Fairy Tale Essay: Little Red Riding Hood: Horror Fic (Changing):

Set in 2007, Boston slums

Ruby! A woman called out from the kitchen she was standing in. She was chopping
vegetables on a wooden cutting board net to a big, silver pot with broth boiling inside. A TV sat
in the next room, the sound of a news report reached the woman.
A short second later, a girl about the age of 12 skipped into the kitchen, her brown hair
swishing back and forth with her movements. Yes, mommy? She asked as she stopped next to
her mother. The girl sported a dark red pleated skirt and a short sleeved, white T-shirt with a
large pink heart in the middle.
Her mother stopped chopping and looked down at her little girl. Well She began as
she stroked her daughters hair down. would you mind taking a little walk over to your
grandmothers house? Its not too far from here. Just about four blocks away. She asked.
Ruby began to pout. But mommy! Why do I have to go? Cant one of the others go?
Her mother stopped stroking her hair and began chopping vegetables again. Ruby. You
know very well that none of your other siblings can go. Theyre all way to young, Her mother
sighed. She lifted up her foot behind her and pointed it in the direction of a wicker-basket that
was sitting on the ground next to their refrigerator. Thats what I need you to take to your
grandmother, young lady. She said firmly.
The little girl crossed her arms and sighed heavily before reluctantly saying, FineI
guess
Her mother chuckled and lifted the cutting board; quickly swishing her knife over the
surface to assist in dropping the vegetables into the broth. The scent of the broth became stronger
in the air as her mother stirred.
Ruby sniffed and licked her lips.
Her mother caught this and said, You know, the faster you do what I asked of you, the
faster youll get home and the sooner youll get to eat. She turned her head and smiled, her face
showing the slightest bit of deviousness.
Ruby paused when she heard this, but then quickly picked up the basket and sped to the
door, not forgetting to put on her favorite red hoodie that hung on one of the hooks next to the
doorway.
Oh! Her mother called back out to her. And do please be quite careful with that
basket! It has two bottles of her favorite wine and a fruitcake.

Fine mom! Ruby called back as she opened the door.

Oh, and Ruby Her mother said, now standing in the doorways of the kitchen. Please
be careful of strangers.
Mom! I know! Ruby exclaimed exasperatedly as she stepped out of the house with the
basket in her hand. She turned back around, reached through the doorframe and closed the door.
*

The mother sighed as she returned to the kitchen. Teenagers

*

Ruby turned away from the door and began walking down the street.
Ruby and her mother live in a slum in Boston, the tiny apartment they shared the only
affordable thing for her mothers salary at the moment.
I wonder if shell be home when I get backshe normally has to leave at 7:00 for work.
Ruby suddenly wondered, snapping up her wrist to take a look at her watch. She watched as the
second and minute hands didnt move. Great, I forgot to put new batteries in She hit her
forehead with her palm before looking at one of the street-side clocks as she approached an
intersection.
The clock read: 6:03.
Maybe I will get to see her before she has to go? Ruby shrugged to herself and began
to skip and hum a random tune as she crossed the crosswalk.
As she passed over to the next block, she stumbled and tripped, falling flat on her face
and making the basket fly out of her hands and land a few feet away on the concrete.
Are you alright?! A worried mans voice said above her.
Ruby looked up from her place on the ground and saw a fairly handsome man in a
business suit crouching next to her, wearing a worried expression.
She sat up and replied, YeahI think Im okay Ruby trailed off when she felt a
warm trickle of liquid run out of her nose and across her lips. A few red drops fell to the
concrete.
Oh dear The man said as he pulled out a handkerchief he had in his breast pocket and
handed it to Ruby.
She took it after a moments hesitation and gingerly held it up to her nose.
The man stood up and bent over to hold out his hand for the girl.

