Mary Anne Gruen - The House of Red

It began to snow not long after Topaz left. It wasn’t a heavy snow, but it was steady. There was about two inches on the ground when the local townspeople started to arrive for Emerald’s meeting. Every one of them was carrying a bag of some kind. Most were made of coarse burlap, but a couple were made of soft deerskin. Emerald had them bring the bags into her barn, where she locked them in her cheese making room along with a collection of several other packages that she’d gotten at the general store in exchange for her cheese. Virginia didn’t understand what the whole thing was about at first. She was much too involved with trying to get Topaz’s sister alone.

Opal had a much sturdier frame than her sister did, but she had the same lovely red hair and green eyes. Her daughter Pearl, the future Queen Red Riding Hood the First, took after her in looks. But it was obvious from the way the child acted that she had her grandmother’s strong will. She wanted to put herself into everything and touch everything. And the word “No” wasn’t in her vocabulary. That was mostly because her grandmother insisted that whatever she wanted she should have.

When Pearl kept reaching for a charm of carved wood worn on a string around the neck of one of her grandmother’s guests, Opal told the child, “No, Honey. That’s not a toy.”

Emerald, however, said, “Oh, I’m sure Isabella won’t mind taking it off and letting her play with it. Would you, Isabella?” Emerald gave the young owner of the charm a sharp commanding look that reminded Virginia of the old gypsy woman she and Wolf and her father had met once, the one who’d cursed her with long hair.

Young Isabella, a dark plump girl with round cheeks, blinked twice and immediately handed the charm to baby Pearl. Of course, Pearl having no understanding of such things, promptly put it into her mouth and started to chew on it. A look of pain crossed Isabella’s face for a moment. But then she turned away and never asked for it back.

In the midst of the confusion of people arriving and bringing things to the barn, Virginia managed to pull Opal off into the second bedroom that had once belonged to Emerald’s two daughters and was now serving as Virginia’s room.

“I just wanted to talk to you about your sister,” Virginia said, closing the door to the room.

“My sister?” Opal said. A look of fear and concern swept over her face. “Is she all right?”

“Yes. She came today to see your mother.”

“And?”

“And she tried to make peace with her, but they argued instead.”

“Oh.” Opal shook her head sadly. “I wish they would make up.”

“Then you’re not angry about,” Virginia paused as she wondered how to put it, “about your sister’s choice in husbands?”

“No. Topaz is so much like our father; you could almost see it coming. He died when I was very young. But I remember how much he loved the forest and nature. He used to take me out on walks with him to look at the tracks the animals left in the snow overnight. And he used to explain how everything worked together so the forest was actually like a living thing. I don’t think he ever wanted to be a farmer. He did it for mother, because she wanted so badly to build the community of my grandfather’s dreams. But I think my father would have been happier living in the forest as a hunter and trapper, maybe doing a little carpentry work on the side. He was wonderful with his hands. But farm work almost left his fingers crippled. I remember my mother soaking his hands every night in lineament and bandaging them before he went to bed.”

“Your sister’s expecting, you know.”

“What?” Opal’s green eyes lost the dreamy quality they’d had a moment ago. Now they were filled with alarm. “Oh, no. I’m afraid to think what’ll happen now.”

Virginia moved closer to the younger woman. “Don’t you think we could work on your mother for Topaz?”

“What? Oh, no. I couldn’t.” The alarm in Opal’s eyes was becoming more pronounced. “If I did that, I’d lose everything.”

“But she’s your sister and you obviously love her.”

“I do.”

“And you don’t seem to be against her.”

“I’m not.”

“Are you upset about her having a baby?”

“No. I wish her every happiness, but I can’t do anything for her. Except maybe to suggest that she leave here as soon as possible. Go far away and never come back.”

“I don’t think she’ll do that.”

Opal shook her head sadly. “Then there’s nothing I can do.”

A young man’s voice in the livingroom called, “Opal, we’re about to start, Honey.”

“That’s my husband. If I don’t go right away, my mother will get suspicious. She’d have a fit if she knew I was talking to you about Topaz.”

“But.”

“I can’t do anything. Just tell Topaz I love her.” Opal grasped Virginia’s arm tightly. “And, tell her to go away as soon as she can.” With that, Opal turned and fled from the room.

“Opal,” the young man’s voice said again. “Oh, there you are. Could you take Pearl? She’s just wiggling all over the place. She always seems to behave better for you.”

When Virginia came out into the livingroom, she found Emerald standing at the center, surrounded by a quiet collection of her neighbors in town. They were homespun folks with country faces and work weary hands and expressions. Emerald stood in their midst and spoke with confidence and authority. They looked on in rapt attention, nodding occasionally when it was indicated.

