Little Mischievous Red Riding Hood

Chapter 14 (Treacherous Path)

RED was acting strange, Georgette felt it and sensed she had said something that made her so distant and quiet.

She tried to be cheerful, despite the lack of having something to talk about. She just turned the topic to her looks.

“Where did you get your clothes? I mean, you probably bought it from a local merchant downtown, It is lovely, I could see that you have keen eyes for fashion and finer things,”

Red put on a quick smile but faded, showing on her face, Georgette surmised, she had hurt her feelings.

“I am sorry if I unconsciously offend you with something, I didn’t mean to hide it from you, but I know on first look, you and François knew each other and had a deeper connection, so I thought it would help you two patch things up, he seems to so be in love with you, I have never seen a man who is very dedicated and so proud of someone he loves, and that is you,”

Red head turned, gazing up, she was playing with her bracelet when Georgette was speaking. She initially thought the girl was not hearing her but she shrugged and remained indifferent towards her.

“I feel it, he really loves you, more than he could speak, or could show, he loves you so much,” she added.

“Can we not talk about him, I’m starting to dislike you, Georgie, you’re too blabby, I don’t want to hear anything about him anymore,” and with one swift motion, she pulled her bracelet off and threw it into the river. “If you want that bracelet, find it! I’m losing my appetite,” then she stood, storming out, heading to somewhere.

Georgette gave a concerned look on her back. She pulled the wrong end of the string, making the girl’s mood turn sour. She sighed and decided to let her be.

A few more minutes later, Red came back, still not speaking. Georgette offered the bowl she had washed in the stream and filled with the soup, but the girl just declined.

Georgette didn’t know what to do to lighten the girl’s mood so she just let her sulk, she probably needed that too. Silence, to think for her next after this.

She was collecting wood ashes and putting them in the cylinder when Red asked. “What’s that for? Why do you collect ashes?”

She looked at her, she was standing while she was sitting, scraping the ashes from the ground. “For making soap, I have to produce lye first,”

“What’s lye? What’s the use of it?”

“It’s a very strong alkaline liquor that is the main ingredient in making soap, one is lye, water, and soil, it’s pretty long to tell, and I’m afraid I’m not good with words, but, allow me to show you,”

Georgette hooked her in the conversation, taking pride in herself that she could make something out of nothing. She just accidentally learned when she was killing a fire inside the pen of their cattle.

Then the wood ashes turned out into liquid that she threw out in the ground when she was cleaning the pen. Long days later, the ground sodded with the wood ashes and became viscous so she took a good look at it and tried to do something, she put it in a small pan and put it in the fire, then left to do her other task. When she came back, the soil turned into liquid again.

Wolfram showed that time and told her what happened, explaining how it happened, and voila! She found out that she just accidentally created a lye without realizing what it was. He also included the uses of it for housecleaning so since then, Georgette started creating lye and produced more soap, some of which she created many variants and combined with aromatic oil for fragrance.

“So you mean, it’s used in washing clothes?” Red prattled.

She nodded and took a handful into her basket. “Here, I made some before I left home, you can take two or three if you want, this one is very fragrant, I use it every day to wash my hair, and this one is for soothing to body, it cools you down after you used it in bath,” she continued.

Red picked one and smelled it. “Oh yeah, this smells good!” then the other one, and the one. “I’m taking all of these, they're mine now,”

She laughed. “Sure, you can take it, I will make another batch again soon,” then she continued to her task, peppering the flowers and herbs she picked with pestle and mortar.

“You know so much about homemaking and farming,” Red mused. “What was it like? To live in a domesticated life?”

“What do you mean? A home? It is common, but I think I had a great time growing up in the backwoods because I had experienced a lot and hoarded memories, good and bad, I don’t know how to explain this but, growing up in a serene and scenic place in countryside is like waking up in a morning next to your man, it’s magical,”

“How can you tell? Have you been with another man?”

Red made another snort that she wanted to chide her because it was unladylike but she refrained, not because she didn’t want her mood to turn foul again but because she tended to understand that Red, might not have a proper upbringing and or, this attitude towards other was a result of a trauma, a shadow of anguish and angst because of how life treated her resulting to her heart being scarred and broken.

“No, I only lain with one man, with Wolfram only, only him,” she smiled, remembering the night that she made love with him.

“Then how can you tell that? How can you tell your experience is better?”

Georgette eyed her, completely confounded as to why she was suddenly turning spiteful. “Because for me, that's what it is,”

“Fool, that’s not how things happened in real life, Georgie,” she retorted before standing abruptly then walked away.

“I’m going, are you going to stay here or you’re coming with me? The sun has risen, let’s go, let’s stretch those legs,” she announced while pointing at her.

