a break for his life. However, the woodsman wouldn’t let the wolf off so easily as he pulled out his knife and he threw it at the wolf with such force and speed it was as if he shot an arrow using only his hands. It hit the wolf, piercing his flesh like butter, causing it to stumble over and fall, killing the wolf almost instantly as it laid lifeless on the ground.

The grandmother rushed to her granddaughter in joy, hugging her tightly and rubbing her head. As the woodsman went to the wolf and took his knife out, wiping the blood off of the animal, the Grandmother said to the woodsman, “Thank you so much for saving me and my granddaughter…”, almost with tears in her eyes. The woodsman responded, “It was nothin’ ma’am! Besides, huntin’ animals is part what I do!”

“Would you like to join us for dinner tonight sir?” The grandmother offered in gratitude.

The woodsman humbly replied, “Thanks Ma’am but I’ll pass! Besides, now that I’ve got my new prize, I’ll be cookin’ this wolf up and skin it for dinner!”

“Very well! Feel free to come visit sometime!” The Grandmother said to the Woodsman, giving him a wave goodbye. The woodsman then carried the dead wolf back to his home as he took out the organs and skinned it, removing all the fur for him to make a nice carpet out of, or maybe even a blanket. Ending of the day with a satisfactory meal.

The Wrong Story

Not so sure about this one. I'm afraid it comes off like I'm making fun of trans people and their possible triggers or drag queen story time in general. That absolutely wasn't my intention, and I hope that's not what comes across. The only poking fun I think is okay is that directed at going down the rabbit hole with literary interpretation. 

--------------------------------------

"She changed the story? What do you mean she changed the story? They're not supposed to change the stories," Ellen. "It's not fucking drag queen Beat poetry improvisation hour; it's drag queen story time. That's what you said."

Ellen, less confident in her stride, struggled to keep up with her boss, Karen, as they walked and talked on their way to the County Commissioners' Meeting. 

"One of the parents filed a complaint," said Karen. "This isn't San Francisco; it's West Texas. I knew this was a bad idea. I should never have approved it." 

"It's not a bad idea!" Ellen responded sharply. "It's a wonderful idea. Story time is supposed to be entertaining, and the queens are entertaining. The kids love them! They don't see the multiplicity of the performance, and with any luck it will stay that way." 

Ellen held open the door for Karen, following after her as they entered the Keyes building where court was held, the wall of cold, conditioned air resonant against their skin as they stepped out of the merciless heat of Texas and into the carefully controlled environment of County government.     

"It's not her fault," said Ellen. "It's mine. I chose the wrong story. I should never have picked Little Red Riding Hood."

Karen moved away from the flow of people making their way to the meeting, stood motionless, and looked at Ellen silently, her arms folded in a "you've got two minutes" sort of way.

"Have you ever read it?" Ellen asked. 

"Of course I've read it," said Karen. "Everyone's read it. It's about a little girl taking tea and crumpets to Grandma only the wolf gets there first and sets a trap for her."  

"Everyone is familiar with it," said Ellen. "Everyone hasn't read it, but everyone thinks they've read it because Disney or Fleischer Studios or Warner Brothers or something, but that's not the same thing. Besides, it's not always what the book brings to the reader so much as it is what the reader brings to the book. 

"You're losing me," said Karen. 

"When does the wolf first come across Little Red Riding Hood?" asks Ellen. 

"At her grandma's house."

"No," replies Ellen. "That's later. He first sees her in the woods on her way to Grandmother's house. You'd think he'd gobble her up right there, but he doesn't. He sets off to Grandma's to setup an elaborate ruse that serves no obvious purpose."

"Isn't there a woodsman or something?" 

"No," replies Ellen. "That comes later too." 

"Maybe he isn't hungry yet."

"Ostensibly it's because he gets the idea of going for two for one, and by moving along to Grandma's house he'll get both of them. But he could have both of them anyway. Nothing prevents him from devouring her  and then moving on to get Grandma. Instead, he goes to grandma's house. When he gets there he consumes her and then, for no discernible reason, instead of just hiding behind the door, he puts on Grandma's clothes and crawls into bed."

"Why the ruse?" asks Karen.  

"Exactly. Why the ruse? Why hide at all for that matter? They're not in Texas. Little Red Riding Hood isn't armed. She isn't going to pull a hand gun out of her purse. There's no possibility of her getting the jump on him. She's defenseless."

"So why then?"

"The wolf needs Little Red Riding Hood to acknowledge her as a woman. She's been performing this exaggerated form of toxic masculinity her whole life in an attempt to hide her own inner truth from herself, and when she finally makes the decision to present her true self to the world, she starts with the most easily transformative act available to her--clothes. Grandma's clothes. And what does Little Red Riding Hood do? Does she embrace the wolf's newfound authenticity? No! She laser focuses on all the physical attributes trans women most fear giving them away. Her voice. The size of her hands." 

"She clocks her!" says Karen.

"Exactly!" replies Ellen.

"So the big, bad wolf is actually a trans woman, and Little Red Riding Hood is the villain, trying to force her back into heteronormative standards rather than embrace her as she truly is," says Karen.

Ellen nods. 

"And  our reader was triggered." 

Ellen nods again. "How could she help but be?"

"Ellen."

"Yes." 

"What about how the wolf was trying to, and I believe actually did, eat both of them?"

"Symbolic, of course," said Ellen. "Many cultures including some Native Americans believe one takes on the spirit of the deceased by consuming the flesh. It's an act of appropriation, not aggression."

"Of course," said Helen. 

Karen looked at her watch. 

"Okay, we've got to go in now. Let me do the talking, okay?"

"Okay," said Ellen.

They made their way into the crowded room and onto metal folding chairs spread just far enough apart as not to be touching. 

"Karen," Ellen whispered into her boss's ear as the meeting began. 

"Yes?" 

"I don't want you to lose any credibility by not having the facts straight."

"Yes?"

"That part about Little Red Riding Hood bringing tea and crumpets to Grandma?" 

"It's not tea," said Ellen. "It's beer."

The Red One

 Her heart pounded so hard she feared the thud, thud, thud, would give her hiding spot away.  Had she run far enough?  Had she run too far? Would it find her?  With great effort, she tried to control her breathing, tried to slow her heart, tried to quiet the thud, thud, thud.

She had been preparing for a meal when it burst out into the open.  Their eyes locked and for a moment her limbs, her heart, the world froze in time.  She needed to run, there was no fighting it.  Her legs first began to tremble, then her lungs swelled as she drew in a deep breath.  With all the hope in her world, she made a break for it.  Maybe it wouldn't chase.  Oh God, it's chasing.  It's chasing me!  She turned sharp around a bush, its limbs reaching out to hold her in place.  She broke free.

She hopped over a fallen log and immediately hugged her body tight against it hoping that she might go unnoticed as it passed by.  She burrowed her body further and further under the log.  Trying to cover herself with debris from the forest floor without moving or making a sound.  She should have kept running.

A twig snapped and she heard it panting from the chase.  It was searching with its eyes, with its ears, with its nose.

"Be the log, be the dirt, be the shadow." Thud! Thud! Thud!

Then there was a sharp strong pressure on her neck.  Oh God, it found me! I'm...

"Oh, aren't you a fine little bunny for grannies stew?", it skipped away as it shoved her corpse into the small basket it carried with it.

Assignment One

Assignment One:

May 23, 2021 - Due May 30, 2021

Little Red Riding Hood

Rewrite a scene from the children's story Little Red Riding Hood with a twist or from a different perspective.