Girl in the Red Hood (4 page)

After about twenty minutes, a change brought
her to a halt. It took her a moment to recognize it for what it
was, though. On the other side of the road, deep in the foliage,
almost too deep to see, one thin beam of sunlight shined down
through the otherwise canopied ceiling. Liesel felt her breath
catch in her throat. After a month in the depths of an eternally
gray forest, she was starved for something bright.

After pausing for a moment, Liesel set her
jaw and lifted her skirts delicately to begin chasing the bit of
sun before it disappeared completely. The forest floor was littered
with dead branches and dry pine needles. As she slowly hiked over
pile after pile of dead brush, Liesel started to wonder at the
wisdom of her decision to make the journey in a dress, but when she
finally reached the spot, it was worth it. The sun was weak by the
time it made it through the tree tops, all the way to the ground,
but its warmth was delightful. Liesel stood where it trickled down
onto her face, imagining she was back on the vineyard, when a
rustle in the bushes behind her made her heart stop. Nearly frozen
with fear, she turned slowly towards the sound. The forest was
suddenly eerily silent as Liesel held her breath and waited. Was it
a snake, or perhaps a wolverine? There was a story of one of those
vicious little creatures in her grandmother's book, one that had
attacked a man and taken his arm. Or could it be another wolf?
Trying to gather her wits, unable to wait any longer, Liesel lifted
a large stick and spoke, but her voice sounded dry and hoarse,

"Who is it? I know you're there." She
immediately felt rather foolish, considering the noise might be an
animal just waiting to pounce. It was no animal sound, however,
that came from the brush in response.

"Only if you put down the stick."

Liesel nearly dropped the stick in shock. It
was a boy's voice.

The boy stepped forward slowly, his eyes
wary. His dark brown hair was messy, roughly chopped off as if cut
with a dull blade, or perhaps just cut very carelessly. The clothes
he wore had holes in several places, and looked just a little too
short, although that wasn't unusual for boys about Liesel's age,
which was what she guessed him to be. The way he moved, however,
was the most unusual thing about him. The grace with which he
placed his feet as he cautiously stepped towards her was almost
feral. Neither of them spoke for a long time. After her legs began
to hurt from standing so still, Liesel finally gathered the courage
to speak again.

"Why were you watching me?"

"I was wondering why you were in the forest
alone. Women don't walk these woods alone." His voice wasn't deep,
but it wasn't a young boy's tenor either. Liesel raised her chin a
bit defensively.

"And what if I like to walk in the woods?"
It was a strange thing to say, as Liesel did not actually like to
walk in the woods, these or any others, but it annoyed her that
this boy would tell her what she could and couldn't do. He just
shook his head in disgust.

"It doesn't matter. Women don't walk these
woods alone. Actually, they don't walk in them at all. It's not
safe." The way his brow furrowed made Liesel feel somewhat foolish.
Of course she knew it wasn't safe. Her first night there had proven
that. She sighed in resignation.

"We just moved here, and my mother died."
Her voice cracked a bit. "No one will talk to me, and I don't know
why. Then I saw this patch of sunlight, and I just...I needed
something familiar. I needed to escape, even for a little while."
The boy watched with wide eyes as Liesel shed the first tears since
the night her mother died. Suddenly unable to stand, she fell,
crying, on a low boulder nearby. She was immediately angry with
herself. She had sworn not to break, not to give her father another
reason to reprimand her, and now she was doing just that in front
of a complete stranger. Sniffling, she wiped the traitorous tears
from her cheek and tried to give him a confident smile.

"I'm sorry." This time, his voice was less
suspicious and his expression was softer.

"I'll be fine. And my name is Liesel."
Liesel struggled to make her voice less tremulous as she looked
back up at the small patch of sunlight that filtered through the
distant treetops. "I just wish there was more sun. It would be a
little more like home."

