Title: Little Raz Riding Hood / The Woods
Author: ForestGlenny (whiterabbit1613)
Rating: PG-13 for language and implied... things.
Author's Notes: A little bit of My Console fanfiction (I suppose) mixed with a little of my own oddness. It's what I term a 'collage fic', mostly just me rambling, trying to mix my poetic side with a bit of sexually charged humor. I, ah... don't know where it got me, exactly. But I kindof like it. XD At some point I wouldn't mind expanding this a bit. It felt a little short, but I didn't know what else to say.
Disclaimer: Al and Ed belong to Hiromu Arakawa. Raz is from Psychonauts and therefore belongs to his creator. Silicon and Jake are DarkSilicon's, Lucky is Lucky444's, Saint is mine, so don't use without permission. Oh, and Sora belongs to Squeenix. As does Dark (maybe?).
The Cast:
SILICON: a hapless yaoi fangurl turned director;
LUCKY: her creative assistant and general fellow miscreant;
SAINT: camera person and lackey;
RAZ: flagship shota character and star as Little Red Riding Hood;
ED: Wolf and all-around pervert;
AL: naysayer, do-gooder and Grandmother;
DARK: unfortunate Narrator;
SORA: the Mother;
JAKE: the Father;
and various and sundry prop objects.
Also: a Girl, a Wolf, a Boy and the forest.
"Is this really... I don't know, necessary?" Al asked acidly.
Silicon waved a lazy hand. "Just shut up and say your lines already! I said action, not sit around bitching all day."
"Saint?" The camera swung around to show Raz, looking distinctly uncomfortable in a short red frock. "I don't think this fits correctly. It's a bit revealing."
The blond in question rolled her eyes, taking the camera from her shoulder. "It fits you fine. You're lucky to have such an excellent costumer as myself. Other costume designers would have hidden your pretty legs beneath feet of fabric, but the temptress look I have bestowed upon you will launch your career!"
"But Little Red Riding Hood isn't a temptress, she's a little girl!"
Saint rolled her eyes and returned to her post as head camerawoman.
"I think you look hot," Ed drawled from off-screen. Raz turned a fetching shade of pink, while Al glared daggers in the general direction of his sibling as he tied on the final part of his costume - the bonnet.
"Yes, yes, you all want to do each other. Can we just have some action here already?" Silicon clapped her hands from the director's chair, giving up on the pretentiousness of the megaphone to resettle the beret on her head. "We don't have all day!"
I've been fascinated with the woods since I was a little girl, when my mother first sent me to the other side of the forest.
"Don't stop walking. Don't look around you. The forest knows you're there."
I didn't stop, that first trip through the woods. On the other side was Grandmère, and she took the basket from me with strong arms and a keen eye.
"Good girl," she told me, though she didn't pat me on the head, and she didn't give me sweets. She did tie a charm around my neck, though - a small, gold-painted, wooden angel - and then she sent me back.
Many years later, I realized she wasn't really my grandmother.
RAZ: (muttered) I still can't believe...
SILICON: (off-screen) Aaaand... ACTION!
UNKNOWN VOICE: Erhem.
(Camera swings clumsily around, wavering slightly before revealing SORA to be the owner of the UNKNOWN VOICE. He is slightly rosy of cheek and clad in a frilly white negligee.)
SORA: Raz -- imean -- uh... Little Red Riding Hood, darling, where are you?
(Camera swings back towards RAZ, who seems to be whispering to someone backstage. He suddenly stares into the camera.)
RAZ: Oh. I'm right here, mom.
SORA: (off-screen, camera pans to him and follows him back over towards RAZ) Be a good gi-- boy and take this to your grandmother's house for me.
RAZ: Why can't you go?
JAKE: (walks on from behind SORA and places an arm around him) Because Mommy and Daddy want a little alone time, comprende?
RAZ: Eew.
SORA: Here's a -- oh, Lucky, can you hand me the basket?
(Camera whips around to show LUCKY, complete with headset and overalls, running to pick up a basket. As she bends over, SAINT zooms the camera in on her butt and cackles evilly, until LUCKY glares at her. LUCKY speeds over to SORA and then off-screen once more.)
