Thread: Fucked Up Fairy Tales (danidoo88 and Mr Quixotic)

Winter was near and the nights were turning colder. The trees were almost bare of leaves and the time to find shelter was running out. So too were the supplies in her pack. Berries, nuts and roots were getting harder and harder to find as the season ended and the forest creatures were scouring everywhere for that last bit of food before they bedded down for the cold months. That and she had never been much of a gatherer to begin with. Goldilocks was cold, hungry and exhausted from days...or was it weeks now?...of wandering in the woods. She had lost the dogs and the villagers three days ago...had it only been three?...by rolling in some mud to hide her scent but it would only be a matter of time before they caught the trail again. She needed to find somewhere to shelter and she needed to find it fast. It wasnt supposed to be like this. She had been happy when her father had been alive, happy even after her mother had remarried, despite the way her new husband looked at her when he thought no one was watching. She was going to marry the merchants son...well, as soon as she found a merchant with a handsome son, or at least a son that she could stand, anyway. He was going to take her away from her small village to a big city where they would live in one of those quaint little townhomes and take tea with the prince and his new princess. Better yet, the prince himself would have wandered by their village on his way back from some foreign land and fall desperately in love with her and her golden hair. But her mother had died and her stepdad had, in his infinite mercy, decided that he just couldnt leave poor innocent Goldie to fend for herself. Before her mother was even cold in the ground, he had announced to the entire village that he would be taking her on as his bride. Then he had locked her in their home until the big day. Which is why she found herself half frozen in nothing but a pair of stolen boots with holes in the soles, a threadbare cloak that had seen better days ,also stolen, and a tattered and dirty wedding gown that was not meant for fleeing in the woods. She had managed to find a pack at the same place she had stolen to boots and cloak and had filled it as she ran with whatever food and other supplies she could find. Now, though, she was down to barely a bite of moldy bread and a half drained water-skin. I need to find food and shelter soon, she thought as she rubbed her arms for warmth. If I dont, Ill surely die. ----------------------------------------------- Goldie eyed the cabin in the woods with suspicion then looked at the sky for chimney smoke or any other signs that there were other homes nearby. She was miles and miles into the woods by now and she hadnt seen any signs of people since she had lost the hunters and hounds. She looked back at the cabin and bit her lip. Who would live out here? An evil sorcerer? A witch? She thought about it as she looked over the decently sized structure. No, it didn't look like an evil dwelling...not that she knew what an evil dwelling was supposed to look like. Wasn't there a rumor about a little old woman who lived in the middle of the woods. What was that song? Over the river and through the woods? Hadn't she gone over a river a few days ago? If this place belonged to a sweet old grandma, maybe the woman would be willing to share a meal in exchange for some housework. Decision made, Goldie exited the cover of trees and slunk into the clearing. She didn't know why she was being so cautious. She was certain that this was the grandma's house from the rumor. Yet her skin prickled with foreboding the closer she got to the door. Perhaps she was just wary because she was being hunted, perhaps it was excitement disguised as fear or perhaps she really was walking to her doom, drawn like a moth to flame by the possibility of a warm meal. Whatever the reason, she hesitated for a moment before the door. Then she shook her head at her silliness and knocked. Excuse me! Is anyone home?! I She what? She couldnt say that she was running away from home. Not for the reason she was running anyway. An older woman wouldnt understand why she didnt want her stepfather to take care of her...even considering how he wanted to do so. That sort of thing happened all the time, didnt it? She cleared her throat. I got lost in the woods and I dont know my way back to the trail. Please, if you could just point me in the right direction No need to suggest that she hoped to be let inside out of the cold. Goldie put her ear to the door after a moment when no one answered and frowned. She couldnt hear any kind of movement inside. She stepped back a few steps and looked up. There was smoke coming from the chimney, that must mean that someone was inside or at least nearby. Her frown deepened and she moved to the side of the house to look in all of the windows. She couldnt see anything out of place but...What if the old woman had fallen and hurt herself somewhere beyond the view of the windows? What if she was sick in bed and couldnt get up to call for help? What if the cabin was abandoned and the smoke was from the dying embers of the last fire? She moved back to the front door and tried the latch, fully expecting it to be locked. When it opened easily without even the squeak of hinges, Goldie hesitated again. Why would anyone let alone an old lady leave her house unlocked. Sure, it was in the