Joselle - The Great Grey Wolf and Little Ruby Riding Hood

Ruby’s eyes lit up. “Where is he? Please tell me!” Ruby pleaded hopefully.

“Well he’ll probably feel worse when he sees you...”

“Why would Silas be upset to see me?” asked Ruby, tears beginning to slide down her face.

“Because he raped you...”

“WHAT! Why would Silas think up such a silly thing like that?” cried Ruby.

“Well I don’t know, okay? But not now; you aren’t safe here. Come on, I’ll show you where the nearest town is...” Rose said that as she grabbed Ruby’s hand and led her away.

Rose and Ruby traveled for an hour till they came to a dirt road. “You have to leave here. Head straight along the path until you reach Bluetown. Don’t stop till you get there.”

“But what about Silas-”

“No buts - GO!” ordered Rose as she slipped back into the woods. Looking back one last time, Ruby sighed and started her journey to Bluetown.

Ruby slowly walked down the road kicking up the dirt. I wonder when I’ll get there. I’ve been walking for hours. My feet are sore from walking and I’m beginning to feel sick... Ruby thought to herself just as she saw a fence.

With hope in her heart that she was finally there, Ruby began to run. Ruby ran for only a few minutes but to her it seemed to be hours. Just as Ruby reached the fence of a farmer's yard, both dehydration and exhaustion took over and she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Everything was hazy as Ruby slowly opened her eyes. She was in a bed with a blue quilt over her in a very plain looking room, except for a dresser and a picture on the wall. “Huh? Where am I?” Ruby asked herself. Just as Ruby began to sit up, the door opened. Ruby looked at who had come in and disturbed her. It was a fifteen-year-old girl with straight red hair in a brown dress.

The girl was carrying a pitcher of water and as she turned to set it on the dresser she saw that Ruby was awake. “Morning Mister. Pa found you outside, brought ye here. Ye been sleepin for days. By the way, my name's Christy McGregor. What’s yours?”

Ruby just sat there, mouth open.

“You do speak?” asked Christy.

Ruby, snapping out of it, shook her head. “S-sorry I’m Rrrr-” Oh no! She couldn’t say her real name. They’d know who she was! “Riley, Jacob Riley...”

“Well, Mr. Riley I’ll just be going down to tell Ma you're awake.” And with that, Christy walked out of the room.

Rose ran through the forest as fast as she could. She had to find Silas she just had to! Oh if he deliberately lied to me about this so I wouldn’t tell Papa, he’s gonna get it! Rose thought that to herself as she tightened her fists.

Aha! Silas’s trail... Rose quickly followed the trail leading to a brook. As Rose got closer, she saw Silas sitting on a small boulder. “Silas we have to talk,” declared Rose.

“What is it...” Silas replied dully.

“It’s about Ruby.” Silas flinched at the name. “She’s alive.” Silas quickly looked up.

“What did you say?” asked Silas.

“She’s alive. And you didn’t rape her.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that when I saw her she begged to see you!”

Silas immediately stood up, walked over to Rose and grabbed her shoulders. “Rose, do you know what this means? I can be with Ruby again! Where is she! Please, you’ve got to tell me!”

“She’s at Bluetown. I sent her there.” With that Silas turned to run.

Just then Rose grabbed his shoulder. “What about Papa?” she asked and Silas froze.

Ruby slowly got up out of bed. She was still in the same clothes that she had been in before. I’ve really got to find some work... Duh! isn’t it obvious! I know I know. Maybe these nice people could let me know who is looking for work here. That’s a great Idea! Go get ’em! And Ruby walked out of the room.

As Ruby walked along the hallway she realized that she was upstairs. Finally finding the staircase, Ruby went downstairs. It now seemed that she was in a kitchen of some sort. “Hello there,” said a big booming voice. Startled, Ruby jumped and spun around. There, sitting at a table, was a big round man with black hair, a bushy mustache, and a smile on his face. “Scare ya now, did I lad? Sit down,” said the man, motioning to a wooden chair next to him.

Before Ruby could think, she blurted out, “Where am I?” Realizing how rude she must sound she began to apologize but the man cut her off.

“Well, young man, you are at the McGregor Ranch just outside of Bluetown. I’m Jack McGregor and that’s me wife Jill McGregor,” Mr. McGregor said, this time motioning over toward a slim woman with brilliant red hair in a light blue dress, washing dishes.

Mrs. McGregor began to talk without even turning her head. “Well Mr. Riley, what would you have for breakfast? You’ve got to be building your strength up. We’ve got sausage, bacon, eggs, what would you prefer?” Mrs. McGregor asked turning around.

“I’d just like a few slices of bacon and eggs please...”

“And a gentleman too!” Mrs. McGregor said to her husband. “You don’t find too many these days,” she said as she laid a plate of eggs and bacon in front of Ruby. Ruby immediately began gorging herself with food and in seven minutes the plate was empty.

“May have some more madam?” asked Ruby.

“Well of course...” and Mrs. McGregor set down a plate with twice as much food on it.

