Little Red Cinderella and the Three Beanstalks

Previously...

And his eyes, his mismatched eyes. They both bore into me with a strange kind of intensity, as if staring right through me. I shifted under his gaze, and looked away.

"Who are you?" He asked finally.

"My name is Rikki." The boy stared at me.

"What?" I said, getting uncomfortable under his relentless gaze.

"That isn't what I asked. I asked who are you, not what is your name?" It was my turn to stare at him now, slightly incredulously. What was this guy’s problem?

"Well, we're very technical, aren't we? Tough luck. All you get is my name. Until you tell me yours, anyways." I replied, rather heatedly. He narrowed his eyes at me, and gave me a look that clearly said exactly what he thought of me, and it wasn’t terribly flattering.

"...Ezu." He grunted finally.
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“Look, please, I really need to get to a town or something! Can’t you just please help me?” I pleaded, trailing along behind the boy, Ezu, like a lost puppy.

“I said no!” He snapped back, refusing to even turn around and look at me as he stomped moodily through the forest undergrowth. “I’m very busy, I don’t have time for this!”

“Come on! You can’t just leave me out here all alone! I don’t know where I am, let alone where I’m going! I won’t be a problem, I promise. I’ll stay quiet and out of the way, and-” I went on doggedly. The boy suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing me to nearly run right into him, and he spun on his heel to face me, fuming. He grabbed me by my shoulders and spun me 180 degrees, and pointed into the distance.

“That way. Town is that way.” He snapped, and he whirled back around and continued stomping away.

“That is not what I meant,” I protested, jogging to catch back up with him. “Look, I already managed to get lost, robbed, chased by wolves, and stuck in a tree stump, and I’ve only been here for a few hours! And I hurt my head!” I pointed to the dried blood from the gash in my forehead. “If I try to go by myself, I’ll spontaneously combust or something! I don’t know who else to ask! Thank you so much for helping me back there, but please let me come with you, just for a little while? I’ll keep quiet, I promise, and I’ll move fast, and I won’t bother you, and... and I’ll pay you, somehow. I have a little bit of money. I can make it worth the effort!”

The boy halted abruptly again, and took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Alright, fine. I’ll help you! Just shut up already!”

“Oh God, thank you so much!” I enthused, doing the exact opposite of what he asked.

“But I have my own things to do before I can take you, so follow me, and keep quiet, or I’ll leave you here.” He grumbled. I pretended to zip up my lips and throw away the key. The boy groaned.


"So, Ezu is it?" I inquired some time later. We were now walking through the forest on a rough path that I could barely see, but the boy seemed to know the way, and I'd rather follow him than wander off on my own. No matter how much of a jerk he was. “Where are we going, exactly?”

“My house.” He grunted.

“Ah,” I replied, and fell silent for a moment. When he didn’t elaborate, I spoke up again. “Um, why? If you don’t mind me asking?”

“I do mind.” He shot back.

Well okay then, Mr. Moody Pants. But the boy, Ezu, seemed to realize how harsh his reply had come off, as he breathed a deep sigh and tried to amend it.

“There’s something I need to get. If I have to go into town, I might as well finish some business of my own while I’m at it.”

“What sort of business?” I asked, tugging the hem of the stolen cloak off a claw-like twig.

“Do you ever stop asking questions?” Ezu groaned.

“If I stop talking, then I might start thinking.” I replied.

“Oh God forbid!” Ezu exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air.

“And then,” I continued, glaring at his back, “I might start wondering what in the world I’m doing here, and have a panic attack. Right now I’m doing an excellent job of pretending none of this is happening.”

“What are you talking about?”

I looked down at my backpack, which was clutched in my arms. Inside the Book lay nestled, as innocent as can be. “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore, are we?” I said quietly.

“What?” Ezu asked, stopping to look back at me with confusion plastered all over his face. I laughed, a little bit more maniacally than I had meant to.

“Nothing. Never mind. Lead on!”

Ezu gave me one last questioning look, but turned away and continued through the forest.

