“You aren’t listening to me!” Little Red yelled at her mom.

“That is not how you are supposed to be! Now make your mother proud and stop trying to leave me.” Big Red yelled back.

“I want to move. The hood is not for me! There are shooting everywhere. Remember when dad died because of a drive by? What if that happens to you or me?” Little Red cried out.

“Your dad died because he was an alcoholic. He broke into someone’s house and stole their dog. Then they shot him. You have nothing to be scared of.” Argued Big Red.

“So if you drink, you will be shot?” Little Red asked.

“Yes. So never follow in your father’s footsteps, or you will be shot too.” Big Red warned Little Red in an attempt to save her from the alcoholism that runs in the family.

 

The night came and Big Red went to sleep. Little Red grabbed her coat and snuck out of the house. She hopped on her scooter and rode out of the hood and into the woods to find her grandma’s house.

As she went further into the woods, she started to hear footsteps behind her. She looked around and saw nothing. Suddenly, a shadow appeared from behind the tree. The shadow took form of a big red wolf as she got closer.

 

“Little girl! Where are you going?” The wolf asked.

“My grandma’s house.” Little Red answered.

“This late at night? No one is out here except you. It’s dark and you’re all alone. What if you get hurt?” Wolf told Little Red.

“I’m going to get hurt in the hood! My grandma lives in the safe woods. I’m going to live with her. To be safe. Now if you excuse me, I need to find my way there.” Sassed Little Red.

“You don’t know where she lives? How will you find her? I know that there is a little cabin 20 minutes away. An old lady lives there. Keep going forward and turn left at the giant tree with a stump next to it.” Wolf helped.

Little Red rode away.

 

Tap, tap, tap. Little Red knocked at the door.

No answer.

Bang, bang, bang. Little Red pounded.

Still no answer.

“OPEN YOUR DOOR, GRANDMA! WAKE UP!”

The wolf appeared from behind the bushes.

“She is asleep. Just go home.” The wolf suggested.

“NO! I came all the way over here. She WILL wake up! I can not go back to that gun filled hood. IT IS NOT SAFE! Guns are not safe. I do not feel safe!” Little Red explained.

The wolf felt bad, so she tried to help Little Red. “Try the window.”

 

Little Red broke the window and threw herself inside. “Hi grandma! Wake up!”

No response.

“GRANDMA! Stop ignoring me! I need you.”

Since Grandma was not waking up, she went into the refrigerator to get water, so she could throw it on her. She saw in a movie once that throwing cold water on a sleeper wakes them up. To Red’s surprise, she found bottles of alcohol. Her heart began racing. She fell to the floor.

“Get this out of your house grandma! Hurry before someone comes to get you!” Little Red panicked. “They shoot people who drink alcohol!”

She raced over to her grandma.

“She is dead.” The wolf said. “Old people die.”

“You killed her?!” Little Red cried.

“Of course not!” The wolf said offendedly.

“Lies! You are a liar!” Little Red said. “You shot her!”

“Drink it. Have some. You won’t die. Your mom is the liar, not me.” Encouraged the wolf.

 

Little Red took a sip from the bottle on the counter.

“Drink more.” The red wolf said.

Little Red downed the whole bottle.

“There is more in the fridge.”

Red opened another bottle and took a sip.

“More,” encouraged the wolf. “More. Drink more. More.”

Little Red’s vision began to fade. She became dizzy and fell, hitting her head on the floor. The wolf’s voice began fading.

“You are killing me!” Little Red mumbled.

“No. You’re killing yourself, Red.” The red wolf disappeared when Red blacked out.