Monday, August 13, 2012

What If? The Fairy Tale Madness Blogfest

First off, a huge thanks to Leigh Covington, Cassie Mae, Mark Koopmans, and Morgan Shamy for hosting this blogfest. How stinkin' fun is this? :) They're celebrating their respective blogiversaries this week, so let's give them some love!
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"What If?" The Fairy Tale Madness Blogfest

 Rules: 
  • Think of your favorite "well known" fairytale and ask "What If…!"
  • Pick one of these four categories: 
    Best Plot Twist, Best Love Story,  Best Tragedy , Best Comic Relief
  • Write a scene/flash fiction illustrating a new detail of the fabled fairy tale that changes our perspective.
    • Keep it PG-13
    • Post your story between August 13th and 17th. 
    • 300 word maximum.  
  Details: 
  • Fairy tale: Little Red Riding Hood
  • Setting: Modern/urban
  • Team: Tragedy
  • Twist: Ending
  • Word count: 300 exactly
 Scene: 

“You be careful, Red,” my dad warned from the doorway, smoke edging out around his words. “Did you take that pepper spray with ya?”

I jogged down the steps to the sidewalk. “Yes, Dad.”

“And you got them cookies for Nana?”

My boots splashed an inky puddle, scattering the streetlights. “Right here.” I held up the wicker basket as proof. Honestly, did he not get that I turned eighteen last week? I could handle a freakin’ errand down the street.

He grunted. “Just straight there and back, okay? None of your shortcuts.”

“Got it,” I said, tossing a wave over my shoulder. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”

“And don’t talk to nobody,” he yelled at my back.

“Yeah, yeah.” Geez. Watching the news made him paranoid. So there’d been a few  abductions last month. It wasn’t like they were close.

I pulled up my hood against the wind and ducked around the corner. Nana lived a few blocks away and unless I wanted to freeze my ass off, I’d have to take an unapproved detour.

“Excuse me,” a man called from a few feet back. “Miss?”

Shit. Was he talking to me? I took a few steps, and then burst into a jog when I heard his footsteps quicken behind me.

“Wait!”

My heart hammered in my chest as we plunged into the alley’s darkness, and I patted my jacket for the pepper spray. Was this seriously happening? Now?

“—dropped this,” he yelled.

Right.

When we reached the end, I bolted past two parked cars and into the street. If I could just make if to the other side...

I threw a glance back and froze. The man was bent over, gasping for breath and clutching the bow from Nana’s basket. Oh.

Too bad I missed the headlights.

 
 
Have a great week, guys! ♥

87 comments:

Kyra Lennon said...

Great story! But poor little Red :(

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Splat! Great twist.

Suzi said...

Typical teenage. A few abductions last month--no big deal. They think they'll live forever. Maybe not!

Cassie Mae said...

Bwhahaha! I love it! Great twist at the end there, and seriously, that would so be me. I'd bolt if a guy started running up behind me. Yikes! Lol.

Jennie Bennett said...

How sad! You always trust the handsome stranger, poor girl ;)

Morgan said...

LOL! Carrie, I could read your writing any time... I love it. It's so smooth and creates the right images. AWESOME... ;D

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

haha, this was fun. I like it! What if Cinderella got changed back into a donkey and when the Prince found her, the shoe actually fit her hoof??? I know, I'm just so creatively adaptable!

Melissa said...

ROFL - I love Alex's 'splat.' xD
Great flash fiction, Carrie. Loved it! :D

Unknown said...

Snap! Deliciously wicked end, and the video was a nice touch (listening as I write.) Thanks for the shudder. :P

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Kyra! :)

Oh, I know! What's with me and flash fiction? It always ends up so much darker than my normal writing...

Carrie Butler said...

Hah! I almost spit out my water. ;) Thanks, Alex!

Carrie Butler said...

Ah, to be young and invincible… ;) Thanks for stopping by, Suzi!

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Cassiopeia! :) Oh, me too. I'd be all, "STRANGER DANGER! AHH!"

Carrie Butler said...

I felt like I was betraying my romantic roots with this one. They should've had a HEA! ;)

Carrie Butler said...

Aww, Morgan. You always make my day. <3 Thank you!

Carrie Butler said...

Hah! I love it. You would've dominated this blogfest, Joylene. ;)

Carrie Butler said...

I did, too! You should've seen me cracking up about it, and then feeling bad... *grins* Thank you!

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, D.D.! I love that song, and it felt creepy enough to fit the scene. :D

Victoria Smith said...

You would make little read NEW ADULT! I am seriously laughing my butt off right now. She's so snarky I loves ;)

Carrie Butler said...

You know I'm all about NA right now! ;) Thanks, Victoria!

cleemckenzie said...

How much fun was that? I loved it, Carrie.

Nancy Thompson said...

She should've listened to her daddy. Teenagers! Very cute, Carrie. Wish I had the brail for this one.

Nancy Thompson said...

Brain! Ugh!

Bethany Elizabeth said...

Very cool idea! That was so fun. :D

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Lee! :D

Carrie Butler said...

Indeed. I guess hindsight really is 20/20. *Sigh* Poor Red...

Thank you, Nancy! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Bethany! :D

Emily R. King said...

Love your tragic take on this! "Pepper spray" HA!

Anonymous said...

Well done! Tragic too. Thanks for the clever twist.

Lara Schiffbauer said...