SILICON: You airhead.
SORA: (trying to get back into character and struggling; JAKE helpfully gives his bum a friendly squeeze) OH! Uh, here's a basket of food for you to take to her, Little Red. Now, don't talk to strange anthropomorphic forest creatures, and stick to the main roads. You know what happened last time.
RAZ: Yep. Sure. No prob.
When I was nine, Mother died, and I ran away into the forest; though Father chased me, he could never catch me.
The forest and I were old friends. I told it secrets. It hid me in the folds of its green clothes. I slept and woke, crowned with vines, lips stained berry-red. One day, when I couldn't recognize myself, the Wolf found me. He smiled.
"You're too pretty to cry," he said.
"My mother was prettier than I," I replied, "and she died for that."
The Wolf kept me warm in the night, when it got cold. The forest sent me whispered warnings, but I didn't listen, too stubborn and entranced.
(Camera pans and focuses expectantly on DARK, looking awkward. SAINT clears her throat.)
DARK: Do I have to?
SILICON: (off-screen) If you plan on having children in the future.
DARK: (panicked) And so the young boy set off into the forest all by his lonesome, not really afraid since he was packing a few confusion bombs in the back pocket of his shorts. He knew the way to Grandmother's house well, and didn't foresee any problems with getting there. However, after a good half hour of walking, he sat down on a rock for a quick rest.
(Camera back to RAZ.)
RAZ: (sitting on a rock and looking mildly annoyed) These shoes are not at all practical.
SAINT: Shuddup.
DARK: (off-screen) Little Red Riding Hood knew he wasn't supposed to stop in the woods, but he did anyway, because his cute little high heels were giving him blisters.
RAZ: (mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like 'fucking yaoi fangirls' under his breath)
DARK: He heard a sound in the trees surrounding his little clearing. Turning to look, but still not nervous, he saw a wolf slink out of the forest.
ED: (looking extremely bored, complete with wolf ears and tail) Boo.
RAZ: I'm so scared.
ED: What's a tasty morsel like you doing all by her lonesome all the way out here?
RAZ: I'm a boy, doofus.
ED: (licks lips) ... So you are.
RAZ: Pervert.
(ED places an arm around RAZ's shoulder, while trying to discretely feel the boy up with the other hand. RAZ catches the offending hand by the wrist and holds it far away from his body. ED smirks, grabbing the basket.)
RAZ: Hey!
ED: Ooh... Twinkies! My favorite!
RAZ: Please, stop! Those are for my grandmother!
ED: ... What would you do to get them back?
(He looks at RAZ with a predatorial glint in his eye. RAZ gulps and steps back.)
LUCKY: He's way too into this part.
SILICON: Someone restrain Al before he ruins the shot.
RAZ: I... er, what did you have in mind?
ED: I'm going to ra--
RAZ: I SHALL DEFEND MY PURITY TO THE DEATH!
ED: --ce you across the forest to your Granny's house. First one there gets to keep the basket. GO!
(ED takes off to screen left. RAZ leaps to his feet and follows.)
RAZ: No fair! You got a head start!
ED: (off-screen) And I know the shortcut, too!
(Camera goes back to DARK, still looking put-upon.)
DARK: So the boy, knowing only the normal way through the forest's branches, ran at full speed along the familiar ground, until at last he reached his grandmother's house.
Then there was the Boy, when I was already part forest. The Wolf was beside me when I met him; the Wolf whispered the warnings this time.
Though the Boy had eyes that were like the forest, and hair like the Wolf, he was altogether Me. Something in him said fear, but also fascination.
The father of the Boy hurried him along, but part of me stayed with him, and part of him stayed with me, and we were One forever after that.
RAZ: (approaching a house, looking around cautiously) Grandmama? Are you here?
GRANDMAMA (?): Inside, dear boy.
(RAZ goes inside to find his GRANDMOTHER abed, just her bonnet and eyes poking above the duvet.)
RAZ: You haven't seen a wolf by any chance, have you, Grandmama?
GRANDMAMA (?): (in a high pitched voice) Of course not, dear boy, I haven't left this bed all day.
