Red With Poison

Red with Poison

Story adapted from the short story: The Company of Wolves by Angela Carter

Now you’re probably wondering how I got into that situation and you’re also probably wondering how I didn't get eaten.  You see that wasn't the whole story.  The story wasn't the whole truth.  I have a secret, a secret so dark that if anyone found out I would be burned at the stake.  But since my lover, yes my lover killed my grandmother the secret is already on its way out.  …. I am a wolf you see.  Reason number one why I wasn't eaten.  Now you’re probably wondering how I became a wolf.  This is all my grandmother's fault… and we had to do something about it.

Shortly after I was born, my mother died.  So, my father was left to raise me.  My father couldn't raise a newborn baby on his own, so he left me in the care of my grandmother, and you see how well that worked out.  Now you see my beloved father was supposed to come back for me because he loved me so much blah, blah, blah.  By the age a seven my grandmother was the only person that I knew.  I had heard stories about how much he loved me and he would come back for me.  At this point I was pretty sure that he was never coming back.  My grandmother told me what I thought was the truth about my father.  If I had to redo my life I would not have listened to anything my grandmother said.  In the end I found out that my grandmother hated me and told me outright lies about how much she loved me, but we will get to that later.  I was told that my father went to build a house and work on a farm to create a better life for me, and I believed it all.  
Where does the wolf part come into all this? Shortly you will see.  Every day, before my grandmother became ill, she would take a short walk to the market and leave me at home with a list of chores to do.   As I was sweeping the front porch, a little old lady came up to me to sell me some of her fruits and vegetables.  I kindly declined hoping that she would go away.  Before she left she gave me a peach to try.  Taking it to be polite, I took a bite, said it was good and kept on sweeping.  Unbeknownst to me she was a witch.  Later that day when my grandmother came back from the market she had some news.  First she told me there was a witch on the loose in the countryside.  My grandmother said that this witch was trying to give people fruit or vegetables, which were poisoned.  She asked me if I have seen her, I lied and said no.  Great I now probably am going to get sick because I ate that stupid peach I thought to myself.  I dared not tell my grandmother, afraid that I was going to get beaten.  Then she said “oh yeah, your father is coming to get you today.”  Thanks grandmother that’s no big deal or anything, I thought to myself, I have only been waiting eighteen years for this.  After this riveting conversation with my grandmother, I went to my room and packed.

I could hear the carriage approaching the house.  I watched out the window until it stopped out front.  My father got out of the driver’s seat and then opened the door to the carriage.  A woman stepped out!  Was this my new mother?  Even before I could walk out of the house, my grandmother pushed passed me so she could greet not my father, but my stepmother.  They embraced each other like they were friends forever.  But wait there’s more!  A young boy stepped out if the carriage.  My father replaced me and my mother, that’s all that was going through my head.  But as a faithful daughter I greeted all of them with a big cheesy smile on my face and REVENGE being pumped through my veins.  
They were invited inside for tea; of course I had to make it.  My stepmother, trying to be nice, gave a wonderful description of where they live.  “We live in a cute little house with a farm and it’s like five minutes away from the market”.  I almost choked on my tea.  My grandmother was never “shopping” she was visiting my stepmother and stepbrother.  She knew and never told me, my so called family lived fifteen minutes away and I was kept in the dark.  After we finished our tea, I said goodbye to my grandmother and got into the carriage.  My life as I knew it just changed, it was a total 180-degree change.  When we arrived at my new home I was shown my bedroom and told to make myself comfortable.  The next few months of my life story are pretty boring.  So, we will speed it up to a week before Christmas. 

            In preparation of Christmas dinner I had to go to the market to go get things for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinner.  While browsing the different stands, looking for the items in my list, I saw the most handsome guy at the meat stand.  Being a young, flirtatious kind, I went up to him to and tried to strike up a conversation.  Little did I know, he already knew who I was.  

                                                     “I've been waiting for you” he said.  

                                      Knowing that was not a pick up line, I said “What do you mean?”  

                                              This handsome man said “let’s talk somewhere private”.  

     Being overwhelmed by his good looks I followed him and we stopped at the end of the edge of the woods.                 

                                                          “I’m glad you joined us” he said.  
                                                      “What do you mean joined with you?” 

      Now you think it can’t get any weirder.  This guy tells me that I am a wolf, like him.  When I ate that peach from the witch it was laced with a spell that turns people into wolves.  Also, my grandmother and stepmother planned the whole thing.  He filled me in on the whole situation.  My stepmother got used to me not being there and my grandmother didn't like me because she wanted a grandson.  My poor father knows nothing of it.  So, together we devised a plan to get revenge.

            This was going to happen simultaneously while I was bringing my grandmother her Christmas Eve basket.  My handsome friend and I were going to have my grandmother and stepmother eaten.  But we had to play it like I had just met this man walking through the forest.  While we are “taking care” of grandmother other wolves are going to storm my house and eat only my stepmother.  But they couldn't touch my stepbrother because he was innocent.

***

            The day finally came.  My stepmother asked me to bring my grandmother her Christmas Eve basket.  I kindly accepted, knowing this was going to be the last time I would see my stepmother.  My grandmother's and stepmother’s fate was near and I was joyfully waiting for the time when their lights went out for good.  When I arrived at my grandmother’s house, she was already gone.  Success, I thought to myself.  Step 2 was in progress as I was staring into the eyes of my lover.  We celebrated.  We danced all over the room in a passionate rumba of love.  It was my first time and it was liberating.  I was free in more ways than one.  
          When I returned home, wearing my grandmother’s clothes and no one seemed too noticed.  My father was crying and saying that my “mother” was eaten.  Her clothes were all over the floor with her bones lying in a pile next to the kitchen table.  I went to change into my clothes and burn my grandmothers’ to get rid of the evidence.  The next day my father went to tell my grandmother about what happened, but he found her eaten too.  My father found her bones under the bed.  He went to the police, but they could not do anything.  They said it was some freak attack.  Then we went back to living our normal lives.  A few months later, I got married to my partner in crime.  My father walked me down the aisle, as I have always pictured.  My stepmother and grandmother were out of the picture.  And nobody knew the whole time this was my sweet revenge.