The True Story of Red Riding Hood

Revealed at last: who the woodsman really was

Created on Midjourney

Red had come a long way since the days when the woodsman had taken credit for her escape from the kidnappers. The man had even painted the story as though it had been a wolf and not his own henchmen who had taken her hostage. And she had gone along with it at the time.

Her wolf pup had followed the kidnappers. They thought Red incapacitated and let their guards down. After all, what was a tied up eight-year-old going to do? Splinter had chewed through her bonds and together they had turned the tables on her captors, leading them to a large pitfall trap the village elders had ordered dug to catch an ogre that had been rampaging in the area.

The ogre had evaded the trap, but the kidnappers did not. Red had skirted it, hidden in the trees as she ran. Once past, she emerged onto the path, leading the three men straight into it.

Only the woodsman had managed to stop just shy of the pit. As he and Red eyed one another across the gaping hole, his men cried out from below. There was no way they were getting out of there without help.

“What now?” Red asked, her pup growling at her feet.

“It seems we’re at an impasse,” the woodsman answered.

The sound of a search party neared from behind the woodsman. “I’ll tell you what,” he said, “If you say I rescued you, I won’t come after you or your granny again.”

“How can I trust you?” Red asked, eying him with suspicion.

“Because they’ll know my face after this. It’s safer for both of us.”

“What about your men?”

The woodsman pondered for a moment. “Let’s cover the pit back over until everyone has left. I’ll come back for them tonight.” He peered down into the pit. “Be quiet until I come back for you if you don’t want to hang.”

By the time the search party arrived, the pit had been covered over and the story concocted. The kidnapper became a hero, claiming he was on his way to return Red to safety.

Granny hadn’t wanted to risk angering the kidnappers. She’d doubled security on her estate and told Red to leave it alone. But it had rankled. Out of respect for Granny, Red had let the lie stand for ten long years. But Granny had passed on, and Red and Splinter had trained long and hard for this day.

Wolf at her side, she set out on her self-proclaimed mission. The woodsman wasn’t innocent, and Red was no longer a child. She would make sure he never hurt anyone else again.

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I don’t remember why I made images of Red Riding Hood with a wolf at her side, but I set this one aside for months before it told me what its story was. I had actually thought the story would be much darker.

I liked the idea of turning Red’s tale on its head. She was no helpless little girl, Granny wasn’t a victim eaten by a wolf, and the woodsman was no hero. I liked the idea of Granny being rich and Red being a determined girl who grew into an even more capable and determined adult.

What do you think of this retelling? Like it? Hate it? Leave a comment.