RAZ: Damn. Well, I was supposed to bring you a basket, but... er, I lost it in the forest.
GRANDMAMA (?): Ah, my clumsy grandson. Never mind the basket then, just come here and take a seat on my bed. You must be tired.
RAZ: (sitting on the bed, though he looks a bit skeptical) These shoes are giving me blisters.
GRANDMAMA (?): Good boy. Give me a hug.
RAZ: But Grandmama, I thought you broke three ribs last week falling from the ladder after cleaning the gutters.
GRANDMAMA (?): Whoops. Just kidding. How about a kiss, then?
RAZ: (rolling eyes) Sure.
(He leans forward to peck GRANDMAMA's cheek, but pauses and frowns.)
RAZ: My, Grandmama, what golden eyes you have.
GRANDMAMA (?): They've always been that color, silly boy.
RAZ: And my grandmother isn't that blond! Who are y -- MMPH!
(GRANDMAMA grabs RAZ and pushes him beneath her; the bonnet falls off her head, revealing wolf ears -- it's wolf!ED.)
ED: (smirks) Guess I won, huh?
RAZ: Where's Grandmama?!
ED: You have other things to worry about now, babe. Like your purity.
(RAZ fights ED's hands as the older boy tries to get him out of his little getup. Eventually ED manages to transmute RAZ's shirt into a pair of handcuffs, leaving him with a cape and a pair of little red shorts.)
ED: Fight's over, babe. You're mine, now.
RAZ: (fear and surprise on his face) Am I?
(He finally gets a hand on a confusion bomb, tossing it at ED. It explodes in his face, giving RAZ the opportunity to escape. RAZ rolls off the bed and runs to the door, hands still cuffed behind his back.)
RAZ: HELP! SOMEONE! IT'S URGENT!
ED: Stop moving those lampshades, you fucker... no, with the candlestick...
RAZ: Okay, not quite so urgent.
CLOSET: Help! Help meee!
(RAZ looks at it askance, as the door shakes on its hinges and banging can be heard. He walks to it and opens the door with his hands behind his back. AL falls out onto his face, naked save for his bonnet [and boxers], with his hands tied up.)
AL: Ow... Christ, that motherfu-
RAZ: (looking traumatized) Grandmama?!
AL: Shit. Look, Little Red, I can explain.
RAZ: Why are you a man?
AL: I always have been. You haven't noticed before? It's not like I have boobs or anything.
RAZ: I just assumed you were flat-chested.
AL: Thanks. Could you help me, here?
(RAZ doesn't seem to trust him, but still unties the rope confining AL's hands.)
AL: That bastard surprised me, stripped me of my clothes and tossed me in the closet.
RAZ: I still don't get why my Grandmama's a man.
AL: Look, I'm not really related to you or anything. It's more of an honorary title. Just... ask your mother about it when you get home.
RAZ: Actually, considering what my parents are probably doing right now, I'd rather not go home, ever.
AL: That could be arranged. Now, let's find the key to those cuffs.
When I saw the Boy again, he was big and strong, but his eyes were the same. He saw me in the forest, and was not afraid of the Wolf, so he took my hand and kissed it.
"I am a prince," he said, "soon to be king, and you are Queen of this forest. Even the Wolf sees it is true." And the Wolf nodded his head, though he disliked to do so. "If you would bring your beauty out of the forest, I would make you my bride."
So I and my Boy, part Wolf and part forest, went out of the woods to his castle, where I was his berry-stained, vine-crowned princess, until his father died and I was his Queen.
"Aaand... CUT!" Silicon said. "That's a wrap! Good job, everybody! I could really feel the emotion."
Saint took the camera off her shoulder and set it on a nearby table. "Are you sure it's not just the burrito from lunch? 'Cause I --"
"Saint, please don't finish that thought."
"It would qualify as too much information."
The shorter blond shrugged.
"Um, Raz?" The young boy turned towards Al. "You didn't use a real confusion bomb on my brother, did you?"
The petite psychonaut looked affronted. "Of course I did! We were aiming for realism, here, you know."