Excellent! That is tragic!

Leigh Covington said...

Yay for Team Tragedy!
This is brilliant writing Carrie! Love this story. Poor Red. I think I would have ran too though. :(

Katie Dunn said...

Oh, ouch! Poor Red!

Carrie Butler said...

Why thank you, Empress King! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Stephen! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Lara! :D

Carrie Butler said...

Go Team Tragedy! :)

Thank you, Leigh! I appreciate that. Unfortunately, I probably would've, too... :(

Carrie Butler said...

Ouch, indeed! I felt kind of sick ending it that way. :/

Natasha Hanova said...

Oopsie! Nice 300.

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Natasha! :)

Unknown said...

I love the twist of the ending. I was all worried for her and the man who followed her but then bam! the ending.

Anonymous said...

what a fun meme! and i guess strangers in cars as as dangerous as those on foot ;)

Lisa Regan said...

Hah hah . .. that was AWESOME!!!!

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Clarissa! That makes my day. :)

Carrie Butler said...

Heck yeah! Gotta watch out for everyone. ;) Thanks for stopping by, Gina!

Carrie Butler said...

Why thank you, Lisa! :D

Jenny S. Morris said...

Yay!! So fun!

Unknown said...

Great modern retelling of a classic! Hopefully, she awakes in a hospital bed some time later. Tragedy strikes again! Beautifully written. :)

Carrie Butler said...

Gotta love blogfests! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Michael! I appreciate the kind words.

Oo, yes. I'll probably sleep better if we assume she wakes up in a hospital. ;)

Melodie said...

Oooh. Now she's sleeping beauty, right?
;)

Carrie Butler said...

Oo, nice one! Very clever. :D

Talli Roland said...

Love it, Carrie! I always enjoy retelling of classics.

Happy blogiversary to everyone!

Carol Kilgore said...

Awesome!
Great twist :)

ilima said...

:( Sad. Awesome twist, though. Nice job.

Anonymous said...

Blogger doesn't like me today...comment, take two. :)
Heh heh, nice one. I don't even want to know what gave you the idea for this, but now I must check out the others.

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Talli! It was an interesting prompt to play around with. :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Carol! :D

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Ilima! :)

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks for taking the time to comment again, Dana! :) Oo, you should. It was a fun prompt!

michelle said...

Ouch! Didn't see that one coming!
It gives a new meaning to "red" in Red Riding Hood...

Mark Koopmans said...

NICE!!!

Little Squished Riding Hood... great job in updating such a classic story and what a tragic end... I blame the dad for being all paronoid :)

Thanks for participating :)

Carrie Butler said...

Oo, that's true (in a sick, twisted kind of way)! ;)

Carrie Butler said...

The compassion of writers knows no bounds... *grins*

Thank you, Mark!! :D

Brooke R. Busse said...

So are we assuming she's dead because it's a tragedy...?

Carrie Butler said...

I left it open for interpretation. Getting hit by a car is pretty disastrous, either way. Eek!

Jaycee DeLorenzo said...

LOL, I laughed so hard when I saw that last line. Great job!

Carrie Butler said...

I think you're of the Alex mindset, Jaycee. "Splat!" ;) Thank you!

Nicole said...

Uh oh, I guess cars can be trickier than wolves sometimes. :)

Carrie Butler said...

Indeed! The moral of this fairy tale is: Don't run out in traffic. ;)

Sophia Chang said...

hahahaa when I was younger my dad always presented me with pepper spray when I moved to a new city/went to college

Carrie Butler said...

I had pepper spray for going off to college/moving to a new city, too! I was always afraid of spraying myself in the face, though... LOL

Hope Roberson said...

Nice voice! Love it and the spin :) I picked Red Riding Hood as well :)

Tracy MacDonald said...

I love that tragic ending!
A2Z Mommy and What’s In Between

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Hope! :) I'm off to read yours now.

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Tracy! :D

Kimberlee Turley said...

All these fairytale mix ups are making me wonder when Once Upon a Time is going to come back on TV.

Michael Di Gesu said...

Hi, Carrie,

What an interesting turn of events. My heart was pounding right along with Red's.

I chose RRH also. But, alas, my is VERY different.Talk about a twist. LOL. Hope you'll drop by to read it. You'll have a good laugh.

Mark and Morgan dropped their jaws unexpectedly. Lol.

Carrie Butler said...

Yes! I love that show. :D

Samantha May said...

Oh wow! That was really intense!!

My dad gave me pepper spray when I went off to school. Such a dad thing to do :P

Samantha
Writing Through College

Anonymous said...

LOL! Oh no she'll definitely be red now and squished. Great twist on the tale.

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Michael! I'm happy to hear that.

I'm hurrying over to your blog now. I want to read this jaw-dropping twist! ;)

Carrie Butler said...

Thank you, Samantha!

Heck yeah. Gotta look out for their girls! :)

Carrie Butler said...

I love how delightfully twisted you guys are. Everyone is commenting on the red thing! LOL Thanks, Madeleine!

Nick Wilford said...

Such a thing as being too paranoid, maybe? I felt the tension in this. I like how you leave it up to the reader as to whether this is her demise...

Carrie Butler said...

Perhaps! Thank you, Nick. :)

Tara Tyler said...

shoulda listened to her preachin papa...
great tragic twist for so few words!

Carrie Butler said...

Thanks, Tara! :)