The Tale of Sister Grimm

“Red,” my Mother called from the kitchen. “Come here!”

Getting up from the couch, I placed my book on the coffee table and made my way over to her. As I walked into the kitchen, I stopped and stood in the doorway as all the scents of my Mother’s cooking rushed into my nose. Out of everything, the soup, the chicken, and the fresh dill, I could most distinctly smell the scent of my mother’s bread.

“Red,” she said again.

Coming out of my daze, I looked toward her and saw a basket in her hand, making me smile instantly.

“Now don’t get too excited, Red. Your Grandma is sick and I need you to take her this bread and wine. Hopefully, it will help her feel better.” Although I was glad for an excuse to go see her, my smile disappeared at the mention of my Grandma being sick. Never once had I known her to not feel well.

Walking up to her, I took the basket from her hand and pecked her cheek. “Don’t worry, Mother,” I said, “I’m sure she will be fine in no time.”

As I turned to leave, she put her hand on my shoulder and said, “Now Red. I want you to be carefully in the woods. There are wolves in there and they can be very dangerous. I don’t want you to get hurt.” As she said this, I felt another small smile creep onto my face, one that she hopefully didn’t see.

Once again, I turned to leave. As I walked out the door and started down the path, I could here the old window creaking open and my Mother’s voice calling, “And make sure to be home before dark!”

“I will, Mother,” I shouted back, before continuing down the path.

About an hour later, I was in front of my Grandma’s house, knocking on the door.

“It’s me, Grandma,” I called.

I stepped out of the way as I heard the squealing of old hinges that were, somehow, still holding up the heavy wooden door.

“Hello, Red. Come on inside, deary,” she said, pulling me into a big hug. While walking inside, I stole a look around the room. There were trinkets and knick-knacks on the mantel of the fireplace, and pictures of long ago people and places on the wall. On the ceiling was a big circular fan, which currently held up a numerous amount of hanging plants. This house, with its randomness and unpredictability, was where I had spent many lazy, summer days.

“How are you doing my dear,” Grandma asked me, taking a seat and motioning for me to do the same.”

“I’m fine, and you,” I asked raising my eyebrows. “Mother, mentioned that you were feeling under the weather and she made you this bread and wine, but you seem to be fine now.”

“Yes, well, it’s a little thing called lying my dear. But, I thank you for your concern and the food,” she said with a smile on her face. I tried to suppress my laughter as she continued speaking. “Plus, you really won’t mind that I lied, once you know what I did it for.” It was times like these when our roles seemed reversed, like I was the grandma and she was the child.

After a pause, I asked, “Well? Aren’t you going to tell me why you tricked Mother into making me come here?”

She looked at me, feigning hurt, and said, “Tricked is such a harsh word. I’d like to think of it more as skillful misdirection.” With that, she slapped her thighs, got up from the couch, and made her way over to the window where she looked out into the very woods Mother had warned me of.

“And besides,” she said with a playfully, serious face only a grandma could pull off, “it wasn’t so much me who wanted you here. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love it when you come, but there was someone else who couldn’t wait for you annual Sunday trip to see you.” At that moment, she tactfully stole a glance at me before returning to the window.

“You mean . . . he . . . here . . . where . . . now?” So many thoughts were running through my head at one time that it was impossible to form a coherent sentence.

“Breathe, Red, breathe,” my grandma scolded, even though her eyes twinkled with laughter. “He’s out in the woods, love, by the waterfall.”

Even before she said anything, I knew where he was. He was always there waiting for me every time I came. Jumping up, I quickly ran out of the room before stopping myself and going back in. I felt so guilty for leaving her all the time to go see him. Walking up to my grandma, I gave her a big hug and told her that he could wait.

“Are you crazy,” she asked with a look on confusion on her face. “You go to him right now, young lady. I know you love me, and I will be here when you get back. Now get!”

“Thank you so much, Grandma,” I said, before running out of the room again.

As quickly as I could, I ran out of the house, down the stairs, and into the woods. I knew this trail by heart and could run it with my eyes closed. As I ran, I could feel my red cape blowing out behind me, and I almost felt like I was flying.

I slowly came to a stop as I approached the edge of the water. He would have to be around here somewhere. Spinning on my heels, I searched the forest, looking for something, anything, that might have been him, but, as always, I could see past the dense wood.

Sighing softly, I sat down on a rock and waited for him to come. Not long after, I felt him sit down beside me and lay his head on my legs.