"FLYING CHIPMUNKS!" Ed shouted, before keeling over backwards again and beginning to snore.
"It'll wear off soon enough."
I passed many years with my Boy, and had a daughter of my own, who wore a berry-stained cloak the Wolf gave her at her birth. "She is one of Us," he said, and I knew it to be true, though I feared she would run away from me. She was small and quiet, and I held her in my arms often, loath to put her down. My Boy kissed her forehead and called her his Little Red, as his hair became more like the grey Wolf's than ever.
It was dangerous to get lost in the woods, I realized now. In the forest lurked secrets told to it by foolish girls. In the forest lurked the Wolf, ready to pull its prey into the forest forever.
In the forest lurked knowledge, and I now knew too much.
Later that night, all was quiet in the house, largely because Silicon, Lucky and Saint had sequestered themselves in Silicon's room to watch and edit the tape. Aside from the occasional bout of girlish giggles, no sound came from that part of the house.
Al's room had a cautious visitor; "Come on, Raz, I don't bite," he said lazily, putting his book down.
The psychonaut, who had been lurking in the doorway for sometime, slunk in before flopping onto Al's bed next to his friend.
"Sorry 'bout gassing Ed," he muttered.
Al shrugged. "It's fine. He's pretty crazy anyway, so it's not like there's a big difference, or anything."
Raz was quiet. He kicked his feet. Al went back to his book. It was pretty interesting - at least interesting enough to distract him from his companion's ass, perched as near to him as it was.
"Well," the brunet finally said, regaining the alchemist's attention. "It was kinda fun, I suppose. But I really can't hand it in for the school project."
Al laughed. "I guess not."
Raz slouched. "Great. Now what?"
"Let me tell you a story," Al said with a soft smile.
"Don't stop walking," I told her, tying the bow of red beneath her chin. "Don't look around you. The forest knows you're there."
I wanted to say, Don't leave me, don't follow the Wolf, don't tell your secrets to the forest. But I was sending her to her Grandmother's and that road, at least, would be safe.
-fin-
I know it's weird. It should probably be two separate stories. Alas. Thank you for reading!
Author: ForestGlenny (whiterabbit1613)
Rating: PG-13 for language and implied... things.
Author's Notes: A little bit of My Console fanfiction (I suppose) mixed with a little of my own oddness. It's what I term a 'collage fic', mostly just me rambling, trying to mix my poetic side with a bit of sexually charged humor. I, ah... don't know where it got me, exactly. But I kindof like it. XD At some point I wouldn't mind expanding this a bit. It felt a little short, but I didn't know what else to say.
Disclaimer: Al and Ed belong to Hiromu Arakawa. Raz is from Psychonauts and therefore belongs to his creator. Silicon and Jake are DarkSilicon's, Lucky is Lucky444's, Saint is mine, so don't use without permission. Oh, and Sora belongs to Squeenix. As does Dark (maybe?).
The Cast:
SILICON: a hapless yaoi fangurl turned director;
LUCKY: her creative assistant and general fellow miscreant;
SAINT: camera person and lackey;
RAZ: flagship shota character and star as Little Red Riding Hood;
ED: Wolf and all-around pervert;
AL: naysayer, do-gooder and Grandmother;
DARK: unfortunate Narrator;
SORA: the Mother;
JAKE: the Father;
and various and sundry prop objects.
Also: a Girl, a Wolf, a Boy and the forest.
"Is this really... I don't know, necessary?" Al asked acidly.
Silicon waved a lazy hand. "Just shut up and say your lines already! I said action, not sit around bitching all day."
"Saint?" The camera swung around to show Raz, looking distinctly uncomfortable in a short red frock. "I don't think this fits correctly. It's a bit revealing."
The blond in question rolled her eyes, taking the camera from her shoulder. "It fits you fine. You're lucky to have such an excellent costumer as myself. Other costume designers would have hidden your pretty legs beneath feet of fabric, but the temptress look I have bestowed upon you will launch your career!"
"But Little Red Riding Hood isn't a temptress, she's a little girl!"
Saint rolled her eyes and returned to her post as head camerawoman.