"You lived somewhere with lots of light?"
The boy was obviously trying to stay cautious, but Liesel could
tell his curiosity was getting the better of him. As she nodded, a
sudden longing took hold of her. She desperately wanted him to
stay, where just a few minutes before, she had hoped he would just
let her run back to the cottage. Though he still looked tentative,
his eyes were kind, and he was giving her more attention than
anyone else had since she'd arrived.

"I lived on a vineyard with my
grandparents." Unconsciously, it seemed, the boy stepped closer as
she spoke.

"What did it look like?"

"Their vineyard is at the foot of a
mountain, so you can see for miles from their front door." She
smiled at little at the picture. "The sky is endless. Below it, you
can see the city, as well as other towns that lie down the road
behind it. The vineyard is green, and laid out in rows, and the air
is warm and dry."

"You miss it." The boy stated
matter-of-factly. Liesel nodded again.

"I never knew I could miss someplace so
much."

"You don't like it here?" This time it was a
question, as if the thought had never occurred to him that someone
might not want to live in the woods.

"No," Liesel shook her head so emphatically
a tendril of yellow hair fell out of her hood. "Not even flowers
grow here. I miss the sun and the colors. I miss my grandparents."
He frowned thoughtfully. "Besides," Liesel gave one final sniffle
and stood up to dust off her dress, "as I said, no one in town will
talk to me." The boy dropped his eyes immediately, as though
guilty. Liesel almost asked, but stopped herself, afraid she might
scare him off. She wanted at least one person to talk to, even if
he was an odd boy from the forest. "Do you live in town?"

"I live in the woods with my family," he
said uneasily. It took everything in Liesel not to ask all of the
questions building up inside her head, but she decided against it,
again fearing she'd frighten the shy boy away. She couldn't think
of why he could be so nervous. She wasn't threatening by any means,
at least in a way that she knew of. She had picked up that stick,
of course, but really had not the slightest idea of how she would
have used it had he been an animal. He must simply be shy, she
decided. Unsure of what else to say without overwhelming him
further, Liesel finally said,

"I suppose I should go home soon. It's
getting dark, and my father will be expecting supper."

"Wait," he half turned towards her as if
waking from a stupor. "Will you be coming back tomorrow?" Liesel
weighed his expression before answering. Was he trying to avoid
her, or did he really want to see her again? She sighed.

"Truthfully? Not if I can help it."

"Why?"

"I...," she paused, "I am afraid of the
wolves." It felt foolish to talk about the wolves in broad daylight
with another person, one who lived in the woods no less. She hadn't
talked to anyone about the wolf bite, not even her father. She'd
tried to tell him, of course. No matter how hard she worked,
however, the moment she tried to tell him about the actual wolf,
aside from what the hunter had told him, her voice caught in her
throat, and she just couldn't get the words out. To her surprise,
the boy snorted and shook his head.

"I'm here. They won't attack." Liesel
thought that was one of the strangest things she'd ever heard
anyone say. She looked dubiously at the boy again. His voice was
beginning to change, but he certainly didn't have the body of a man
yet. What did he think he was going to do if one of those giant
beasts found them? He looked so confident, however, that she
decided not to challenge him.

"Well," Liesel bit her lip hesitantly. "Do
you want me to?" Her heart beat unevenly as the question rolled off
her tongue. If he said no, she would be spared the dangers of the
forest that might come with a companion who thought himself
impervious to wolf attacks. And yet, there was something about him
that drew her nearer, made her want to look more deeply into those
kind eyes and draw out their secrets.

"I suppose it would be alright." He shrugged
carelessly, but Liesel didn't miss the nervous glance he threw up
at her while staring at the ground. She couldn't hide her
smile.

"Then I suppose I'll be back." Liesel turned
to head back towards the road.

"One more thing," she turned to see him
staring after her with a quizzical look. "Why is your cloak
red?"

"My mother liked red. Why?" He shook his
head.

"It's just an odd color to wear in the
forest, unless you want everyone and everything to see you." Liesel
touched the cloak gently. He was right of course, but...

"It was my mother's when she was a
girl."

