kleptic

story time everybody. Tonight I want to tell you the story of Rotkappchen. You already know the children's story of Little Red Riding Hood, well Rotkappchen is the German story that it came from, in fact Rotkappchen is German for "red hood". But, this isn't the story you know. allow me to show you.

The story begins with a little girlwho is taken from her family to work in a nobleman's house. She was raised to do housework and was told that she couldn't see her family again until the day the masters armor was old and worn. Since the master was a noble, he was never called off to war and the armor went unused. One day, the girl got a present from her family. her grandmother had sent her a hooded cloak made of red cloth. She wore it every chance she got and as such was nicknamed "Rotkappchen". The girl decided that she wanted to thank her grandmother and since she was getting old, Rotkappchen would have to visit her soon. The girl would go about her daily tasks, washing and cleaning various things. But, between tasks the girl would brush the armor to wear it down. One day, the armor had worn down and cracked. The girl was told that the noble would keep his word and let her see her family. Rotkappchen set off to see her grandmother. along the way she met a wolf. The girl had been raised as a servant in a manor and had no knowledge of the evil of wolves. The wolf walked with her and asked where she was going.
"I'm going to see my Grandmother on the other side of the woods." she said.
"That's a long way to walk," the wolf said. "Which path will you take to get there? The path of pins or the path of needles?"
The girl pondered a moment and said "I will take the path of pins. It is longer but there might be flowers for me to pick and I would like to bring Grandmother some as a present."
The path soon forked and the two said goodby and goodluck to one another. Rotkappchen went along the path of pins to pick flowers meanwhile, the wolf raced long the path of needles as fast as he could and got to the Grandmother's house. The grandmother had left a window open to help cool the house so the wolf jumped in and without a word, ate the Grandmother. Rotkappchen took her time, chose the most beautiful of the flowers and finally got to her Grandmother's house. She knocked on the door and a voice told her to come in. The door was unlocked. Rotkappchen asked "Grandmother? where are you?"
a voice told her "I'm in bed my dear, I am not feeling well." Rotkappchen did not think this unusual since her Grandmother was old and her health failing.
"Grandmother, I am hungry from walking all day. Do you have anything to eat?"
"yes my dear. there is some meat by the stove. eat all you want."
There was no meat before the wolf showed up. After she was done eating, the girl was thirsty.
"Grandmother, the meat made me thirsty. Do you have anything to drink?"
"Yes my dear, there is some wine by the window. drink all you want."
There was no wine before the wolf showed up. The girl, full and sated, went to her Grandmother's side.
"Come lie in bed next to me my dear. Night is coming and I feel a chill. Ineed you to help keep me warm."
So the girl did. She looked up and said, "Grandmother what big ears you have."
to which the figure replied "all the better to hear you with my dear"
"Grandmother, what big eyes you have."
"all the better to see you with my dear."
"Grandmother, what big teeth you have."
The wolf smiled and said "all the better to eat you with my dear." and ate little Rotkappchen.

Thats it. theres no hunter that comes to the rescue, no last minute saving. The girl and her gandmother die. If you're like me you ask "where's the moral in that?" well the is apparently "don't talk to strangers and don't be gullable" I need to work on the gullable part myself. Oh and about the meat and wine, just in case it didn't come across well, the meat was flesh from the grandma and the wine was her blood. crazy effing Germans.