Stranger then Fiction... episode 1 -


'What the heck?...........' I pulled the what ever it is down from my head and looked around 'Where am I' I asked out loud.' One minute I was eating my moms famous lemon pie then... the next I'm in a forest. 'What's going on?' I look down and was a little stunned. The cute khaki Capri pants and black baby tee that had an embroidery of a rose that reminded me of Mamo-chan and.... by the way Mina bought me for my birthday... anyhow I swore I put that on earlier. Replacing the totally cute ensemble was a white short sleeve shirt with small scalloped collar. Did I even have a short sleeve shirt with a scallop collar? Anyhow over that, was a red and white print overall dress, print...looking like a picnic blanket! Tied to my neck, falling to my knees was a red cape... I touched the back of my neck and there a hood. 'Lost... Yes Usagi you are lost... physically and mentally!' I grumbled as I looked at my surroundings.

From the corner of my eyes I saw a shiny glittery object near a tree... I took a step forward to only fall to the ground 'Great time to klutz out Usagi!' I breathed sparingly rubbing my rump. I lifted my leg in which what ever it was I can blame my fall on, their lay a basket! 'A Basket?' I scratched my head at first. Curious... I opened the basket and there I found some biscuits, a warm bowl of what seemed liked oatmeal... some cookies! 'COOKIES' I giggled in delight as I took one and inhaled it, not saving one crumb. Digging deeper in the basket I found other items, medicine, butter and jam. In between the jam was a note tucked away. While on my third cookie I opened the note 'on the grandmas house you go...and don't forget to give her, her medicine' medicine... I looked in the basket and found medicine.. 'Oh poor grandma...' I sighed then remembered... wait a minute.. Grandmas in America.. what in selene's name is going on?. I stood having heard something around the bushes. 'Well theirs no used to staying here..he..he' I distracted myself trying to make what ever I'm doing adventurous. I walked to over to the shiny object and found it to be a small mirror. A hand mirror almost like Sailor Neptune's. Giving it a quick look over I decided to take it with me, stuffing it in my basket. 'Usagi if you want answers than I guess you shall have to go to grandmas house' I started to step forward when I realized.. where's grandmas house?

'Where's your sense of adventure' my dear boyfriend has always said... Adventure...I muttered as I weave my way from thick bushes... I'm thick deep in adventure.. fighting youmas, evil queens, obsessed prince who cant take no for an answer and living with the spore.... Isn't that adventurous enough!

Deeper and deeper in the woods I go and each turn or when I feel I'm headed the right direction. I'm lost again! 'gripe sakes Usagi where the heck have you gotten lost too' Nothing no civilization what so ever, then out of no where I hear voices... voices that I knew were familiar... 'REI...' I yelled running towards the voices.. but when I got to a clearing their was no one. Perhaps I'm just too eager.. I walked on.. before I even realized that I was in a pathway. A pathway that forked out, one to the left side and the other to the right, I ran quickly and looked around... trees, bushes and more trees... but theirs a sign.. 'A SIGN' I yelled. Anxiously I looked at the sign.... 'TO grandmas house' ... I clapped almost too happy at the indication that grandmas house was to the right... and with basket in hand... hood over my head.... to the right I went 'TO GRANDMAS HOUSE' I said confidently and raised my arm as to conquer.

After 15 minutes of walking and acting happy that I was to see 'grandma' or who ever it was... I was tiring.. of all the things to carry... the basket had no water. My mouth watered at the thought and urged on. Then finally.......... Finally.... The trees cleared and there in the middle of lightly trimmed fruit trees was a cottage. 'Grandmas' I ran.

Breathing deeply and panting from the run, I stopped abruptly at the door, composing myself and smoothing my hair to a neat and conservative way. I knocked on the door softly and after a few moments of silence.. I was frustrated.. of all the things, I come here to give who ever this grandmother some medicine and she's not home. With determination in my veins I knocked firmly. 'come in' said a raspy voice, the voice that alerted my sense but then again.. this was grandma, in I went. Closing the door, I took note of the quaint style cottage. It was almost like a studio, a combination of kitchen, bedroom, living space and such. It was cozy for a grandmother. 'Child is that you?' came that same raspy voice that gave me the shivers. 'um... yes.. grand...' I thought with a blink of an eye before shrugging my shoulders 'grandmother'. 'well what a surprise... why don't you come closer' A bit hesitant I took off my cape and walked on. Stepping a few I found a full length mirror to my left. I took a good look at myself... my long blond hair were still in tack with the odango style I've worn all my life.. odango...I sighed in remembrance.. 'reminds me of my Mamo-chan'.... Anyways... but the rest of my hair was in braids, rope like they fell freely to my calves. Boy did I look like I was in some fairy tale story of.. of... what's that story called again...