“But, I am doing my soap,”

“Is that much more important than reaching your destination? I thought you’re smart,”

Red added, leaving a scornful response. Georgette didn’t know why she was being mean to her all of a sudden but she decided to follow her, collecting her stuff and putting it back in her basket. “Wait, I’m coming!”

“Then move fast, get your arse off, and come here, what do you have between your legs? As if someone pulled them and used you all night long, move it, cowmaid!”

“I do not like your language, Red, you are getting too far in insulting me,” she had enough, this girl was sporting her for a jest.

“Blah, blah, blah, are you coming or not?”

Later an hour later, they were walking near the ravine and Georgette was getting a hunch that they were going nowhere, and the path that Red knew seemed to be heading to the dark forest.

“Are you sure this is the right path?” she asked, numerous times.

Red didn’t reply which agonized her and noticed for being quiet so long.

“Red, is there something wrong?” she finally asked.

Suddenly the quiet girl was glaring at her and looking deadly. Georgette finally backed away, sensing something was up with her. “What a miss? Why are you acting so strange lately?”

“You! You are my problem, Georgie!”

“What? Me? What did I do?”

“You really are clueless, you stupid cow,” pushing her she almost fell off to the hilltop side.

Just when she was about to chide her, another push coming from her almost made her fall and she had to hold her arm, preventing it from sliding off to the side of the hill.

“Red, stop it!” she shouted and retaliated to push her.

Red yanked her hood and grabbed her hair, pulling it out of her scalp. She screamed and tried to get hold of her. “Red, stop it! What are you doing to me?”

After a few more tugging and pulling, she finally got herself out and stepped back, creating distance from her assailant. “What is wrong with you?” regaining her composure, she checked her hair, a few strands were on her coat and in her hands.

Red laughed sardonically. She finally glared at her. “Do you think this is funny?”

“No, I’m not even starting yet,” she took a step closer, Georgette took a step back, sensing that she would attack again. “Red, stop this, you are scaring me,”

“You should be scared, Georgie, why do you think I brought you here, if you really are smart, you would know that this is a dangerous track, many wild beasts reside here, men or animals alike,”

“Red, stop! This is your final warning, stop or else—”

“Or else what? What can you do to me, Georgie? Or should I ask the other way around, what will I do to you?”

Stunned but didn’t show her fear. “Why, why are doing this? I couldn’t remember I did you wrong?”

“You didn’t, yes, you haven’t done anything yet, I just didn’t like you, Georgie, I despise you, you know why?”

Georgette gulped and cleared the lump in her throat while watching her furtively. She was crouching, she started to look sinister and ready to attack her again or hurt her.

“Because you look like me, you embody everything that I am lacking, because I didn’t like you in the first place, your life almost seems to be perfect, loved by everyone, respected by your loved ones, it irks me because you are so meek, so pure, so admirable, I hate you, for being better than me, but that would change now,” she fidgeted something behind her and unsheathed a dagger.

Georgette was alarmed, fearing for herself and her baby. “Red, don’t do this, I beg of you,”

Red let out an evil laugh. Sneering at her.

“You better run now, Georgie,”

Georgette had no choice, when Red wasn’t looking, she took that chance to run away.

The girl’s evil laugh echoed and she heard her boots thudding behind her. She wiped the tears that blurred her vision and searched for a place to hide.

She reached the glen that they passed before, she ran between the trees when she felt a sharp edge cut her forearm. Red was waiting for her behind the tree and almost got her if she wasn’t that agile enough to deflect her treacherous attack.

She screamed but chose to run then looked behind her. She heard Red laughing, enjoying tormenting her, still following her.

“Red, stop this, please!” she cried out while putting her hand on her injured arm.

“Do you know how fun to play with you? You fat cow, you should have stayed in your little farm and never showed your face to me, you b***h!”

Georgette was totally lost and confused. She didn’t know why Red felt she was a threat when she wasn’t trying to prove anything and just wanted to have a simple life. Still crying not because of the stab wound but because she thought that girl could become her friend, even a sister.

“Georgie! Where are you?” Red cooed, looking around.

“Georgette placed a hand on her mouth, preventing her from giving her location, behind the fir tree.

Then she didn’t hear anything from the violent girl. Georgette tried to peek if she was gone. She saw no one, not even a bird or squirrel in the area. Sighing in relief, she put her hand on her flat stomach and prayed silently.

It took a long while before she left her hiding place and now walked to the safe path, looking back at the dark forest again where the last time she saw Red, Georgette took it by heart, all the things that she said. She tried to give a reason why that girl tried to harm her.

Looking at her left arm, she smoothed the bondage that she put to stop the bleeding. The stab wound was not deep just a scratch, but the fact that Red attacked her and tried to hurt her physically made her realize, that danger was wearing a façade, a mask and she didn’t imagine she would get it from someone, whom she shared her face with.