“All right, then,” Emerald began. “I’ll go see the bounty hunters tomorrow. There are five of them that have come in answer to our request and they’re all staying in back of Eugene’s store. They’re very gifted with bow and arrow from what I hear. And they’ve learned to work together to flush out the wolves and then shoot them down. As per their request, we’ve traded most of our goods for sugar and coffee with a few furs for added good measure. They’ll get the agreed on price of three pounds of sugar or coffee or two small pelts for every wolf carcass or skin they deliver to me here.”

“What? You can’t be serious.” Virginia said. She’d been standing on the edge of the crowd till then. Now she came forward, as if to address everyone. But she never got the chance.

Emerald closed the space between them quickly and placed a strong hand under her chin, forcing her mouth to close. “This girl staying with me is sweet and kind, but a little addled. She doesn’t understand how things are around here.”

Virginia tried to pull away, but Emerald put her other arm around her waist and held her tight. Out of the corner of her eye, Virginia could see Opal giving her fearful looks. And she thought for a moment that she heard a little hum coming from her ring, but no one else seemed to notice. Virginia remembered how Snow White had warned them to be careful or they would get caught up in the danger of this place. For the first time she realized the importance of this warning. The little ring hummed again and Virginia covered it with her hand. She could feel it vibrate under her fingers and knew it was telling her not to speak.

Emerald was much too caught up in her own thoughts to notice a quick little hum. “This girl hasn’t seen the dwindling game in the forest in the fall and winter that threatens our very survival,” Emerald went on. “She doesn’t see the blood of lambs scattered across the spring snows. She doesn’t know the dangers our children, especially our little girls are in every time they step outside of their homes or into the woods. But she will in time. Even the slowest of girls learn in time. The only good wolf is a dead wolf.”

Had Virginia imagined it, or had her baby just moved inside of her? Instinctively, she moved her hand to her stomach.

Emerald saw Virginia’s hand move. She interpreted it to mean that the girl had finally gotten the message and was showing concern about protecting the child inside of her from the dreaded threat of the wolves. Slowly she released Virginia and turned her formidable gaze on the other people seated and standing around the room. “This agreement with the bounty hunters will be but our first step toward exterminating all the wolves from our land. We won’t stop till every one of them is dead. Only then will we all be safe.”

Virginia said not another word that evening, but remained passively quiet as she saw Opal do. At the end of the meeting, everyone solemnly put on their cloaks and headed out into the night. It had stopped snowing, leaving about five inches on the ground. The thirty odd pairs of feet made a mess of the pure whiteness on the path as they headed back to their own homes.

“You see now why we have to do this,” Emerald said, as Virginia helped put things back into place.

Virginia felt her ring vibrate on her finger again, warning her. “Yes,” she said. She wanted to add something about Topaz still being her daughter, but the ring seemed to know what was on her mind. It started humming again.

Emerald thought Virginia was the one humming. “That’s a nice tune,” she said. “Where did you learn it?”

“From a friend,” Virginia answered. “A very wise friend. I think I’ll be going to bed now.”

“Of course, Dear. And don’t worry. In time you’ll get to know everyone and understand our ways.”

“Yes. Good night.”

Once alone in her room, Virginia sat on the edge of the bed in the dark and talked to her ring. “What do I do now?” she asked. “I’ve got to warn them. Maybe I’ll wait till she’s asleep and go out and look for Wolf.”

Her engagement ring glowed brighter and raised up its little pearl head.

“Emerald has a plan tonight,” it sang.
“To count till early morning light.
So tomorrow she can say,
Just how much they all can pay.”

“Pay?” Virginia said. “You mean to the bounty hunters?”

“The price of blood is sweet, I fear,
It’s better that you should stay here.
You’re safety is important too.
There’s nothing now that you can do.

“Tomorrow when she goes to town,
Just run away and you’ll be found.
Tell them if it gives you peace,
But what’s to come, you cannot cease.”

“Maybe not,” Virginia said. “But I’ve got to try.”

Suddenly off in the night, she heard the call of a wolf. It howled once, then paused. Then sounded again.

“Is that Wolf?” Virginia said, running to the window. But all she saw was darkness brightened slightly by the newly fallen snow.

“The cry within the woods you hear,” her ring sang,
“Is not the one that you hold dear.
The wolves have seen the crowd descend.
They know it means their bitter end.

“Aesophocles does call tonight,
To tell them all it’s time to fight.
Though your love is very near,
It’s safer now to sleep, my Dear.”

Sleep was about the farthest thing from Virginia’s mind. But she tried to follow the ring’s advice. She didn’t just have herself to worry about, after all. She had her baby to think of too.

As soon as she settled down under the covers, the ring began to sing again. This time its song was soft and soothing like a lullaby. It was a song the ring sang a lot these days.

“A fairy queen does watch you sleep,” it sang sweetly.
“And will tonight your safety keep.
Have no more worries for today,
But let them all just fade away.

“Dream of flowers and of fun,
And of days played in the sun.
Dream of love and family,
And of rainbows you will see.

“Dream of stars and magic too.
All these things will come to you.
A fairy queen does watch you sleep,
And will tonight your safety keep.”