'what's wrong child?' asked my supposedly grandmother taking me away from my thoughts. 'Um nothing grandmother' I approached her. She instructed me to sit next to her, that's when I had noticed the really hairy feet sticking out of the blanket. Geez grandma needs to shave. 'what did you bring their child' again taking me out of my thoughts 'oh um.. mother' again I blinked.. okay.... 'or who ever... asked me to bring this. to you'. 'oh how thoughtful' my grandmother coughed... since when was this person my grandmother.. I shook my head and stood a bit to help who ever this is.

I padded the covers down and that's when I saw... 'grandmother what big BLUE eyes you have' I said surprisingly and trying to remember where I've seen those eyes before.. now that I think about it... my mamo has the same.. 'the better to see you with'.. I lifted her night cap and I swear those hairy big ears don't belong there... 'grandmother what big ears you have?' I straightened waiting for a response that somehow I knew... 'better to hear you with....' I swear where have I heard this before... what the intarnation was going on.. I pulled the covers down... and gasped... 'grandmother what big teeth you have' and not only that but hairy, a muzzle, a long tongue not to mention bad breath. I looked up and found grandma to be staring... and If I didn't know better I would of thought those teeth were meant to sink into me. I was suddenly backing away from this impersonator of a grandmother.. I watched as she sat up and looked my way. 'Better to eat you with dear...' NOW I know I've heard that somewhere.... Where... dam it... My hairy grandmother stared straight into my eyes.... And I swear I've seen those eyes.. I was in a way lost... the way it danced as it looked at me.. they way it gleamed.. I've seen them!

I watched as my pretend grandmother leaped out of the bed. I jumped out of its way and struggled to be on the other side... I stood and was trying to figure a way out... think.. think.. Usagi... come on... I dodged another paw and now found myself near the sink... finding as much as I could I threw pots and plates. The plate hitting the wolf with my grandmothers sleep wear flat on the face. Then armed myself with a large iron skillet. 'ah... ha...' Both hands on the handle I held it at the side. I watched as the fake grandmother round me... I've saved the world many times over again.. and here I am to die in.. in... what the hell is this story.... The hairy creature stepped towards me.. and I held the pan higher. 'DON'T' I said... the wolf seemed to have understood.. and looked at me with hurt and defenseless eyes. I've seen those before dam it... where? 'USAKO' my eyes went wide.. was it me or did my fraudulent grandmother just say Usako? I came out of my stupor to find the animal to stand on its two hind legs. 'WHAT THE..' I said still holding the pan up high. 'Usako... put the pan down its me..' my head felt dizzy.. did that wolf that had sounded raspy in the beginning was now sounding like my Mamo-chan? 'ME.. me who?' I asked... dumbly as I thought... Usagi your talking to a wolf 'me.. Mamo-chan..' I don't know how it happened.. but I think I rather over did it on the dumplings and sukiyaki not to mention all that lemon pie. Now here I was running away from a wolf chasing me around a house saying he's my boyfriend. 'Oh yeah.. and like...Mamo-chan is hairy like you' I said and rolled my eyes... I straightened and put both hands on each side of my waist... pan on one hand.. 'what the hell am I doing' bringing my left hand and placing the heel of it on my forehead... "No... no fever...' I said out loud. 'then what could it be' I took my finger and placed it on my neck to find a pulse... "yep.. still breathing... still live..' I guess I didn't really think putting that pan away and forgetting about that wolf in front of me had that big of a consequence. I looked up and found Mamo-chan... I mean..er...the wolf.. to be on its fours again. Leaping forward I found no utter means of escape... and there I was on the floor pinned by a smelly raggy dog that needed to be placed in some type of grooming facility that can brush, tame and clean the wild beast, not to mention give him a breath mint or two.