In between bites Ruby began to talk to Mr. McGregor. “So---- do you know of ----- any ---- jobs ----- I can get----?”

“Well let me see,” said Mr. McGregor as he began to think, “At the market they’re lookin for some boys to unload the shipments of supplies and merchandise... They need someone to shelve books at the bookstore... Also there are some jobs at the local inn for waiters and bellboys ...”

“Thank you. I really need to be going now. Thank you Mrs. McGregor, Mr. McGregor.” Just as Ruby turned to leave Mrs. McGregor grabbed her by the shoulder.

“Hold on there. Do you have a place to spend the night?” asked Mrs. McGregor.

“Well no...”

“Then you MUST stay here till you find a proper place to stay!”

“But you’ve-”

“NO BUTS! You are going to stay here tonight!”

“Oh JILL!!!” yelled Mr. McGregor. As his wife turned to face him, distracted, he motioned to the door so Ruby could escape.

Realizing what Mr. McGregor was doing, she slowly slid towards the door. Before leaving she mouthed the words, “Thank you...” and left.

Ruby was slowly breathing in the scent of hay when she bumped into someone. “Hey!!!” a girl yelled.

“WATCH IT!!! I really need to GO!!!!” As Ruby tried to push past the girl, once again she was stopped. “I said I really have to be going, Christy!!!” screamed Ruby as she looked straight at the girl. But the girl Ruby was looking as was not Christy. This girl had wavy auburn hair pulled back, with brown eyes.

“Watch it ye’self!!! Hey... wait a minute. You're that boy Pa found aren’t ye?” Ruby nodded. “Isn’t your name Jacob?” Ruby nodded again. “Well my name’s Julie. I’m about seventeen years old. How old are you?”

“Seventeen.”

When Ruby said that Julie broke out in laughter. “You’ve got to be KIDDING HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!! I mean you don’t even look sixteen HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!! But seriously how old are you...”

Ruby realized that Julie was right, she barley looked sixteen. “You’re right I’m only fifteen... Well I’ve got to be going into town now...”

“Well since you're new, I’ll show you around... Besides I’m heading over there anyways.” So Julie walked past Ruby and lead the way.

“All right, here it is! Bluetown. The finest trading market since Cinderella!” Just as Julie began to turn around, Ruby stopped her.

“Could you please tell me where the inn is?...”

“Well of course. Go down past the market, take a turn on Sprite Avenue, go two blocks, turn right and then you're there.” With that, Julie walked off.

Ruby looked around for a moment and saw a bunch of different stands selling things. “Ah! That must be the market...” Ruby said to herself, and she walked down it. But then she had a bit of trouble finding Sprite Avenue so she asked a young girl of fourteen where it was. The girl giggled at first then gave her directions. So all Ruby had to do was walk down the two blocks and turn right. Finally she was there.

Slowly she opened the door of the inn and walked in. With a cling, the door shut behind her. What seemed to be the lobby smelled strongly of a potpourri of some sort. Ruby walked up to the service counter where a man who had black hair that was slicked back and a mustache stood. “Hello...” said the man with a very snobby accent. “How may I help you young sir...”

“Uh... well I heard that you had some jobs open and I was won-”

“I’m sorry...” The man cut in “ Those jobs have long since been filled... Is there anything else that I could assist you with?”

Ruby thought a moment and asked then if he knew where the bookstore was (on account that she wasn’t up to the job of unloading and loading shipments.)

“Yes I know where it is...”

“Can you tell me how to get there???”

“Yes, go down a block, turn left, and go three more blocks, look on the left side of the street and then you're there...”

So Ruby did just that, passing a bakery and tailor shop. As Ruby walked into the bookstore she began to look around. There were books of different colors, shapes and sizes, there were three surrounding shelves lining the walls, except for a few windows. And there was one of those rolling ladders next to one of the shelves. The air smelled of dust and old cabbage. Ruby walked forward towards a desk with piles of books on it and began to look around the room.

It seemed very eerie and quiet in the library, a little too quiet... “HELLO THERE!!!” said an old man’s voice. Ruby jumped at these words. A thin old man in his sixties or seventies with a little gray hair on top of his bald head was sitting behind the book covered desk. “How may I help you, young man?”

“Well, you see, I really need a job and I was wondering...” Ruby mumbled.

The old man look kindly at her as the size of his eyes was multiplied ten times behind his thick round glasses. “Well of course you can have a job here... that is...”

Ruby’s heart leapt but then sank back down into the depressive pit it had been in before. “That is what???”

“You must like books! I will not accept ANYONE who is not interested in books!” replied the old man with a stubborn look on his face.

Ruby remembered the books Father had made her and her sister read... Her sister hated books, while on the other hand she had loved them! Especially the stories of the man on the moon and how it was made of cheese. Ruby’s heart leapt once again as she said excitedly, “YES, OH YES! I ADORE BOOKS!!! The only thing that would make me not want to work here, would be if I could never read a single book!”

The old man smiled. “Then I guess you're just the right person for the job! I’m Mr. Kinston, and you are?”

“Jacob, Jacob Riley. Now what shall I do first?!?” Ruby said excitedly.