Fantasy Prompt 5

Instructions: Create a 2 page short short/sketch/section of a story that is based on a classic myth or fairytale.

I was sitting in the library looking through numerous books. It had to be here somewhere; it couldn’t be something that was just a dream. There needed to be something more on the whole thing. I was determined to find anything; a hint, a story, some kind of newspaper article. There had to be something. I closed the large book of stories about Native American legends and then the one next to it about Romanian folktales. I then pulled over the small viewing machine that I borrowed from the library to view newspaper slides. I went through hundreds that night; one right after the other. I was woken up about two hours later, the librarian nudging me to wake up and leave. She told me she’d hold all my books and newspaper articles for me if I wanted to come back in the morning. I told her thanks and grabbed my coat.
I knew that I would find nothing until I really started to delve into things that weren’t in the library. I would have to find something, or someone to talk to. I pulled up my collar as I walked and let the cold air swirl into my lungs. The streets of Boston were never safe at night; but I guess walking down two blocks wasn’t so bad. The street lights were in full bloom and it was comforting to know that cops were patrolling most of the time. I just needed to get home and start pouring over some more resources, basically the internet. That would probably be where I would find the most interesting and even the most believable stories. A lot of people think that stories you see on the internet are all fake; but there can be some truth behind the stupid stories that some people post on there.
I went to bed that night wanting to thinking nothing of the woman screaming the alley way. She was so sad, even if she was a hooker. I guess that her red skirt and tube top had given her away. Or maybe it was the growling hairy figure that haunted my waking thoughts that had really given me the encouragement to find out what it was. I had some clues and they might help. I looked at my list before I slept so it ran through my dreams as well.
1. The color red seems to have some kind of symbolism
2. The creature growled, like a wolf
3. Happened on a Wednesday night
4. Multiple missing persons have been reported in the last month
The list went on and on and it was the only thing that reeled through my head all night. I was sure that I had heard of something like this before. I woke up the next morning to knocking on my door.
“Jimmy? Ah you awake? Come on its Gina! Open the fecking door; you said yous was gonna watch Julia fa me taday,” she pounded on the door again and I could hear Julia in the back ground.
“Ma, whens Uncle Jimmy gonna open the door? I gotta pee and my feets ah hurtin’ me,” I could hear her little hand smack the door as she started to create a ruckus too. “Uncle Jimmy! Open da door!!! I gotta pee and I wanna watch Dora!!”
I slipped on my jeans from the night before; forgetting a shirt and unlocked the door. Gina was a good friend of mine, who got knocked up by some asshole. I took care of Julia for her all the time. She was a good kid and I really liked Gina enough to know that she appreciated it more than she said.
“Hey Gina, how ya doin’?” I leaned over and kissed her cheek. She smiled up at me and I bent down to grab Julia. “Hey there baby girl. You ready fa a great day. I gotta great plan fa taday. We’re gonna hit up the library. Uncle Jim’s got some readin’ ta do.”
“Aww, but Uncle Jimmy, I was gonna watch Dora! And den I was gonna ask yous to read a story to me! I brought ova Little Red Ridding Hood! It’s supposed ta be wicked good,” she grabbed the book out of her book bag and held it up to me. I took the book from her and it dawned on me. I sat down and I looked up at Gina. She shook her head and kissed Julia good bye.
“Don’t you drag her too much inta ya little fairy tale world Jimmy. You know she got a big imagination and she’s just like you and gets really inta things. Dora’s easier…especially compared to da things you like to play around with,” she walked out the door and shut it behind her.
I took out the book again and noticed the Big Bad Wolf on the front and the frightened little girl in the red hood. It wasn’t like I’d never dealt with anything like this before. I mean I was a well read man; a scholar of the supernatural. It was something that I really prided myself on too. I felt Julia tugging on my pant’s leg.
“Uncle Jimmy?”
“Yeah baby girl?”
“I saw dis man walkin’ down the street dis mornin’. He was big and furry and looked like he needed a good hair cut. He even hada tail! But my ma didn’t believe me. I swea, he looked jus like a freakin’ wolf!”
“Watch ya mouth Julia, or there’ll be soap in it da next time you wanna mouth off.”
“Yes Uncle Jimmy…you do believe me though dontcha?”
“Of course baby girl; of course.”
After all one couldn’t hunt the paranormal and supernatural without knowing a bit of the territory first could they?