Little Mischievous Red Riding Hood

Chapter 12 (Seeing Double)

FRANÇOIS was really bewitched by the girl he just met. He offered to walk her to her destination but she declined courteously and bade her goodbye. She even wished him luck finding his elusive bride-to-be, who just walked out on him this morning.

They had a small fight that went out of control. He was close to hurting her earlier because of her unbecoming and unbelievable behavior so to rest his hands from strangling her, he just let her be and chose to hunt alone, he thought the fight would settle if left to cool but he was wrong, found her stuff missing and that brought him roaming the uncharted place of east side forest where he stumbled to Georgette.

He was really mystified about why they shared the same face and the same age, he tried to ask her personal questions earlier but she kept evading when it came to her family. Something told him that she was not telling everything.

It was a nature to be wary toward strangers but there was something about her that was holding her back.

Sighing, He gave her another final glance. She was a mystery, but he noticed a huge difference between them. Georgette had finesse while Red was uncouth, Georgette was prim and proper, which showed in her modest gesture and well-bred manners, while Red was the opposite, a total opposite.

It made him realize that they were two different individuals with different personalities.

He couldn’t mistake Georgette for Red, he noticed when he tried to engage in rough s*x, she was terrified and thrashing out, fighting him. She felt violated and he apologized for it profusely earlier.

It would be a miracle to make Red’s personality change overnight. That was impossible to be her.

He stopped walking and mused, what if Georgette and Red were identical twins that got separated?

Shaking his head, he continued his walk, searching for his unruly lover. There was only one way to find out, he would ask her when he found her. He just realized he hadn’t asked Red about personal stuff like her family or where she came from.

François was filled with questions but he was determined to find the answer, one at a time, He must find his Red first.

********

The morning came, Georgette heard the birds and awakened, she felt sleepy so she just decided to call it a night and found comfort in a large tree with thick foliage and crawling vines.

She prayed to God for guidance and to keep her safe through the night. She even asked permission to the tree if she could sit and lean on its trunk, accidentally, while checking around the tree, she found a hole that seemed to have been dug by a burrowing animal, she crawled down and settled there, she found it cozy so she fell asleep really quick and hard.

She crawled her way up, looked around the place and stood, dusting herself from the grime and dried leaves that sodded her hood and dress. She took her basket and decided to continue her journey but before that, she turned to the tree, touched the huge trunk and closed her eyes.

“Thank you for lending you warm last night, may you grow more and stay stronger until the end of time,” then she opened her eyes, looked up to the clustered branches, and smiled.

Then she turned her back and started to walk, thanking also God that he never left her and had his protection from straying animals and cold.

Georgette heard the sound of the nearest stream so she hurriedly walked while looking around.

She found the river channel that connected to the lake and other bodies of water. She smiled by just seeing water. She loved being in the water, she loved bathing, washing clothes, or even catching fish in fresh water. She looked at the crystal water and took a handful to wash her face but also to drink. She was going to rise from her sitting position when she felt a sudden churning on her stomach, she tried to smooth it and rested but smelled an awful odor that infiltrated her nostril, making her stomach more upset.

She ran to the side of the tree and started throwing up, a clear white, viscous fluid came out from her that left a sour and bitter aftertaste.

She tried to empty her stomach, getting teary eyes, and gasped for air. Trying to calm her spasms by caressing and praying.

“Are you okay?”

She opened her eyes and looked for the owner of the voice that came for a girl. She saw her standing behind her, looking expectantly and curious.

When their eyes met they both gasped. Froze for a second then both eyed their looks. Georgette slowly stood straight, from a stooping position, and stepped closer to the girl that looked exactly like her!

“Who are you?” they both asked in unison.

She tried to go near but the girl stepped back. Stunned and confused, it mirrored her own reaction.

“Why do you look like me? Why do you have my face?” the girl grimaced and then eyed her again. “But your sense of style, ew, you looked like a dairymaid,”

Georgette also looked at the girl and observed her nuances and the way she talked. Her expression was way more disdainful than surprised.

“You must be the person that huntsman have been looking for,” she mused before offering her hand. “I am Georgette, nice to meet you, I presume, you must be Red,”

The girl just eyed her hand and didn’t accept then walked in a circle just to thoroughly check her. “So I’ve heard that there was someone that looked like me, but I did not believe it,” then snorted unladylike. “Because for me, my face is unique and I am much better looking when it comes to how I dressed up,” then looked down on her again. “You, you seem to be a little too…”

“Rustic?” Georgette supplied.

The girl shook her head. “Old-fashioned, you look like you just fell on a pit and crawled back again, I mean, look at you, dirty and… Darn, there’s still someone who wears this?” she touched Georgette’s puffy sleeve so she checked herself, trying not to talk foul back on her.

“But you have it, those bosom, you’re okay, on this part, but your dress is a sour thumb,” the girl even indicated her point with her hand trying to tell Georgette something that she had no interest in.

“Don’t take it personally, but you look beautiful because you look like me and,” she even measured her. “We are at the same height too!” she was also shocked.

Georgette didn’t pay too much attention that the girl was a little boastful and rude, her interest was to get to know the girl, that can pass as her twin half.

Unwittingly, she said. “I actually slept in a burrow last night so, aye, I look like someone who rose from the pit,”

They both looked at each other and without a reason, they both laughed, still looking at each other with their hands on their stomach.

“That was a good laugh, missy, what’s your name again?”

“Georgette,”

“I’m Red,”

They both shared a grin. Even their voices looked and sounded exactly the same. No wonder, someone mistook them as the other one, because they looked and stood in the same manner.

