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“Ugh, I can’t believe it. I just can’t believe it!” The Baker’s Wife ranted as she trudged through the woods with a cow as white as milk following her. “I want a child as badly as he does! If not, more so. And I only wanted to help him find what the Witch wanted, but does he let me help? No, he doesn’t! It’s just unbelievable. Can you believe that, Milky White?”
She looked at her bovine companion, only to be met with silence; Milky White wasn’t paying any attention. She rolled her eyes and facepalmed.
“What am I doing? I’m talking to a cow.” She said to herself before hearing a twig snap from somewhere behind her; she looked behind her, but nobody was there. She groaned in frustration. “Now I’m hearing things.”
Another twig snapped and the Baker’s Wife froze. She shivered a little. “These woods must be getting to me. Come on, Milky White. I heard there might be spirits haunting this place.”
She and the cow continued down the path. But after some more walking, as the Baker’s Wife passed a great oak tree sitting in the middle of a nearby clearing, something caught her eye. She noticed a dark figure approach the tree.
“What in the world…?” She wondered aloud.
Burning with curiosity, the Baker’s Wife tied Milky White to a tree branch and said to the cow, “Wait here.”
She then tiptoed away from Milky White to get a closer look at the figure. She hid behind some bushes and realized that the figure near the tree was a wolf on some kind; then she noticed a door in the side of the tree. She kept quiet as he knocked on the door; she was a little ways away, but she could still make out what the Wolf was saying.
“Who’s there?” An unfamiliar voice faintly asked from inside the tree.
“It’s me, Grandmother.” The Wolf said in a high pitch. “It’s Little Red Riding Hood. I’ve brought you some bread and some sweets. May I come in?”
‘Grandmother? Bread and sweets? Why does that sound so familiar?’ The Baker’s Wife thought as she watched and listened.
“I’m too ill to get out of bed, dear. Come right in.” The old woman’s voice answered.
Licking his lips and smiling wickedly, the Wolf slowly opened the door and crept inside. After a long moment of silence, a terrified scream came from inside the tree, causing the Baker’s Wife to nearly jump out of her skin. Then everything went quiet again. The Baker’s Wife was frozen in terror and uncertainty.
“…What was that?” She asked herself before getting up from her hiding place and walking towards the tree.
She wasn’t sure why she was going to investigate, but she felt she had to see if the old woman was okay. She stopped in front of the door, but paused before she could reach out to grab the doorknob.
“Wait… what am I doing?” She told herself in a whisper. “I can’t just go into someone’s house unannounced. This is madness. I probably shouldn’t even be here.”
Then a loud belch was heard from inside the tree; she jumped at the sound. By now, the Baker’s Wife already made up her mind. She opened the door as slowly and as quietly as possible and she poked her head inside. She could clearly hear the Wolf’s voice now.
“Meh. A little stringy, perhaps… but delicious nonetheless.” The Wolf chuckled evilly. “Now I’ll need to get ready. Dessert will arrive at any moment.”
‘Dessert?’ The Baker’s Wife thought as she continued to listen.
She then heard a door opening and fabric rustling; it must’ve been the old woman’s closet.
“Oh, god! Look at this, the woman hasn’t bought anything new in what? Thirty years?” The Wolf ranted as he rummaged through the closet. “No, wrong color. Maybe this one? Wait… the only decent thing here and it’s too small! She must’ve been married in that one. Ah, here we are! Perfect!”
“What is he doing?” The Baker’s Wife whispered.
Then everything went quiet. The Baker’s Wife remained silent, unsure of what was going to happen next. Taking a deep breath, she quietly opened the door even wider and took a few cautious steps down the steps leading into the house. Before reaching the bottom step, she saw the Wolf’s back facing her and she froze. She noticed that he about to put on a woman’s nightgown, but he stopped when he heard her come in.
“…I know you have been listening.” The Wolf said.
The Baker’s Wife said nothing and remained perfectly still.
“I can smell you.” The Wolf went on before turning around to face her; he walked up to her and looked her dead in the eye.
Then the Baker’s Wife noticed something about the Wolf; she glanced down to see that the Wolf’s round belly. Her eyes widened as she looked him in the eyes.
“What have you done?” She asked.
“Nothing that should concern you.” The Wolf replied before a thought popped into his head; he smiled at her. “Would you… care to join the old woman?”
“W-w-what?”
“You heard me.” He reached out and gently patted her cheek before walking away from her. “You’re not her granddaughter… but I’ll take what I can get. A three course meal? How lucky am I?”
“But-but-but…”
“I know what you’re going to say, love. ‘But why? Why would you want to hurt me? I’ve done nothing to you.’ Oh please.” He chuckled. “I can smell that little girl’s scent on you. You’ve met her before, haven’t you?”
“Little girl?”
“A young lady with dark braided hair and wearing a red hooded cape. Ring a bell?”
“Yes, but…” Then it hit her. “Red cape? Would you say this cape is as red as blood?”
“Yes… Why?” He frowned and raised an eyebrow at her.
“I… I need it to undo a Witch’s spell.”
The Wolf stopped in front of the bed and scoffed at the Baker’s Wife. “A Witch’s spell? Do you really think lying will get you out of this?”
“I’m not lying. I want to have a child and that cape is—”
He burst out laughing. “You’re hilarious! You must be mad!” He stopped laughing and calmed down. “But it doesn’t matter. The point is… I can’t have you rushing off to warn the girl about me. You know what they say… no witnesses.”
He licked his lips and let out a low, hungry growl. The Baker’s Wife took a nervous step back and her eyes widened in fear, knowing all too well what this Wolf was going to do to her. Before she knew it, the Wolf raced towards her with his mouth wide open, but she turned on her heels and raced back up the stairs, only for the Wolf to grab her left ankle before she could reach the top step. She cried out in fear.
“Oh no you don’t!” He snarled.
“Let go of me! I promise I won’t tell anyone about this!” The Baker’s Wife yelled.
“Likely story! Get over here!” The Wolf growled in anger.
“No, please! Leave me alone!” She begged before she started to kick the Wolf to get him to let go.
After a moment, he finally let go of her foot and she ran out of the tree as fast as she could. The Wolf tried to go after her, but his large stomach made it a little difficult and he needed to catch his breath. He watched as the Baker’s Wife disappeared into the woods. The Baker’s Wife raced back to Milky White and untied her from the tree.
“We need to leave, NOW!” She cried before running away from the tree.
The Wolf growled in frustration as he lost the Baker’s Wife’s scent. Then his sharp ears and nose picked something up. It was the scent of the little girl in the red cape… and she was getting closer. He felt he had wasted enough time trying to catch that woman, so the Wolf slinked back into the tree to patiently wait for his next prey, accidentally leaving the door open a crack.