“Oh, Liam. How I missed you.” As I scratched his head, behind his ears, he tilted his head into my hand. I could sit here all day like this, running my hand through his silky coat. He was the most beautiful creature that I had ever seen, with dark hair soft as silk, and eyes that anyone could get lost in.

He gave a soft whine and motioned for me to let him go. I did as he asked, watching him disappear back into the woods. A few minutes later, Liam walked out to me again. This time, he fur was replaced with porcelain skin and the only thing left of who he was, was the thick, black hair on his head and the intensity of his eyes.

“Red,” he said, rushing over to me and engulfing me in his arms. I closed my eyes as I hugged back, resting my head against his shoulder and smelling the pine trees and forest on his clothes.

“Oh, Red, I’ve missed you too.” We stayed like this for a few, sweet moments, until he pulled away and looked me in the eyes. Instantly, I missed his warmth, but something in those eyes, a battle of some sort, told me to remain still and wait for him. He looked around the forest, then over to the waterfall, until he finally turned back to me. The look in his eyes was gone, signaling that whatever was bothering him was no longer a bother, or decided on.

Quickly, he got to his feet, pulling me with him, and started walking away from the waterfall.

“Where are we going,” I asked, trying to keep up with him.

“You’ll see,” was all he said.

Minutes later, well into an unfamiliar part of the forest, Liam stopped and motioned for me to rest. As I sat down and took off my shoes, Liam walked over to a tree and leaned against it with his back towards me. We stayed like this for a few moments, until I got up and walked over to him. Stopping next to him, he put his arm around mine and pulled me close into his side.

“Red,” he said, still staring out into the forest, “I love you.”

“What,” I asked, pulling away from him slightly and looking up to him.

His grip tighten around my waist, “I love you.” A pause, “I said, ‘I love you,’ Red.”
Finally, he turned and looked at me. “I love you, Red. I always have.”

He turned his whole body towards me and took my face in his hands. Then slowly, as if the world wasn’t moving at all, he let go of my face, dropped down to one knee and took a small box out of his pocket.

“Red, I love you. I always have. I want you to know that our life won’t be perfect, and that I may not be able to give you everything you want, but know that I will always love you. And with this knowledge, I now ask for you to answer this question. Emma “Red” Conoley, would you marry me?”

For the second time that day, words would not form coherent sentences. Every time I tried to open my mouth, nothing seemed to come out. I could feel the tears start to threaten to spill over my eyes, but I fought against them as hard as possible. I never thought that in a thousand, a million, years, this day would come.

He must have mistaken my pause for something else, because he quickly muttered, “I mean, you don’t have to say yes, of course. As long as we could still be frie . . .”

“Of course I’ll marry you, Liam,” I said interrupting him. “I love you too.” That was all I could say to him before the tears finally came and overflowed, running down my face. Liam, once again, pulled me into his arms and ran his hand through my hair. Then, every so gently, he took my hand in his and slipped a golden ring onto my finger and held it there.

“I will always be with you,” he said, “No matter what happens, I will be there.”

We stayed like this for only GOD knows how long, until it started to get dark, and he led me back through the woods, past the waterfall, and up the steps to Grandma’s house. We stood there for a moment, before he placed a soft kiss on my lips and made me promise we’ll see each other soon.

And then he left. I looked out to where he had disappeared and sighed. ‘I love you’ I thought, hoping that somehow he could hear me. I turned around, and just as my hand was about to land on the doorknob, it flew open and Grandma rushed out, circled her arms around me, and squeezed the life out of my lungs.

“Oh Red, I’m so happy for you!” she exclaimed. “He came to me and told me what he was going to do and I said yes to help him because you two are the most wonderful couple and I really hope you said yes because he is simply an amazing person and if you said no I’ll . . .”

“Grandma, please.” I said with a slight laugh. “Let’s go inside, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

She gave me a coy smile, loosened her grip about my body, and led me inside. Instead of going to the living room, she took me into the kitchen and told me to eat. While enjoying her cooking, along with some of Mother’s bread, I told her everything that had happened, from the look in his eyes, to the walk, to the proposal, to everything.

“Oh,” she squealed, “I knew you two went well together. This is wonderful.”

“Yeah,” I said shyly.

“You know what? I’m going to call your Mother and tell her that you’re sleeping over tonight.”

“But Grandma,” I started, “she still thinks your sick.”

“I’ll just tell her that the bread, wine, and visit from you did wonders.” With that she got up and started walking over towards the phone, leaving me alone in the kitchen.

I sat there for a while, and before I could really think about anything, she walked back in.

“What did she say,” I asked, excited.

