Hey there.
It's me, Little Red Riding Hood's twin sister, Little Red Riding Cap.
I bet you've never heard of me before, right? It's okay. No one really knows about me. It's not your fault, though.
It's RED'S fault!
Yes, I mean THE Little Red Riding Hood. Only Red would be unlucky enough to meet a wolf in the woods, and then be eaten by him. You see, my sister was not always the sharpest tool in the shed, if you know what I mean. Other people (such as ME!) would have seen right through the wolf's lousy disguise instead of ignorantly commenting,
"Oh, grandmother! What big ears you have!" and, "Oh, Grandmother! What big eyes you have!" and so on until the dull animal finally gobbled her up. She probably had not even realized what happened to her until she was half way down the wolf's windpipe!
But, enough about my slow sister (for now).
Do want to hear the real story? Do you want to know what actually happened in the dark forest on that warm summer afternoon? Well too bad if you don't. I'm going to tell it anyway.
Once upon a time…. there was a little house on the edge of a little German town. In it lived a little woman and her two little twin daughters, Little Red Riding Hood and Little Red Riding Cap. Both had thick, chocolate-brown hair, and angelic faces with hazel eyes and plump, rosy cheeks. They had slender bodies and tiny figures. But do not be mistaken by their similar looks; these two girls were NOTHING alike. For one thing, Cap (as she was affectionately called by her friends) was very competitive, as clever as a fox, and as quick as one, too. As in, she was quick in a classroom. She was always the smartest in her class. Red, however was not the quickest in the classroom. In fact, she was far from it. However, Red was more popular because she was always thinking of others. Cap was not particularly selfish, but compared to her sister, she seemed extremely self-centered. Because she was looked down on for not being more like Red, Cap was always trying to find ways to prove that she was just as good and nice as her sister. One day, when Cap and Red were walking through the woods to bring treats to their grandmother that lived on the other side of the wood, Cap found her chance.
"Hey Red," she said deviously, "How would you like to race me to Grandma's house?"
"But you're so much faster than me," Red protested lazily.
"Yes, but I will let you take the shortcut." Cap said diplomatically
"Which path is that?" Red said, gesturing to a fork up ahead.
"You can take the Tauren Path, and I will take the Windy Trail. Okay?"
"Okay," said Red agreeably, not knowing what she just got herself into.
Cap walked along the Windy Trail, giddy with pleasure. She finally would be recognized in the village as more than Little Red Riding Hood's selfish sister. Her master plan was simple: convince Red to take the Tauren Path, a long, confusing path that Cap knew well, while she, Cap, took the shorter and more direct Windy Trail to her grandmother's house. She would deliver her treats to her grandmother, and tell her that she did not know where Red was but she, Cap, would bravely go off into the woods to rescue her sister. Then she would tramp out of the woods, her "lost" sister in tow, a hero.
Yes, it was a perfect plan. Or so she thought.
Meanwhile, Red was strolling down the Tauren Path, blithely picking flowers. She did not realize that her path seemed longer than Cap had told her. She was just thinking of how nice the bouquet would look on her Granny's side table when a deep voice piped up from somewhere in front of her.
"Hello, little girl. What are you doing out here in the woods, all by yourself?"
A tall, hairy, ragged-looking beast that stood on two legs stepped out of the shadows. Red noticed that he had a sort of hungry look in his eyes, but her mind dismissed the thought.
"I'm bringing flowers and treats to my grandmother," she said, her innocent face glowing.
"Really?" The wolf said smoothly, grinning viciously. Red's mind started sounding alarms. What am I thinking, she thought. He's a wolf! There is no other way that he can smile.
"Where does your Grandmother live?" The wolf asked nonchalantly.
"Just at the edge of the woods." Red's mind clamped an invisible hand over her mouth.
"Hmmm. Well, goodbye little girl. Be careful. There are many dangers in these woods." The wolf's upper lip seemed to twitch after this last comment, like something was funny. Then, all of a sudden, he was gone. Red shrugged.
"Well, I'd better get to grandmother's house," Red said to herself as the little cabin of her grandmother's came into sight. I guess I beat Cap! Red thought as she crossed through the doorway to see her grandmother lying in bed.
"Oh, Grandmother!" Red said worriedly. "Are you okay?"
Then, Red noticed that her grandmother seemed different then usual.
"Oh, Grandmother! What big ears you have!"
"The better to hear you with, my child," replies her Granny.
"Oh, Grandmother! What big eyes you have!"
"The better to see you with, my dear."
"Oh, Grandmother! What big hands you have!"
"The better to hug you with."
"Oh, but Grandmother! What big teeth you have!"
"The better to eat you with!"
And with that, the wolf lunged at Little Red Riding Hood, devouring her whole.
Outside, Cap gasped. She had seen the whole thing from outside the window. She had arrived at her Granny's house a few minutes earlier, just in time to see the wolf get into his "costume". She had been about to go find her sister to get out of there when Red sauntered out of the forest with a fresh bouquet of flowers. Cap was forced to watch her sister continue to be fooled by the wolf. Cap's heart nearly broke when the wolf gobbled up her slow, but lovable sister.
Unfortunately, the wolf heard her gasp with horror. He turned in a circle slowly, but, seeing no one, he laid back down to rest.
Cap sped out of the clearing and into the wood. Only her knowledge of the woods kept her on the right path, for her eyes were clouded with tears.
Finally, she came across two woodcutters. She hastily related her story to the men. One of them rolled their eyes.
"What kids will say these days just to get attentions just fascinating," he mumbled.
"I'll save the girl!" the other men said gallantly.
"Sure you will. You do know that there won't be anyone there but this little girl to witness your daunting rescue?" his companion answered sarcastically.
"What?" the vain man said, sounding sincerely disappointed.
Cap sighed, realizing that if she wanted to save her sister, she had no other choice but to lead the strange man to her grandmother's cabin.
"You stay here," the man instructed once they reached the house.
He snuck in through the window, which seemed sort of pointless to Cap, considering how the wolf was fast asleep and the door was open. The man crept up to the snoring beast, drew a wicked-looking hunting knife, and laughed menacingly before plunging the knife into the creature's stomach.
Cap winced and turned away. As much as she hated that vicious and merciless demon, she could not bear to see anyone (or thing) endure that kind of honor-less death. Then, she heard her sister's melodic voice from inside the cabin.
"Well. That was disturbing."
30 minutes later, an exhausted Cap trudged out of the forest, only to be pushed aside by an over excited Woodcutter carrying Red, who had made many protests against being carried. All of these complaints were explicitly ignored.
"Oh my goodness! Where have you been?" The girls' mother exclaimed as they emerged into the center of the village. Then, she saw the state of Red's clothes. "What happened?"
"The girl ran into a wolf at her grandmother's house but I, Hans Hartman, the Woodcutter, heard her screams and saved her from the vicious animal! It was not easy, but I was up to the challenge," said the man bravely.
" Our hero!" swooned the girls' mother, staring at the man dreamily.
Cap fumed, realizing the deceitful man's plan, and realizing that there was no changing fate. She would only be known as the brave Little Red Riding Hood's sister, until her name was lost in history.
Hello. It's me, Cap, again.
I just want to say that I am taking back what I said about my tragedy being Red's fault. She had no way of knowing what really happened. She was just my lovely sister who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, a girl who was thrust into the spotlight for being eaten.
Well, now you know my story. I just have one last request:
Please, remember me.