Little Red Riding Hood (A gender bend retelling)

Red Riding Hood

There was once a boy who was called Red Riding Hood. One day he was walking through the woods. As he walked his mouth would occasionally water from the smell of the fresh bread his mother packed for him to bring to his Grandmother among the other delicious goodies. He thought about taking a small piece when he heard a voice behind him say "Hello."

The boy turned around and saw no one. "H-hello?" said the boy taking a step back. But when he did he bumped into something. When he turned around all he saw was fur. He had just bumped into a wolf.

The boy was scared but he was also brave. He looked the wolf in the eye as he put his hand on the small knife in his pocket that his father gave him before leaving. The boy was about to say something but the wolf interrupted him saying, "You should be more careful, I can smell you from a mile away." The boy said nothing. "Don't worry, I already ate and was just wondering why a boy your age would be in the woods. Are you running away from home?"

"I'm visiting my Grandmother. I never run away from anything," said the boy.

"Is that so" said the wolf revealing his sharp teeth as he smiled. He laugh and said, "You don't have to lie to me."

"I'm not lying!" the boy shouted.

The wolf asked, "If you're so brave, then why are you taking this path?" The boy looked at the wolf questionably. "This is the safe path. The type of path that little girls would go through to pick flowers." The boy's face was flushed with anger and embarrassment.

"Well, I can take any path I want. It's just that this one is the fastest path," said the boy defensively.

The wolf circled around the boy and said "There is another one that is fast, but only men go through that path."

"Well, which one is it?" asked the boy looking at the other paths he could take.

The wolf stopped and said, "that one over there" he pointed his paw in the darker area of the forest. "But like I said it's only for-"

Before the wolf could finish his sentence the boy ran towards the path. As the wolf watched him he smiled as drool came down his mouth and his stomach growled from the meal he was about to have. The wolf looked in the direction the boy was going to take and ran.

An hour past and the boy saw his Grandmother's house. He was annoyed since the path he took had nothing scary in it at all. It was dark but it was no different than the path he usually takes to visit his Grandmother except it took a longer time. There weren't even any animal for him to hunt. "Lying wolf," the boy muttered as he approached the door.

He knocked on the door and said, "Grandma it's me."

"Come in," said an old sounding but somewhat deep voice.

The boy opened the door and saw his Grandmother in bed. Her body looked bigger than usual but his Grandmother was usually bigger than a Grandmother should be that's why he brought food. He set the food down on the table and walked to his Grandmother to kiss her on the cheek. As he got closer he noticed the fur and realized that it was the wolf. But it was too late for the him to escape from the wolf who had quickly swallowed the young boy whole.

"Hello?" asked an elderly voice.

"Grandma?" said the boy in the vast and moist darkness of the wolf's belly.

"Oh no, the wolf has eaten you too," said his Grandmother who began sobbing.

"Don't worry, Grandma, I'll save us." The boy went into his pocket and pulled out the small knife and stabbed at the wolf's belly from the inside. He made a small opening that he put his fingers through the opening and tore it open as the wolf screamed.

The boy and his Grandmother crawled out of wolf who was now on the ground dead. A woodsman came inside the small cottage due to the painful screams coming from inside but only saw the boy and his Grandmother. "My grandson defeated the wolf!" the Grandmother proclaimed with pride.

The woodsman left both shocked and impressed by the young boy's actions he told the rest of the village of what he saw while the Grandmother made the boy a new cloak out of the wolf's pelt. Once the boy came back the whole village knew of the young boy's actions and praised him. Proving that as long as you're brave and cunning you can conquer anything that comes your way.