She looked up at him before taking his offer for assistance gratefully. As Ruby stood, she
tried to steady her shaking legs. She succeeded after a few moments and let go of the mans
hand.
Well, now, are you alright? The man asked.
Ruby nodded and slowly lifted the handkerchief from her nose, looking at the red color
now staining the once pristine frock.
She opened her mouth to apologize, but before she could say anything, the man
interrupted. Its quite alright, my dear. It was an emergency and it can be cleaned easily.
She looked down at the concrete as she sheepishly handed the ruined handkerchief back
to the man.
He smiled and took the kerchief, placing it back in its original place in his breast pocket.
Ruby stood awkwardly on the concrete sidewalk as the man suddenly turned and walked over to
the basket, picking it up gingerly and weighing it with his hand.
Ruby wondered why he had weighed it, but she didnt ask why.
He walked back with the basket in hand and handed it back to Ruby. I assume this is
yours, young lady? He asked.
Ruby nodded and took the basket from his hand, opening the wicker cover and checking
to see if the things inside were okay. They were unbroken, thanks to the checkered blanket that
her mother had lined the basket with.
The man stared at her as she checked inside the basket. Just out of curiositywhat do
you have inside that basket of yours? He asked.
Ruby closed the basket and looked up at him. He was taller than what she thought he
was. Its just some wine and a fruitcake for my grandma two blocks away. She replied.
He nodded his head absentmindedly, like he was responding to question.
Ruby turned to the man and said, Im sorry, but I have to go and deliver this if I want to
have dinner with my mother tonight. She bowed slightly to the man then walked past him.
The man called out to her before she was out of earshot. Are you sure you wouldnt like
some help? He asked.
Ruby looked back at him and then shook her head. Sorry, but I think Ill be alright for
now.
The man nodded in understanding and smiled before turning in the opposite direction and
walking slowly away.
Ruby nodded to herself and continued her own walk to her destination. She no longer
skipped or hummed, but rather walked along in silence, scared that the skipping would make her

nose bleed again. After a little while, she reached the road her grandmother lived on and turned
down it.
It was a shady and lonely looking road, and Ruby found it slightly unsettling about how
quiet it was. It was almost like the buildings were eating up the sounds of the city, making it the
muffled street it was. The sound of Rubys footsteps echoed off the buildings and bounced
around the street.
Ruby shuddered internally. This is more like a creepy alley way than a street
As she walked along, she rubbed her nose gingerly with her hoodie sleeve, the appendage
now becoming sore.
Suddenly, the Ruby heard what sounded like the scrap of shoes along the concrete ground
bounce along the walls along with hers. She looked over her shoulder, but saw no one.
She continued to walk forward, but as she reached the middle of the abandoned street,
she began to walk faster, until she was practically running. The footsteps behind her mimicked
what hers did.
As she neared the end of the street, she realized that she was close to her destination. She
sighed with relief at the thought of being in a safe place. She soon began to ignore the footsteps
behind her and started skipping again. Probably my imagination away.Snot a big deal.
As Ruby reached her grandmothers apartment building, she rang the doorbell for her
grandmothers apartment.
Hello? An elderly womans voice over the intercom answered.
Hi, grandma. Ruby said.
Oh! Hello dear. I suppose you want to come inside, yes? Her grandmother said, a
buzzing sound coming from the doors as they opened.
As Ruby said her thanks and reached for the door handle, a hand tapped her on her
shoulder. She turned her head, only to have a sharp pain shot up her nose and her vision black
out.
*

Ruby awoke with her sitting up against a brick wall in a dark room, hands tied behind her
back and blood all over her hoodie.
Ah, I see youre finally awake. A familiar voice said from the darkness. A bright light
was turned on and was shining on Ruby like she was in some sort of interrogation.
The man that had helped her up earlier was sitting in a chair directly in front of her,
holding one of the wine bottles that had been in her basket. Only, it was open now and half
empty. The red wine was dripping off of his chin and onto his once clean clothes. He wore a
maniacal smile as he stared her down.

