Emily paused to catch her breath. A backwards glance revealed only trees and shadows. She lowered the hood of her cloak; felt the cool breeze on her face. Maybe she’d lost him?
A howl echoed through the trees. Emily inhaled sharply.
“Grandmother!”
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Image credit: Nelleke @ deviantART
Apoplectic Apostrophes 
Oooh clever!!
Thanks Jen! 🙂
Nice,Suzanne.
Thanks Ranu! 🙂
Love your spin on the fairytale. Wonderful as always, Suzanne :))
Thanks so much, Jo-Anne! 🙂
Wicked cool take on the prompt! Creative and yummy. The photo you chose is a perfect fit.
Thank you! I’m really glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Makes me wonder what else you would change to update Red. Loved this!
I love to reinterpret fairy tales, so maybe there will be more of Red some day… Thanks so much for your comment, Tina! 🙂
I like the eerie mood you set. That story always frightened me when I was little.
Thanks Marcy! Yeah, it creeped me out too. Not as much as Gmork from the Neverending Story though. I still have nightmares about him.
Yes! Fantastic.
Thank you! 🙂
Love the gripping narration:)
Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Ah ha ha ha. Truly a magical rewrite of a magical tale.
Hard to go wrong with a fairy tale (well, unless you’re Disney). I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Oh, Red. The wise one now, I see 🙂 Loving this alternate take on the classic.
Thank you! She’s definitely wiser, but the wolf might be more devious.
Beautifully terrifying! You so deftly put us in the forest with one line, in the fairy tale with the next. Great writing.
Aw, thank you for your lovely comment, Jennifer! 🙂
Oh yes…love this take on the prompt!
You know my fascination for words…Red is another one on the list. It’s simple, beautiful and dangerous all at once and you’ve captured its essence in just 42 words. LOVE!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it. And yes, I love the word red too – you describe it perfectly! 🙂
Great ending!
Thank you, Danielle! 🙂
Fantastic! That wolf sounds scarier than ever!
Thank you! Doesn’t he, though? 🙂
Is Red rushing towards grandmother, or did the wolf just catch poor granny? Great use of a title to position the reader.
I think it’s a bit of both. Sneaky wolf. Thanks so much for reading and commenting, Sarah Ann! 🙂
I love this snippet of Red Riding Hood. Very spooky!
Thank you, Melanie! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
A very clever story.
The last, single word line, was perfect.
Well done.
Thank you very much, Mike! 🙂
This is absolutely fabulous!! Love the subtlety and suggestion you use (the title, cloak, howl). At first, I thought it was a runner in the fall woods, maybe being chased, but the last line so perfectly made it all clear.
Aw, thanks so much, Silverleaf! I’m glad you picked up on all my little clues. 🙂
This was a dark and fun spin on the fairy tale. I could feel the terror and the intensity. Run!! Loved it!
Thank you so much, Kathy! I’m really glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
I hope Emily’s cape is the sort that wicks away moisture. I also hope she wearing the right shoes for all of this running. First she had to run away from the wolf and now she has to save her Grandmother!
😀
Moisture-wicking cloaks… I think you may be on to something. Not sure about Emily’s shoes, but I’m guessing she’s into minimalist running shoes, so she can tread more quietly.
Haunting and concise in 42. Love the red riding hood reference.
Thank you! 🙂
Ooooh. This makes me feel panicky! The trees and shadows got me first…way to set a scene. Nothing good every comes out of wearing a hood. Just sayin’.
Ha! I hadn’t thought of that (the hood-wearing issue), but you might be on to something. 😉
I really love this one, Suzanne. Love the slanted angle, the words you toss in. Love that her name is Emily! Rocking it!
Thanks so much, Kymm! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Just enough clues, awesome ending, and me too, I love knowing that she is called Emily. I actually always wanted to know her name 🙂
Thanks for your comment! Her name just came to me. 🙂
Loved your take on one of my favourite fairytales… 🙂
Thanks! I’m really glad you liked it. 🙂
First I thought venusian has lost martian but in the end scene changed and a young venusian screamed for another beloved venusian.
Good writing…