'Your mine.....' I wondered.. mine as in my food.. or mine.. as in my Mamo-chan mine... oh what the hell 'Mamo-chan... what are you doing?' I asked it, like it was going to answer me. 'I'm going to eat you Usako' Well what do you know.. it answered. What the heck is this... I don't remember this in the story.. Story now I remember.. it was one of those stories that I read... in one of those.. American fairy tales.. what is it? Little hood? Riding the hood? Oh I wished I paid more attention. The wolf started to sniff my hair.. and seriously I started to get disgusted of all the musty wet dog smell. 'Mamo.. I mean who ever the heck you are.. please stop.... Your making me sick' I grumbled still trying to figure out what story this was. Little Red Hood...Grandmothers hood? 'Its time to die Usako..' it said to me... Oh whoopee like Its never been said to me before.. but then again I've always had my savior. What was that again... Little Grandmothers Red Hood.. no...Little Red Riding Hood... no.. yes.. no... well ... maybe... um.. YEAHHHHHHHH..... Just when the Mamo.. or who ever this smelly thing is on me was nuzzling my neck.. assuming to find the perfect place to bite.. I shivered thinking of it.

The story... how did that story go again... big eye...big ears... big teeth.. the chase.. the woodsman.. THE WOODSMAN! Where is the woodsman? Just then... the door came down and there stood, I held my breath to catch site and almost cried. Their standing at the door way...was not a woodsman nor anything resembling a woodsman.. their stood a blond girl.. wearing a light blue cape covering her from head to toe. When the cape went down.. 'Mina..' I yelled. The wolf turned to Mina and Mina just smiled. 'Hi.. I came to help'. 'Good.. now please... woods woman.. some help here' the wolf turned its attention on me and snorted. 'Woods woman?' stopped Mina... and thought... 'I'm not a woods woman.. I'm your fairy godmother...'. I rolled my eyes boy was she in the wrong story 'WHAT? What do you mean my fairy godmother...?' I yelled in frustration. 'I'm suppose to help you with the ball not with the wolf.. I'm suppose to say bippy dee boppie dee goo...'she happily sighed... 'that's BOO Mina.. BOO' she laughed at my correction. 'oh.. BOO then... see ya' and with that she left.

"now what was that your saying?' asked the wolf... 'Mamo-chan you don't want to eat me... I'm all.. um.. all bones..' heheh.. wrong thing to say to a canine. 'I mean.. I don't taste good'. The wolf nuzzled my neck again and at first It was quite tickly.. then he lifted his head.. 'yummy Usako...' he opened his mouth and from that I decided to just take its course... 'STUPID...........LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD' and just when I felt the canine's piercing on my neck something... from somewhere flared brightly and all of a sudden I'm taking to a whirlpool of blurry remembrances... no more wolf thing on me nor wolf breath on my shoulder... I blacked out.

I roused and my head became somewhat clear and I had the feeling that I was high above ground.... Curiously and cautiously I opened one eye... what my one eye saw didn't register so I went ahead and opened the other. Oh Lordy.... I looked up and fully saw him.. His back turned... I didn't even bother to look up to his head.. wearing nothing but a small tiny scrap of cloth around his.. um.. waist... yeah that's what we call it...uh... I can feel my cheeks redden.. being able to see the tight gluts on this man... I turned... looked down and suddenly realized... I was high above the ground.. in a hammock like bed. I screamed as the hammock tilted and free fall I went. Screaming louder I was headed down... head first towards the ground, I said my prayers. I closed my eyes hoping this dream would end... and when I was waiting for my life to end... I felt an arm encircle my waist.. and instead of falling down I was gliding sideways. What was going on? I opened one eye and completely bewildered... I was still upside down...but I was facing a pair of legs. I wanted to scratch my head but right now I didn't even know where my own hands were. I looked up and found the ground in which I should have been splattered on was speeding over my head.. I decided to look down and at first I wondered.... 'WHAT THE....' I felt the arm tighten around my waist and I flushed in every bit of red their could possibly be... crimson red, bloodshot red... candy apple red.. it was me.... At first unbelieving....so I decided to have another look down.. 'LORDY LORD.............' I suddenly realized... Who ever this was... he was carrying me upside down and I can see his.... His... 'OH MY LORD...' I fainted.

End for now.

Stranger than Fiction Series - Little Red Riding Hood . by Raq

Strange.. I know.. Just thought I would give it a try. But don't think this will be a constant thing.. I only wrote it cause I was in a silly mood and I didn't feel like editing my stories. K.. hope you liked it.. My husband said there are special places... for people like me... where they give me nice warm white jackets with straps.... anyone want to join me?

11.18.01