"I think you look hot," Ed drawled from off-screen. Raz turned a fetching shade of pink, while Al glared daggers in the general direction of his sibling as he tied on the final part of his costume - the bonnet.
"Yes, yes, you all want to do each other. Can we just have some action here already?" Silicon clapped her hands from the director's chair, giving up on the pretentiousness of the megaphone to resettle the beret on her head. "We don't have all day!"
I've been fascinated with the woods since I was a little girl, when my mother first sent me to the other side of the forest.
"Don't stop walking. Don't look around you. The forest knows you're there."
I didn't stop, that first trip through the woods. On the other side was Grandmère, and she took the basket from me with strong arms and a keen eye.
"Good girl," she told me, though she didn't pat me on the head, and she didn't give me sweets. She did tie a charm around my neck, though - a small, gold-painted, wooden angel - and then she sent me back.
Many years later, I realized she wasn't really my grandmother.
RAZ: (muttered) I still can't believe...
SILICON: (off-screen) Aaaand... ACTION!
UNKNOWN VOICE: Erhem.
(Camera swings clumsily around, wavering slightly before revealing SORA to be the owner of the UNKNOWN VOICE. He is slightly rosy of cheek and clad in a frilly white negligee.)
SORA: Raz -- imean -- uh... Little Red Riding Hood, darling, where are you?
(Camera swings back towards RAZ, who seems to be whispering to someone backstage. He suddenly stares into the camera.)
RAZ: Oh. I'm right here, mom.
SORA: (off-screen, camera pans to him and follows him back over towards RAZ) Be a good gi-- boy and take this to your grandmother's house for me.
RAZ: Why can't you go?
JAKE: (walks on from behind SORA and places an arm around him) Because Mommy and Daddy want a little alone time, comprende?
RAZ: Eew.
SORA: Here's a -- oh, Lucky, can you hand me the basket?
(Camera whips around to show LUCKY, complete with headset and overalls, running to pick up a basket. As she bends over, SAINT zooms the camera in on her butt and cackles evilly, until LUCKY glares at her. LUCKY speeds over to SORA and then off-screen once more.)
SILICON: You airhead.
SORA: (trying to get back into character and struggling; JAKE helpfully gives his bum a friendly squeeze) OH! Uh, here's a basket of food for you to take to her, Little Red. Now, don't talk to strange anthropomorphic forest creatures, and stick to the main roads. You know what happened last time.
RAZ: Yep. Sure. No prob.
When I was nine, Mother died, and I ran away into the forest; though Father chased me, he could never catch me.
The forest and I were old friends. I told it secrets. It hid me in the folds of its green clothes. I slept and woke, crowned with vines, lips stained berry-red. One day, when I couldn't recognize myself, the Wolf found me. He smiled.
"You're too pretty to cry," he said.
"My mother was prettier than I," I replied, "and she died for that."
The Wolf kept me warm in the night, when it got cold. The forest sent me whispered warnings, but I didn't listen, too stubborn and entranced.
(Camera pans and focuses expectantly on DARK, looking awkward. SAINT clears her throat.)
DARK: Do I have to?
SILICON: (off-screen) If you plan on having children in the future.
DARK: (panicked) And so the young boy set off into the forest all by his lonesome, not really afraid since he was packing a few confusion bombs in the back pocket of his shorts. He knew the way to Grandmother's house well, and didn't foresee any problems with getting there. However, after a good half hour of walking, he sat down on a rock for a quick rest.
(Camera back to RAZ.)
RAZ: (sitting on a rock and looking mildly annoyed) These shoes are not at all practical.
SAINT: Shuddup.
DARK: (off-screen) Little Red Riding Hood knew he wasn't supposed to stop in the woods, but he did anyway, because his cute little high heels were giving him blisters.
RAZ: (mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like 'fucking yaoi fangirls' under his breath)
DARK: He heard a sound in the trees surrounding his little clearing. Turning to look, but still not nervous, he saw a wolf slink out of the forest.
ED: (looking extremely bored, complete with wolf ears and tail) Boo.
RAZ: I'm so scared.
ED: What's a tasty morsel like you doing all by her lonesome all the way out here?