Hello there. He said after a few moments of silence. He suddenly started laughing like
someone had said a really funny joke. Then he stopped and stared Ruby down again.
The little girl was so confused and scared that she couldnt speak or move. She just kept
watching with her mouth slightly hanging open at the scene playing out in front of her.
There was silence for another few minutes, the man giving Ruby an extremely unsettling
stare.
Welcome to my home! He suddenly said in a grand voice, breaking the unbearable
silence and making Ruby jump. He spun around in his chair and jumped up. He practically
skipped over to the other wall and flipped a switch, turning on the overhead light.
What was in front of Rubys eyes made her heart skip a beat.
What she had been sitting in for a long time could barely be called a room, but more like
a really big closet. There was a small TV that was turned off, an armchair, and a fridge. But the
color crimson had been splattered on the walls and broken glass bottles were scattered
everywhere.
Dont you just love the colour of my walls? The man asked as he did held out his arms
in front of the wall. I think itll go great with even more of the colour added to it. Dont you
agree, little girl? He asked as he followed Rubys eyes to the glass on the floor, made a short
sigh and said, The accessories for this place are not as glorious as the places colour, but theyre
pretty close. Almost to die for. He laughed out the last words and picked up an unbroken bottle
by the neck and hit it on his wall, the bottom shattering. He gripped the neck of the bottle tightly
in his hand as he brought his attention back to Ruby.
Wouldnt you just love to help me decorate my home? He asked Ruby as he got closer.
Ruby shrank back at the sight of the bottle and shook her head up at the man.
He stopped advancing and straightened his posture. He laughed aloud and sat down once
again in the chair he had sat in earlier, giving Ruby the unsettling stare again.
W-why? Ruby asked plainly as she shivered at the sight of the bottle.
His tone became grim. Im just a shell of what I once was. Ive been alone for many
years. All my friends have gone and left me. Now, Im just stuck in my little zone. Stuck here
todecay, if you will. He sighed.
An imposter is what took my life away from me. He suddenly growled, gripping the
neck of the bottle tightly until it cracked a little. He got up from his seat and went back over to
the blood stained wall. I never saw it coming. He sighed. Im so alone
He turned back around towards Ruby. You know, youre not the first one to be sitting
down there, all tied up.
Ruby shuffled around, now uncomfortable with the thought of other young children being
in the same position she was in.

I always invite newcomers to come and play with me. The man said, his maniacal tone
fading in. Most of them, though, never last. He laughed.
Ruby gulped loudly, her eyes darting around the room to search for some sort of escape
route.
The man took no notice. Though, there was one little girl who lasted about five days.
His eyes bulged out as he laughed some more. But you dont want to hear about what happened
to her!
Ruby stood up shakily, the man immediately standing at her side with the broken bottle to
her neck.
Do you want to play with me? Freddy asked her, pushing the bottle up against her neck
so that it began to bleed a little.
Ruby stared at the insane being beside her but didnt move a muscle.
WRONG ANSWER! He shouted as he swung up the bottle and brought it down near her
head.
Suddenly, there was a knock at his door.
He sighed heavily as the bottle stopped mid-swing. He then put it behind his back and
went to open the door. When he opened it, allowing only his head to escape. Yes? He said in a
new voice.
Ah, hello, wed like to ask you a few questions about something. The policemen at the
door said.
The man stiffened up before saying smoothly. Im sorry, but Im a little busy at the
moment. Do you think you can maybe come back in a little while?
Ruby continued to stare at his back as she listened, and she doesnt know how he
managed to do it, but the police officers gave in to his demand and said, Uh, Sure.I guess
But as they began to walk away, Ruby gathered up her courage and screamed at the top of
her lungs.
The police officers were immediately back at his door, guns drawn and pointed at her
kidnapper. Open the door. One said.
The man quickly heisitated before saying, Oh, no! No! That was my daughter! You
know how kids love their cartoons!
The officers exchanged looks before the other one cocked his gun and said, Now.
The man sighed and slowly swung open his door to reveal Ruby tied up against the wall
and the horrific, blood-stained walls of the mans apartment.

Ruby began to cry as one of the police officers immediately went over to untie her and
help her to her feet, while the other one kept his gun pointed at the man, keeping him at bay.
Ruby instantly latched onto the officer that helped untie her and didnt let go.
As they arrived at Rubys mothers apartment, her mother nearly had a heart attack after
what the police and Ruby had told her.
Oh, Ruby, Im so sorry! Her mother said as she hugged her little girl and cried.
When the police drove away with the man in the backseat, her mother still hadnt let go
of Ruby, until she pushed her mother off of her.
Mom, Im okay Ruby mumbled.
I know, but stillI could have lost my child. Her mother reasoned, quickly hugging
her daughter one last time before breaking away.
11 years later
Ruby was cooking something, its scent drifting through her kitchen of her small
apartment that she shared with her best friend who was not home at the time.
Reminds me of the apartment I shared with mom.... She often thought.
The things she was cooking were now simmering dully, and she realized that she had a
few moments to spare to put some things back.
After she had put back some of the food things in her pantry, she thought Only one more
thing to throw away She picked up the item and briskly walked into her utility room, where
the trash can happened to be located.
But she stopped dead in the doorway when she noticed that something was on her wall.
The words Its Me had been painted in large red letters, spatters of red paint all around
the message.
And what also had been painted was the messy picture of what looked likea wine
bottle.