Valerie

Once upon a time, there was a little cottage in the fog-shrouded Woods. In that little cottage lived Grandmother and you.

Every day, the two of you would lay out sandbags, check the spikes, and sharpen weapons—for within the Woods lived the monstrous Wolf. You grew up with Grandmother telling you stories of its slavering jaws and beastly golden eyes, of how it loved to feast on human flesh, of how it killed your Mother and Father one unwary night.

That, Grandmother said, is why you must be careful, for the Wolf loves to feast on the innocent most of all.

And so, each day passed like any other day. But one day, you rise to begin your work, and find that Grandmother is still asleep. Her hand is limp and cold, and you realize that she will never wake up again. You bury her next to the stakes that mark Mother and Father's graves. Tears fall from your eyes and dot the earth as you dig. Then, in the distance, you see movement.

You have never seen movement in the woods before, and then you hear a light giggle. From behind a tree steps out a girl. You hold your breath: she is beautiful. She has dark, tangled hair and bright gold eyes. Under her red cloak, her figure seems slender and graceful. She smiles at you.

"I'm sorry if I frightened you. My name is Valerie," she says, dropping in a curtsy. "What is yours?"