Little Red Riding Hood

Tina came to visit her grandma. Grandma's house was beautiful like a fairy tale castle with lovely grape wines, and bluebell creepers climbing on the walls and covering most of the balcony.

- Ashima Kaushik

Tina wanted to run around and sing loudly with joy but Ms Poppy, grandma's attendant, hushed her.

"Grandma is resting," Ms Poppy whispered. She told Tina to be quiet like a mouse. "Your grandma is a very light sleeper and it is not good to disturb her afternoon nap." And she guided Tina to the library room.

The library was huge, with so many rows and racks full of books. Thick large books.

Are they dusty, will they fly away if I touch them? thought Tina.

Ms Poppy smiled and pointed at a small table, which had some glossy colourful books on it. Tina smiled, "Are these fairy tales?"

She loved fairy tales. Ms Poppy nodded and left. Tina sat down to look at the books. She opened Little Red Riding Hood. She looked at the pictures first.

It was drizzling as well. Tina looked out of the window. She saw a straw basket on the side of the door. It had artificial fruits in it.

Tina smiled and picked it up. She put on her red raincoat and red rain boots and hopped out to play in the garden, dangling the fruit basket.

She pretended to be Little Red Riding Hood.

In her imagination, the garden soon turned into woods with tall trees and then there was this garden path by the bird bath.

A crow was sitting in the bird bath splashing water. Tina pretended to make friends with it and said that she was going to meet her grandma who lives across the wood, in a small cottage.

The crow crowed, "So, what is in the basket?"

Little Red Riding Hood replied, "Fruits to make grandma feel better."

The crow crowed again, "If I were you, I would be careful in the woods!"

"Why so?" asked Little Red Riding Hood innocently.

"Woods have eyes," the crow ruffled his wet feathers, "and is full of big bad wolves!" and flew away.