“So why are you here? I mean, why are roaming this forest? Are you lost?”

Georgette’s smile faded, remembering the reason. “I was…” she paused then confessed. “I am homeless now, my grandma disowned me and threw me out of her house, so I am traveling to my lover’s hometown because I had no place to go,”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” then she gave her a sad look. “But, why did she disown you?” gasping, she looked at her and asked with a serious face.“Did you kill someone? Or did you commit other crimes?” then backed out. “Oh! You’re a rogue criminal! Help!” and feigned to scream out before she laughed in fervor.

That sent Georgette laughing too. Red was a little insensitive and arrogant but she had a commendable humor. It made the mood light and made the first, forget her predicament a little.

“No, I didn’t... I,” she paused then looked at Red’s face. Georgette was drawn to her aura, bright and lively, a slight carefree that at first thought, would lead to reckless actions but she liked the latter, being friendly to her.

“It is a long story but, umm, it was a story of rebellion against the norm, chained to modesty and propriety, but aye, I had a share of my recklessness being young,”

“Oh,” Red held her hand, which surprised her. “Let me hear it, it excites me to hear other people’s downfall due to their reckless actions and the drama in it,” giggling, she pulled her and stayed at arm close, while walking, heading to the dale.

Georgette smiled, shaking her head before started babbling. Red kept on gasping, giggling together with her, teasing her, patting her shoulder, and smoothing her arm, reassuring her that the latter understood her.

Which made Georgette a bit better, finding a new form of friendship, a companion in the character of Red. Her other self.

“So you’re saying to me that you’re pregnant and you’re being shamed and shunned just because you aren’t married yet to your man? And your grandma thinks it is a crime to sleep with a man you love? That’s ridiculous! That’s madness!” Red reaction was priceless, walked in a circle then she ended up laughing so loud.

“Oh, Good Gracious! That was a good one,” she was in teary eyes when she stopped, sensing Georgette being quiet.

“Oh, my bad, I’m sorry I laughed at your situation, but…don’t feel bad, you just did the right thing, if they don’t understand you then, that’s their problem, not yours,” then patted her hand, looking at her own arm then took the bracelet she was wearing. “Here, take this, someone gave this to me, but you can take it, just a reminder of meeting you,” and held out to her.

“Georgette shook her head and properly declined. “No, it’s yours keep it, I bet it is worth a cattle or a fortune, I cannot take it, the one who gave it to you, probably treasures you more than anything else, so keep it,” remembering François and what he told her last night about Red, being so wild and hotheaded.

Red drew a sigh, wearing the bracelet again. “No, you’re wrong, it wasn’t worth that much, it’s priceless, it means nothing to me anymore,” looking away, she hid her face in her, trying to train her tears not to fall.

Seeing the hurt in her eyes, Georgette held her hand and smiled at her. “Do you want to talk about it? I will listen,” then she offered.

Red suddenly, recoiled, shoving her hand mindlessly, and walked ahead.

“I don’t want to talk about him, he is acting up like a bull, butting his head at me or to anything that irked him and always had a bad temper,” then let out a sigh, stopping then turned around to face her. “I hate him, to the bone,”

Which made Georgette giggle, remembering herself when she had a terrible fight with Wolfram. Then realized that it was a bad gesture when someone was upset. “I apologize, I didn’t mean to laugh, I just remember someone,”

Red pouted then turned her back, strolling mindlessly while swaggering her hand to the bushes they were passing. “And who it is? Your man?”

“Aye, he is also like a bull when mad,”

Catching her interest, Red faced her again with a smile. “Oh, do tell me! More details, Georgie, how did you two meet?”

Georgette smiled weakly, missing Wolfram so badly then faced Red with a glint in her eyes before started telling her love story. Her unconventional and like cat and dog, romance with Wolfram.

Red gave a starry-eyed wonder and was eager to know more about her lover. Which made her a bit suspicious but she didn’t want to give it a color, reasoning to herself that, the girl she was talking with was really upset like her and needed a distraction to forget about it just for a while.

“He seems to me, a very virile and charming man,” she mused then looked at her. “You don’t mind it, do you? I’m just a bit enthralled by your tale,”

Georgette shook her head, dropping her suspicious altogether with her slight pang of jealousy towards her. She thinks the latter knows more than her and experienced more, having and bewitching a man like François, who to her, would do anything to fight for his love for her and openly accept a kind of girl like Red.

A kind of thing that she didn’t feel from Wolfram. It was like, she would lose everything just for him but what could she gain? She knows he loves her but, she also knows that she couldn’t have him whole, when his golden duty was still his top priority.

“Hey, don’t be sad, Georgie, he will come back to you,” Red poked her bubble of thoughts and patted her arm. “Anyway, where did he go? What place did he go to? Do you know where is?”

Georgette shook her head feeling sad again. Even Wolfram didn’t tell her, he had been always precautious, hindering things from her and there were a lot of things she still didn’t know about him to this day.

“Aw, that’s okay, men are always secretive and mysterious, I guess that makes them so charming,” Red’s dismissive tone with a hint of disappointment bugged her but she didn’t linger on that thought and shook it off.

“I'm a little bit starving, Georgie, come and let’s find our food, are you good at hunting?”

Again, she shook her head, smiling. “No, but I’m good at doing soap and have a little knack for sewing, my grandma taught me household things and farming,”

Red snorted again, chortling. “You’re too domesticated, Georgie, try to have fun and enjoy your youth! Come, I’ll teach you how,”

Joining hand and hand, Red and Georgette entered the unchartered forest and traveled together.