Once upon a time, in a quaint little village, lived a young girl with her parents. She had a grandmother who lived deep in the woods, and she was very much loved by the old lady. Her grandmother gave her a beautiful red hood and cape on her 1st birthday, and she had been wearing it ever since, and because of that, everyone called her 'Lil Red'.
One day, Lil Red's grandmother got the flu and couldn't take care of herself. So Lil Red's mother gave her some money and a basketful of fresh-bought groceries, packed Lil Red's suitcase and told her to go stay with her grandmother and take care of her until she gets better. Lil Red agreed and bid goodbye to her family before making her way into the woods.
Unbeknownst to her, within the dense woods, there lived a huge man-sized wolf. He had been watching Lil Red for quite some time now since she was little, and today was no different. He almost could not believe his eyes at how much Lil Red has grown since he last saw her, and how beautiful she was. He finally decided to come out of hiding and approached her.
"Hello, Lil Red," the wolf greeted.
"Hello," Lil Red, after getting over her surprise of the wolf's sudden presence, replied. "I'm sorry, how do you know my name? Have we met?"
"No, but I have known you all your life, since you first set foot into these woods. Going to visit your grandmother, I presume?"
"Yes, I am," Lil Red smiled. "She's sick with the flu, so I will be staying with her for a while until she feels better."
"That's very sweet of you," the wolf smiled back. "I hope I'm not being too forward, but I would really like to get acquainted with you. Would you mind terribly if we visit each other sometimes while you're with your grandmother?"
Lil Red was quite taken away by the wolf's boldness, but she could see that the wolf was sincere, so she agreed.
From that day onwards, Lil Red and the wolf met whenever they could. Lil Red was as good as gold, meeting her grandmother's every needs, but once she has completed her chores, she would wait until her grandmother was in bed before going out to a nearby flower field to meet up with the wolf. Sometimes she would have to do the laundry, so the wolf will go to meet her instead at the lake and they spend time together as well.
As the days went by, Lil Red felt more and more drawn towards the wolf, and before she knew it, she had fallen deeply in love with him. She dare not tell her grandmother about it for fear of being reprimanded and separated, so their love affair was kept secret.
Lil Red's grandmother was slowly getting better and Lil Red knew that sooner or later she was going to go back home to her family. She raised her concerns to the wolf, in which the wolf suggested that they run away together. While they secretly discussed their options, they did not realize that Lil Red's grandmother, who decided to take a walk and get some fresh air, had seen and heard everything.
Later that night, Lil Red secretly packed her belongings and, thinking her grandmother was asleep, snuck out of the cottage, making her way to the flower field where she and the wolf promised to meet and to make a run for it. But to her horror, she was met with the local woodsman standing over the mutilated body of her beloved wolf and a bloody axe in his hand. The woodsman told her that he was hired by her grandmother to kill the wolf and to take her back home immediately.
"It's for your own good." That was the only thing he said when she demanded why.
Lil Red was inconsolable. She grieved for her beloved wolf for weeks and her parents, appalled by her love for the wolf, did nothing to help her alleviate her pain. Everyone started to shun her and called her a freak, and her shameful parents took to locking her up in the cellar and soon forgot she existed.
A year later, Lil Red's grandmother was struck with bad news as word went around that a terrible fire consumed Lil Red's home and everyone in it. As the old lady grieved over the loss of the only family she had, a knock was heard at her door.
"Who is it?" the old lady called out.
"It is I, Lil Red," a gentle, wispy voice came from beyond the door.
The grandmother, thrilled to hear her sweet granddaughter's voice and relieved that she must've survived the fire, quickly answered the door, but taken aback at what she saw.
"Oh, Lil Red, what bright eyes you have."
"All the better to see you with, Granny."
"Oh, Lil Red, what a huge grin you have."
"All the better to smile at you with, Granny."
"Oh, Lil Red, what long nails you have..."
"All the better to TEAR YOU UP WITH, GRANNY!!"
Shiny, jagged teeth was the last thing the old lady saw before she was bathed in crimson red, and the woods was never the same again.
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