With a very serious face, Grandma replied, “She said no.”

“But,” she continued, now with a smile, “I reminded her that it was late out and you would have to walk home in the dark, so . . .”

The rest of her words were lost as I started jumping up and down, making her smile grow. After that, we spent our time laughing and talking and just joking around.

Later that night, hours after Grandma had fallen asleep, I was laying on the couch, listening to sounds of the old house. I could hear the distinct sound of someone snoring, the wind blowing in from the chimney, and creaking of the old floorboards.

Suddenly, I heard a howl, so full of emotion that it caused me to shoot up at once. I quickly jumped up from the couch, ran over to the window, and looked outside. At first, I couldn’t see anything, but then the clouds parted and shaft of moonlight shone down, illuminating the world outside my window. And, standing there, right in the center of Grandma’s yard, was Liam. Once again, he let out a howl and walked towards the house.

Rushing over to the door, I quickly threw it open and allowed him to walk inside. I hadn’t noticed it at the time, but he was limping terribly.

“Oh, Liam,” I said, “what happened to you?”

Panting, most likely from the pain, Liam limped into the living room and laid down on the rug. He looked up and me with such sad eyes, before he rested his head back down on the floor.

Not knowing what else to do, I told him I would be right back, and went and got Grandma.

Following her back out to the living room, I stood completely still as Grandma checked him over, looking for any life threatening signs.

As she was doing that, we could hear someone banging on the front door. Liam must have sensed who it was, because he shot up and tried to run farther into the house. But, as he got up, he accidentally scratched Grandma in the chest, causing her to yell out in pain. The banging suddenly increased, but whoever was doing it must have realized it wasn’t helping, because the sound changed and it seemed as if the person was throwing their whole body at the door.

“Let me in,” screamed a gruff voice. Somewhere else in the house, I could hear Liam whimpering.

Running over to Grandma, I took my red cape off and used it to apply pressure to her chest. “It’s all right,” I said, trying to sooth myself as well. “Everything will be all right.” But, even as I said this, I knew things were not all right. The scratch, more like a gaping wound, was bleeding profusely, and I hadn’t known, until now, how deep the cut was.

Just then, there was a splintering sound as the door was ripped of the hinges. Walking into the living room was a man towering over us. He looked around the room, and in the same gruff voice, demanded, “Tell me, where is the wolf?”

“I don’t know, sir,” I said, trying to save both Liam and my grandma. “He must have run out the back door. But, please sir, you have to help Grandma.”

Looking back down at her, I brushed the hair out of her eyes. Those eyes. What had once been deeper than the ocean and clearer than the sky were now loosing the shine they once held.

“Please, sir,” I begged again.

The man looked around the room, and then down at Grandma. But, just as he started to bend down to pick her, there was a crash from the back of the house.

Jumping back up, the man ran in that general direction, yelling, “I knew that monster was still here!”

Letting the tears flow down my face, I looked down at the woman in my hands. I couldn’t leave her here, but I had to help Liam.

Before I could make my decision, a gunshot ripped through the night, followed by a heart wrenching yelp and a thud.

No! I yelled over and over in my head. This isn’t happening! This can’t be happening!

“Grandma, please,” I begged, “Tell me what to do?” But as I looked back into her eyes, I couldn’t see the familiar warmth in them. The light that once shone brighter than the sun was gone.

As I sat there crying, holding my grandma’s lifeless body in my arms, a hand landed on my shoulder. I was about to scream at the man for what he had done, that was, until the scent of pine trees and forest bombarded my nose.

“Liam,” I gasped.

But, as I turned around, all I saw was that man, with Liam’s body dangling over his shoulder. I let out an uncontrollable sob, before turning away from him.

“I’m sorry for you loss, miss, but your all safe now.” With that, he walked past me and towards the door. He stopped for a moment and looked at me as if he was about to say something, but instead, he turned and walked away.

I stayed there, though. I stayed there on the floor with my grandma until the moon rose to the highest point in the sky; until the man came back with my mother and father and the police. I stayed there until they forced me on my feet and started to take me home and my grandma GOD knows where.

As they guided me out the door, I looked into the forest; the one my mother warned me of. I looked to the path that would lead me to the waterfall and to Liam. Maybe the recent events were starting to wear on me, or maybe it was the moon trying to heal a broken heart, or maybe it was real, I’ll never know, but as I looked down the path, I thought I saw a figure standing there. I thought I saw Liam. And as I walked passed, I could have sworn I heard his voice whispering in my head.

I love you, Red, and I will always be with you. No matter what happens, I will be there.