This week, I wrote a modern version of Little Red Cap, the Grimm brothers version of Little Red Riding Hood that we analyzed last week. Continue below for my modern retelling!
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| Soup is great if your grandma is sick. Or at any time. |
Carmine left the grocery store with several bags weighing her down. She hadn't thought her grandma would need this much food, but it was hard for her to get out, and she'd eaten almost everything in her house.
As Carmine was reorienting herself for the walk home, one of the bags ripped and the groceries fell out. Sighing, Carmine bent down to pick them up. Maybe she could go back inside and double bag this so it wouldn't break again. She wondered if any of her other bags were about to rip.
"Let me help you with that." A dashing man stopped to help Carmine pick everything up. He offered her a tote bag. "Here."
"Are you sure?" Carmine asked.
"Of course. We don't want your bag to break again. These really are much more sturdy."
"Well, thank you." Carmine began moving the groceries into her new tote bag. At least nothing had broken.
"I'm Adolfo. What's your name?"
"Carmine."
"Nice to meet you." Adolfo grinned at her.
There was something unsettling about his teeth. It was almost like he was baring them at her instead of smiling. "I'd better get going. I have a long walk ahead of me."
"Where to?" Adolfo asked.
"My grandma's," Carmine replied, hitching some of the grocery bags higher up her shoulder. "Thanks for your help."
"I'm walking too. Let me walk you there," Adolfo said.
Carmine hesitated, and Adolfo started walking the direction she needed to go. "He must just be going the same way," Carmine thought. "It would be rude to ignore him." So, she caught up with him.
"Where does your grandmother live?" Adolfo asked.
"In the apartment buildings over there." Carmine gestured vauguely.
"That's where I live too," Adolfo replied.
"Were you at the block party?" Carmine asked.
"Yes!" Adolfo said. "I thought you looked familiar."
"Yeah, I must have seen you there," Carmine replied. "It's crazy I haven't run into you until now, but I haven't been around too much."
"Really?"
"Yeah. My grandma has gotten sick, so I came to check on her and she had almost nothing left to eat in her house."
"It's a good thing you came to see her."
"I wish she'd texted me earlier to come visit, but she doesn't want to be a bother."
Adolfo nodded. "My grandma was the same way before she died."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Carmine replied.
Adolfo nodded sadly. "We all knew it was coming, but it was still a shock."
"I'm sorry," Carmine said again. She wasn't sure what else to say. But it seemed like she and Adolfo had more in common than she thought. "Maybe you should come over sometime. Grandma likes to know her neighbors."
"That'd be great. Which apartment is she in?"
"She's in building three, apartment 12. I'll tell her about you, so she'll let you in the with buzzer."
"That'd be great. I live in building two, so my key won't work for her building."
They came up to the shortcut Carmine always took through the little group of trees. "Well, I'll see you around, Adolfo."
"See you later, Carmine."
Carmine made the trip up to her grandma's apartment. She took the elevator, so she couldn't see the man sprinting up the stairs to apartment 12.
Carmine walked wearily up to her grandma's door and pushed it open. "I'm back!" she yelled into the apartment. She went to the kitchen and began unloading all the groceries she'd gotten. After a moment, she yelled, "Grandma?"
There was no answer.
Carmine set down the box of oatmeal she was holding and went to her grandma's bedroom door. She knocked. "Grandma? Are you all right?"
There was still no reply.
"I'm coming in," Carmine said. Then she opened the door. It was very dark in there, but she could see a person-shaped lump in the bed. "Oh, grandma. You're still in bed? If you're ready to get up, I can make you some soup."
The person in the bed coughed.
"You sound much worse," Carmine said. "Are you all right?"
The person in bed coughed again.
Carmine walked closer. "Grandma? Can you talk to me?" She stepped up next to the bed, and the person in bed jumped out and grabbed her. Carmine blindly smacked the person in the face and felt stubble as her hand connected.
That wasn't her grandma.
Carmine ran out of the room and yanked the door shut behind her. She called 911 while holding the door closed. It kept ringing and ringing, but finally someone picked up.
"911, what's your emergency?"
"I'm in my grandma's apartment and a man broke in. He tried to attack me!"
"What's the address?"
Carmine gave them the address.
"We'll send a squad car right over. Where is the man now?"
"In my grandma's bedroom." Carmine realized something. "I don't know where my grandma is!"
"Breathe. The police are on there way-" The woman on the other end of the phone was saying something else, but Carmine dropped the phone. Her grandma was probably still in her bedroom. And the man hadn't tried to get out yet.
Very slowly, Carmine eased the door open. There was someone laying in a heap on the floor next to her grandma's bed. Carmine opened the door farther to let more light into the room. It was Adolfo! It looked like Carmine had knocked him out.
Carmine turned on the lights and braced herself. Looking back at Adolfo with every step, she made her way into the room and checked the other side of the bed. Her grandma was on the floor.
"Grandma!" Carmine said, dropping to the floor to help her.
"That young man pushed me out of bed," her grandma grumbled. "Help me up."
Carmine helped her grandma stand. "Are you hurt?" Carmine asked. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine. I just couldn't stand up for a moment there. Too dizzy." Her grandma took a deep breath. "Get me my cane, please."
Carmine took a few steps and handed the cane to her grandma.
"Let's get out into the living room," Carmine said. "Just in case he wakes up."
Carmine and her grandma were walking to the door, when Carmine saw her grandma move. Carmine turned around in time to see her grandma's cane connect with Adolfo's throat and Adolfo collapsed to the floor again.
Carmine stared at her grandma open mouthed.
"Just because I have a cold doesn't mean I'm helpless," her grandma groused. "Now, did you say something earlier about soup?"
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