middle of the woods where she doubted anyone even knew it existed but it still seemed rather dangerous. Being secluded like this didnt necessarily mean it was safe. It also meant that there would be no one around to help if a thief did help themselves to whatever lay within. Her thoughts were filled once again with the possibility that whoever lived here had magic of some kind. If one spelled the threshold with a curse, one wouldnt really be worried about whether or not the door was locked, now would one. She looked around the clearing a final time and then sighed. She was being ridiculous. She was hungry and desperate and...was that porridge she smelled? All of her misgivings disappeared as she took another sniff of the air coming from within the home and her feet moved forward of their own accord. Food! Warm food! Despite the way her mouth watered at the sight of the three steaming bowls on the table, Goldie shut the door and did a quick sweep of the house to make sure that there really wasnt an injured old woman. Even starving as she was, she would have felt awful if someone had needed her assistance and she had been too busy satisfying her belly to look for them. Satisfied that the house was empty, she moved toward the largest bowl and greedily shoved the porridge laden spoon in her mouth. Then she froze. Her eyes began to water. Her mouth burned. It took everything in her to swallow her mouthful and then she fell into a coughing fit before grabbing the large mug of milk beside the bowl and chugging it. Stars, she rasped as she swiped at her tear-streaked cheeks, someone likes their spices. There had been so much cinnamon in the porridge that her mouth was on fire with it. She could still taste it even after dousing her tongue with the milk! Shaking her head, she warily made her way over to the second bowl, this time taking a much smaller bite. Her tiny button nose wrinkled and she sighed once she had swallowed. Bland. If the first bowl was too spicy, this one seemed to have forgotten spices altogether. It would do, if she had no other choice. It was definitely more edible than the first but Goldie moved to the last bowl and picked up the spoon. Please dont have salt or something else absurd. She pleaded with the bowl before she took the bite. Once again her eyes widened only this time she gave a happy sigh. Just right. Thank all the gods! Once she had finished her meal, the exhaustion of the last few days hit her all at once and she swayed on her feet. Oh my, she gasped before she stumbled into the family area, for it was clear to her now that this was a family home. A family of three. She collapsed into the first chair that she reached and winced as her weary butt slammed against the deceptively stiff cushion. Ouch. Hadnt she had enough of sitting on the hard dirt or the stony floor of a cave?! Who would want a chair like this! She shoved herself to her feet and moved to the second chair in the room. This time when she sat, she sank several inches into the seat and had to wiggle and roll to get back out again. No, not that chair either. Once she got to the final chair she wasnt sure she wanted to even try sitting it in. It looked like it might be more comfortable than the other two but it also looked like it had seen better days. Perhaps it was a hand-me-down? She looked at the other two chairs and then at the table with the three bowls. At least one of the bowls of porridge was perfect, would she get so lucky with the chairs as well? She huffed out a breath and took a tentative seat. Oh yes, much better. She smiled and had just settled back to get comfortable when the blasted thing broke into pieces. Gods above! She cried with a frustrated stomp of her foot. She had only wanted to rest for a moment. Was one moment too much to ask for? Grumbling to herself, she decided to go back to the bedrooms she had found in her earlier search. She really didnt want to lie down, since she was certain that she would sleep for far longer than she would have in a chair, but she was so tired and the food had only made her eyelids heavier. Just a quick nap. A quick nap and then she would leave. The first bed she tried was as stiff as the first chair and she wondered what was wrong with the owner of both pieces of furniture that they hated comfort. What was even the point of making it look like a bed? Why not just sleep on the bloody floor?! She left the first room rubbing her poor bottom and muttering curses under her breath. She almost didnt even want to try the second one. With her luck in this house, it would probably be just as awful as the first but in a completely different way. Still, she reluctantly entered the room and made her way to the bed. A few minutes later, she stomped out of the room and slammed the door. Honestly!! How do they not suffocate, sinking down to the floor like that! At least she had a feeling that the next bed would work out for her. She opened the door and strode straight for the bed, ripping off her soiled cloak as she went. She would have to remember to clean up all of the mud and dirt she had left on the floors, beds and chairs before she left but right now all she wanted to do was sleep. She didnt even bother to test the bed before she got in. She knew before she even sat down that it would be just right and she was not disappointed. At least there is one sane person living in this house. She pouted and was asleep before her head even hit the pillow.