What was I supposed to tell him? That somehow, I had been torn from my ordinary--if boring--life in Minnesota as ordinary Rikki Collins, and sent tumbling head first into a world that looked very much like the fairy tales of my childhood come to life? I didn’t even believe it, and I’d been along for the whole ride.

We walked on in silence for about 10 minutes after that, until I finally broke it.

"...So, Ezu, how did you know I needed help?" I asked him.

"I didn't." He grunted, hacking a branch out of the way with his axe. "I've been tracking those damned wolves for the past three days now. You just happened to need saving when I caught up with them." He shrugged. I glared at him indignantly.

"I did not need saving!" I protested. Ezu looked over his shoulder at me and raised an eyebrow. "Well... maybe I needed a little saving..." I muttered, deflating slightly. I cleared my throat. "So... you were tracking them? Why?" I asked, changing the subject.

"You’re changing the subject." Ezu said.

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are." I opened my mouth to retort. "But I'll answer anyway." He finished hastily, probably to shut me up. I gave him a satisfied look. He rolled his eyes, and continued on his way through the forest. "The wolves in these parts have been causing problems lately. Well, they always have. You know, eating children and terrorizing farm animals and stuff. But lately... I don't know. Usually it was pretty rare you would get attacked by a wolf, but now, no one is safe." He pushed his way through a rather thorny bush. I grimaced slightly, then followed, wincing in pain with every step.

"And it’s--ow!-- your job to catch them? Ouch!" I asked, between yelps of pain.

"Yep. The mayor of my town asked me to take care of the problem. That is, for a price." He stopped abruptly, causing me to bump into him.

"Jeeze! Give me some warning, will you!" I complained, rubbing my sore nose. Ezu turned to me with a skeptical expression plastered on his face.

"You’re not very coordinated, are you? How did you manage to elude the wolves long enough to get to safety? And wearing that cloak, too. Travelling off the path is one thing, but with that on as well? I’m surprised the only thing you attracted were wolves. Actually..." He peered closer at the red cape, and reached out a hand, as if to grasp the hem. “This seems familiar... have I--”

I took an uneasy step backwards, hoping he didn’t recognize it. I hadn’t meant to take the cloak, and the last thing I needed was to be lost, alone, hurt, and thought a thief. I tried to think of some excuse, but before I could, our attention was seized by a distant howling.

Ezu’s curious expression vanished abruptly, and he stared with narrowed eyes into the trees.

"Damn," He muttered. "Come on, we’re almost there." He grabbed my arm and began pulling me back the way we came.

"Hey, slow down, I'm going to fall!" I said, but Ezu ignored me. He pulled me through a large bush slightly off to the side of the little path, and the next thing I knew, we were in a clearing. In the center of said clearing was a little house. It was more of a log cabin, really. It didn't look big enough for any more than two or so rooms, and had one tiny chimney sticking out of the slanted room at an angle.

"Is that your house?" I asked.

"No. It's the Seven Dwarfs' house." He replied. I stared at it for a moment.

"Oh." I said finally. Ezu looked at me then shook his head.

"I was being sarcastic. Really, do you live under a rock of something? The Dwarfs' live on the other side of the forest!" Now it was my turn to stare at him incredulously.

"Um, right..." I muttered. I glanced down at my backpack, and the Book within it. What have you done? I thought.

"Well, what are you standing there for?" Ezu asked me. "Come in." He walked up to the little house and opened the front door, waiting for me politely.

At this point I paused. Was it really a good idea to follow this boy into his home? Could I really trust him? I pursed my lips, and took a good look at him. He looked okay, but then so do a lot of psychos...

Well, during that whole walk he had an axe with him, so if he wanted to kill me or anything, he could have done it at any time. I glanced at the sun, which was now barely visible above the tops of the trees. It was getting dark, and there was no way I could get to town on my own.

Just then I heard that chilling howl of a wolf again, and it may have just been my imagination, but it seemed louder this time. That was the deciding factor.

I hurried to Ezu's side, and stepped into his home.