"Huh. I still think it's strange." And
without another word, he was gone. For the first time since she'd
arrived in Ward, Liesel felt warm, and it wasn't from the rays of
the sun she'd basked in either. Having someone to talk to, and
better yet, someone who wanted to see her again, made her feel just
a little at home in a way she hadn't felt since the her
grandmother's last embrace. By the time she got home, Warin had
already returned from the blacksmith's where he worked. He was
already pulling his boots back on, however.

"I forgot the cornmeal today while I was
out. Come with me. You can tell me what else we need. Your mother
always did these things," he muttered. As angry as Liesel still was
with her father, she felt another stab of pity for him. He had
depended on Amala in so many ways. Nodding, she smiled, and for
once, it wasn't forced. As they left the cottage, she decided not
to tell him about the boy just yet.

"So, lass, have you made any friends?" Mayor
Odo's voice made Liesel jump and then cringe. How had he found
them? His house was on the other side of Ward. "Ah," he laughed, "I
can tell you have by that expression. Who did you meet?" His smile
was friendly enough, but there was something in his eyes that made
Liesel think otherwise. Unfortunately, her father chose that moment
to suddenly be as interested in her welfare as the prying mayor.
She could see him giving her a long sideways look as they walked.
She sighed.

"I don't know his name, actually." It was
only as she spoke, however, that she realized it was true. She had
given the boy her name, but he'd never shared his. An idea formed,
so she continued to talk. "He's about my age though. He has hair
the color of bark, and brown eyes. He's probably half a foot
shorter than my father. Do you know him?" Perhaps the nosy mayor
might be helpful after all. She was dying to know the boy's name.
"Oh, and he said his family lives in the forest." At this last
mention, the mayor's face suddenly paled. Even Warin noticed.

"Is there something wrong with his family,
Odo?" He scowled at the short man. The mayor shook his head
vehemently.

"Oh, no! Kurt's family is very nice." Liesel
allowed herself a small smile. So his name was Kurt. It fit him,
she decided.

"What do they do out there?"

"They're hunters," Odo examined a sack of
potatoes very closely while he answered Warin's question.

"I thought you said huntin' in this area is
forbidden!"

"It is, but...Kurt's family is very old. In
fact, they own much of the land around the town. It's best just to
leave them alone." But her father was already shaking his head.

"Liesel, I don't want you-"

"No, no, no!" Odo interrupted him. "She'll
be perfectly fine. The family just tends to keep to themselves,
that's all. The boy needs a friend, though. He's a good boy. Liesel
will be the perfect friend for him with you living at the edge of
town and all." Liesel held her breath as she looked at her father.
While she'd never been one for disobeying direct orders, she didn't
know if she could keep her sanity and live much longer without some
conversation. To her relief, however, Liesel's father finally
nodded his head in assent.

"I suppose that will work then, if it gets
you out of the house sometimes." Liesel grinned in spite of
herself. Her father had succeeded in separating her from her
beloved book, but Liesel was suddenly very glad to have a reason to
leave the cottage. Besides, she thought, she might not have to give
up her book after all. She had an idea.

Liesel felt nervous until she finished
her chores and set off into the woods the next day. What if he
didn't come? The boy was certainly unusual, but there was a warmth
about him that Liesel found herself craving. She really didn't see
how she could survive much longer without a friend.

Liesel had never known the meaning of
loneliness before her mother died. She'd grown up with friends all
over the city, and even after Amala had fallen ill, the girl always
been able to find one of her grandparents to follow around the
house or through the fields. And while Liesel wasn't prone to idle
chatter, she liked hearing other people speak. Living with the
silent Warin was beginning to take its toll on her. She walked even
faster as she sent up a prayer to the Maker that Kurt would indeed
return.

To her delight, he was already standing
where she'd left him, staring up at the small patch of sunlight and
wearing a thoughtful look.

"You said yesterday that your grandparents'
home has lots of sunlight. There are other places around the world
like that as well, are there not?"

"Yes," she walked up as close to him as she
dared and looked up at the beam, too. Without turning, he simply
nodded.