RAZ: I'm a boy, doofus.
ED: (licks lips) ... So you are.
RAZ: Pervert.
(ED places an arm around RAZ's shoulder, while trying to discretely feel the boy up with the other hand. RAZ catches the offending hand by the wrist and holds it far away from his body. ED smirks, grabbing the basket.)
RAZ: Hey!
ED: Ooh... Twinkies! My favorite!
RAZ: Please, stop! Those are for my grandmother!
ED: ... What would you do to get them back?
(He looks at RAZ with a predatorial glint in his eye. RAZ gulps and steps back.)
LUCKY: He's way too into this part.
SILICON: Someone restrain Al before he ruins the shot.
RAZ: I... er, what did you have in mind?
ED: I'm going to ra--
RAZ: I SHALL DEFEND MY PURITY TO THE DEATH!
ED: --ce you across the forest to your Granny's house. First one there gets to keep the basket. GO!
(ED takes off to screen left. RAZ leaps to his feet and follows.)
RAZ: No fair! You got a head start!
ED: (off-screen) And I know the shortcut, too!
(Camera goes back to DARK, still looking put-upon.)
DARK: So the boy, knowing only the normal way through the forest's branches, ran at full speed along the familiar ground, until at last he reached his grandmother's house.
Then there was the Boy, when I was already part forest. The Wolf was beside me when I met him; the Wolf whispered the warnings this time.
Though the Boy had eyes that were like the forest, and hair like the Wolf, he was altogether Me. Something in him said fear, but also fascination.
The father of the Boy hurried him along, but part of me stayed with him, and part of him stayed with me, and we were One forever after that.
RAZ: (approaching a house, looking around cautiously) Grandmama? Are you here?
GRANDMAMA (?): Inside, dear boy.
(RAZ goes inside to find his GRANDMOTHER abed, just her bonnet and eyes poking above the duvet.)
RAZ: You haven't seen a wolf by any chance, have you, Grandmama?
GRANDMAMA (?): (in a high pitched voice) Of course not, dear boy, I haven't left this bed all day.
RAZ: Damn. Well, I was supposed to bring you a basket, but... er, I lost it in the forest.
GRANDMAMA (?): Ah, my clumsy grandson. Never mind the basket then, just come here and take a seat on my bed. You must be tired.
RAZ: (sitting on the bed, though he looks a bit skeptical) These shoes are giving me blisters.
GRANDMAMA (?): Good boy. Give me a hug.
RAZ: But Grandmama, I thought you broke three ribs last week falling from the ladder after cleaning the gutters.
GRANDMAMA (?): Whoops. Just kidding. How about a kiss, then?
RAZ: (rolling eyes) Sure.
(He leans forward to peck GRANDMAMA's cheek, but pauses and frowns.)
RAZ: My, Grandmama, what golden eyes you have.
GRANDMAMA (?): They've always been that color, silly boy.
RAZ: And my grandmother isn't that blond! Who are y -- MMPH!
(GRANDMAMA grabs RAZ and pushes him beneath her; the bonnet falls off her head, revealing wolf ears -- it's wolf!ED.)
ED: (smirks) Guess I won, huh?
RAZ: Where's Grandmama?!
ED: You have other things to worry about now, babe. Like your purity.
(RAZ fights ED's hands as the older boy tries to get him out of his little getup. Eventually ED manages to transmute RAZ's shirt into a pair of handcuffs, leaving him with a cape and a pair of little red shorts.)
ED: Fight's over, babe. You're mine, now.
RAZ: (fear and surprise on his face) Am I?
(He finally gets a hand on a confusion bomb, tossing it at ED. It explodes in his face, giving RAZ the opportunity to escape. RAZ rolls off the bed and runs to the door, hands still cuffed behind his back.)
RAZ: HELP! SOMEONE! IT'S URGENT!
ED: Stop moving those lampshades, you fucker... no, with the candlestick...
RAZ: Okay, not quite so urgent.
CLOSET: Help! Help meee!
(RAZ looks at it askance, as the door shakes on its hinges and banging can be heard. He walks to it and opens the door with his hands behind his back. AL falls out onto his face, naked save for his bonnet [and boxers], with his hands tied up.)
