Twice Upon an Apocalypse: Lovecraftian Fairy Tales by Rachel Kenley & Scott T. Goudsward

Author:Rachel Kenley & Scott T. Goudsward [Kenley, Rachel & Goudsward, Scott T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Anthologies, Dark Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Horror, Lovecraftian, Short Stories
Publisher: Crystal Lake Publishing
Published: 2017-05-29T23:00:00+00:00

THE GUMDROP APOCALYPSE

Pete Rawlik

Based on Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault

As the wolf used the oar to push them away from shore, he heard the little girl in red let out a whimpering cry. “Grandmother is dead.” She said it as if they hadn’t been there, hadn’t seen what had happened, hadn’t suffered the consequences, hadn’t been on the run for days. “Grandmother is dead,” she said again as if trying to convince herself.

The lumberjack put a comforting hand on Red’s shoulder. She was called Red, though that was not her name, because real names, as her grandmother taught her, have power. Red shrugged the man’s hand away.

“Grandmother is dead,” she cried, “and it is entirely your fault.” There was venom in her voice. “You were warned!” Red screamed, “You were told the rules, told only to eat the food we brought with us, not to eat anything in the house itself.” Red pulled back her cowl, letting night reflect back from her eyes. “I warned you about Grandmother, told you she was a witch, told you not to interfere with my lessons. You said you knew about witches, that you could follow the rules. Do you think you can upset the order of the universe and not suffer the consequences?”

“I ate a gumdrop, one gumdrop!” the man pleaded.

“And now Grandmother is dead, the moon-lens is cracked, and the dark young prepare the forest for the coming of their mother.” She pointed at the great orb and the jagged scar that ran across it. Smoke from the devastated forest stained the shattered sphere orange. “You ate a gumdrop, and now the Black Goat comes to claim that kingdom which is rightfully hers. Yes, Grandmother was a witch, a world witch, and like us all had her part to play. Since time immemorial, we have dwelt in the Enchanted Wood and performed our stories for men and Gods of Earth alike. Now, our home is lost. We flee, we things of myth and fancy, like zoogs and trolls in the morning sun, all because you ate a gumdrop.”

The wolf watched as the lumberjack curled up, made himself small, while Red sat back and took some pyrrhic satisfaction in verbally abusing the man. The wolf moved the boat into the center of the river. They picked up speed as the current caught the tiny skiff and pushed it along. It was days to Ulthar and not far after that to the River Skai. The Skai would take them to the basalt city of Dylath-Leen and beyond that the Southern Sea. If they could make it to the sea, find passage to Kadath, perhaps the Gods of Earth could be implored to come to their aid, to take up arms against Shub-Niggurath, the Black Goat of the Woods. Perhaps.

Suddenly, the girl in red turned pale, whipped her head over the side of the sloop, and wretched violently into the wine-dark waters below. The lumberjack moved to help her, but the sick girl waved him off.

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