"Scarlet" was first published in the Fall 2015 edition of The Helix Magazine, out of Central Connecticut State University. It is a dark twist on a classic fairy tale.

Ah, Scarlet! My love, my life, my reason for existing! For too long have I watched you from afar. For too long have I hidden myself from you, my beautiful one! No longer shall I hide in the shadows of the trees as you flit through the forest, a cardinal among drab doves.

Today I watch as you leave your home, your cloak as red as holly berries, your skin the pearly perfection of mistletoe berries. You glance around – are you searching for someone? Are you searching for me, my love? You are off down the path, your basket swinging from your hand. What do you carry, and where do you go? Do you go to gather berries or herbs for your family? Or do you carry a picnic to meet with some other admirer? I must follow and discover the truth.

I draw closer, my soft steps carrying me so close, but silently, so you don’t suspect you are being watched. There is food in your basket – I can smell it from where I watch in concealment. Where do you go with those fresh muffins? Do you go on a secret assignation, or are you simply on a neighborly errand? I must know! I must know if your affections belong to another.

You pause in a shaft of sunlight lancing through the trees, pushing back your hood. Your hair falls in looping curls, like tendrils of ivy, but oh, such ivy! It is the color of sleek fox fur, the color of autumn maples. How I long to burry my face in those curls and inhale the scent of sunshine.

You continue on your way – you do not yet sense my presence. I follow silently, my mouth watering from the scent of your hair, your skin, yes, even the food in your basket. How can I make myself known to you? How can I make my love known without frightening you? You would turn from me, I know. You would run from me – how could you not? And yet, I follow. I must be near you, my love, my life, my reason for existing.

You near a clearing and my heart clenches in fear. Will I see you going to meet a man whom you desire? No, no, I must not think that way – you may be simply off on your own quiet afternoon, bringing sustenance for your journey. We near the clearing, you ahead and I following silently behind. In the clearing stands a small cottage. There is smoke curling from the chimney, the scent as hot and acrid as my suspicions. You have given your heart to some man, then! No, no, it cannot be – I must have you for my own.

I crouch down, ready to spring, ready to secure you for myself, but you raise your hand and knock on the door.

"Grandmother?” you call, “are you well? I have brought fresh muffins for you!”

Ah! The thrill, the joy of knowing you have not forsaken me after all! You are simply the kind-hearted angel I know you to be, bringing good things for a relative in need. You open the door and walk in, leaving it ajar. Sweet, innocent, wonderful Scarlet! I pad softly up to the door, quietly pushing it open and edging inside.

I keep myself low to the floor as I make my way inside. You are at the fire with your back to me. A door at the back of the cottage stands open. I slip into the room. Your grandmother lies in a soft, downy bed. Ah, my moment at last! I will take her place and you will tend to me sweetly as you would have her. I will hide under the sheets so you won’t be aware at first that it is not your grandmother. I will reveal myself and you will see that I can be trusted after all; that you have already been sitting beside me and feeding me without being afraid.

It is quick work to flit into the room and crush the old woman’s windpipe so she will not scream; I smelled her fear when I entered the room and our eyes met. I regret your loved one must die, but she must not warn you. You must not be frightened of me from the start. I pull her now-still body out of the bed and push it under. I hop up into the bed, wiggling around until the sheets cover me. Now to wait, to breathe slowly, to be patient, for now you will come to me willingly.

You sit beside me now and speak soothingly to me. My mouth waters, knowing you are so near. I dare not move yet. But your questions become suspicious, your voice becomes tense. I can smell the fear creeping over you as you edge away from the bed. No, my darling, don’t leave!

We are both startled by a knock at the front door. A deep male voice calls for your grandmother and then for you. So there is a man, after all! The betrayal! I seethe. A growl escapes me, and I hear you gasp and draw further away still. You cry out for the man. No! No, he cannot have you! He must not possess you. You are mine, and I alone shall have you.

I explode from the sheets, mouth open, claws reaching as I pounce. You scream, not bothering to hide your fear from I who have loved you so. We hit the ground and roll, your arms flailing as I snap and snarl, my teeth finding your soft flesh.

I am so sorry I must hurt you, my darling, but it will be over soon, and we will be together always. I rip into your chest and my jaws crush bone as I quest for your heart. I have it! The hot, red, beating life of you in my jaws! I bite down, I swallow, taking your essence into myself and we become one.

I hear a shout, and lift my muzzle from your chest. The man who called out to you is running at me; a big, burly man, swinging an axe. I back away, but I have already won. I growl at this intruder, my tail twitching, your life’s blood smeared on my sleek, grey fur. But you and I are one now and nothing he can do can change that. No, not even the heavy steel axe head that he swings at me. It drops heavily and connects with my skull, and my last fleeting thought is the gladness that I got to you before this brute did.