AL: Ow... Christ, that motherfu-
RAZ: (looking traumatized) Grandmama?!
AL: Shit. Look, Little Red, I can explain.
RAZ: Why are you a man?
AL: I always have been. You haven't noticed before? It's not like I have boobs or anything.
RAZ: I just assumed you were flat-chested.
AL: Thanks. Could you help me, here?
(RAZ doesn't seem to trust him, but still unties the rope confining AL's hands.)
AL: That bastard surprised me, stripped me of my clothes and tossed me in the closet.
RAZ: I still don't get why my Grandmama's a man.
AL: Look, I'm not really related to you or anything. It's more of an honorary title. Just... ask your mother about it when you get home.
RAZ: Actually, considering what my parents are probably doing right now, I'd rather not go home, ever.
AL: That could be arranged. Now, let's find the key to those cuffs.
When I saw the Boy again, he was big and strong, but his eyes were the same. He saw me in the forest, and was not afraid of the Wolf, so he took my hand and kissed it.
"I am a prince," he said, "soon to be king, and you are Queen of this forest. Even the Wolf sees it is true." And the Wolf nodded his head, though he disliked to do so. "If you would bring your beauty out of the forest, I would make you my bride."
So I and my Boy, part Wolf and part forest, went out of the woods to his castle, where I was his berry-stained, vine-crowned princess, until his father died and I was his Queen.
"Aaand... CUT!" Silicon said. "That's a wrap! Good job, everybody! I could really feel the emotion."
Saint took the camera off her shoulder and set it on a nearby table. "Are you sure it's not just the burrito from lunch? 'Cause I --"
"Saint, please don't finish that thought."
"It would qualify as too much information."
The shorter blond shrugged.
"Um, Raz?" The young boy turned towards Al. "You didn't use a real confusion bomb on my brother, did you?"
The petite psychonaut looked affronted. "Of course I did! We were aiming for realism, here, you know."
"FLYING CHIPMUNKS!" Ed shouted, before keeling over backwards again and beginning to snore.
"It'll wear off soon enough."
I passed many years with my Boy, and had a daughter of my own, who wore a berry-stained cloak the Wolf gave her at her birth. "She is one of Us," he said, and I knew it to be true, though I feared she would run away from me. She was small and quiet, and I held her in my arms often, loath to put her down. My Boy kissed her forehead and called her his Little Red, as his hair became more like the grey Wolf's than ever.
It was dangerous to get lost in the woods, I realized now. In the forest lurked secrets told to it by foolish girls. In the forest lurked the Wolf, ready to pull its prey into the forest forever.
In the forest lurked knowledge, and I now knew too much.
Later that night, all was quiet in the house, largely because Silicon, Lucky and Saint had sequestered themselves in Silicon's room to watch and edit the tape. Aside from the occasional bout of girlish giggles, no sound came from that part of the house.
Al's room had a cautious visitor; "Come on, Raz, I don't bite," he said lazily, putting his book down.
The psychonaut, who had been lurking in the doorway for sometime, slunk in before flopping onto Al's bed next to his friend.
"Sorry 'bout gassing Ed," he muttered.
Al shrugged. "It's fine. He's pretty crazy anyway, so it's not like there's a big difference, or anything."
Raz was quiet. He kicked his feet. Al went back to his book. It was pretty interesting - at least interesting enough to distract him from his companion's ass, perched as near to him as it was.
"Well," the brunet finally said, regaining the alchemist's attention. "It was kinda fun, I suppose. But I really can't hand it in for the school project."
Al laughed. "I guess not."
Raz slouched. "Great. Now what?"
"Let me tell you a story," Al said with a soft smile.
"Don't stop walking," I told her, tying the bow of red beneath her chin. "Don't look around you. The forest knows you're there."
I wanted to say, Don't leave me, don't follow the Wolf, don't tell your secrets to the forest. But I was sending her to her Grandmother's and that road, at least, would be safe.
-fin-
I know it's weird. It should probably be two separate stories. Alas. Thank you for reading!
