Kids 👧

Sunday, June 23, 2024

Red Riding in the Hood, a modern Fairytale by Sarnia de la Maré FRSA



Red Riding in the Hood Book Illustration

Red Riding in the Hood, a modern Fairytale by Tale Teller Club.

In the heart of the city, where skyscrapers loom like ancient trees, lived a young girl. She wore a crimson hoodie, her signature style, which earned her the nickname Red among her friends. But this was no fairy tale forest; it was the concrete jungle and this young girl needed to be strong to look after Nana.

Red’s grandmother, Nana Feist, resided in a cozy house on the outskirts of the city. Nana was a tech-savvy retiree who loved her iPad as well as her knitting needles. She wasn’t bedridden but getting about was harder now with her arthritis. Some days Nana was in great pain but she muddled through. She’d often video called Red, reminding her to stay safe in the urban wilderness, to look out for wolves and to bring some cheese and butter home as she was running low.

One day, Nana fell ill with a nasty cold. Red, balancing her homework, after school club, and caring for Nana, promised to come home soon on her BMX. Armed with a take away supper and her phone, she set off. The city streets were her forest, and the subway tunnels her winding path. As Nana was poorly, Red decided to take a short cut across an estate she was not familiar with. But suddenly the lights on her bike ran out of battery because she had forgotten to recharge them. It was dark and now Red realised she was lost as she remembered Nana's warning words.

But lurking in the shadows was a different kind of wolf to the ones Nana had meant, a wolf named Victor. He wore tailored black suits and drove a sleek black car. Victor was a corporate predator, devouring startups and dreams. He’d heard about Nana’s home and wanted to knock it down for his next venture, yet another skyscraper.

As Red cycled through the poorly lit winding streets, she noticed Victor tailing her in his flashy car. His eyes gleamed with greed. She peddled faster, her phone buzzing with Nana’s worried messages. But Victor was relentless, closing in like a wolf scenting its prey. But Red was too fast on her BMX bike and snuck down a little alley. Then he was gone and Red breathed a sigh of relief finding the main road to Nana's at last.

But when Red reached Nana’s house, Victor was waiting outside.

'I heard Nana Feist was sick,' he said.

'Jump in my car and I will take you to the pharmacy to get medicine.'

Then Victor smiled and Red saw his long brown teeth dripping with spit.

Red was no fool.

She saw Victor was holding a document in his hand with the words

'High Rise Planning at 92 Forest Drive'. That was Nana's actual address.

'I know what you are up to Victor, but you won't sweet talk me or Nana to get her to sell her house for a pittance. Nana was born in this house and Nana will stay here forever,' said Red feeling brave, 'and so will I.'

Inside Nana’s house, Red found her grandmother weak but still feisty.

'Red,' Nana whispered, 'beware the wolves in suits. They’ll devour everything.' Red understood, the corporate world was no fairy tale. Nana's wise words were her superpower. But now it was Red who needed to be clever and strong for all the nanas in the city.

So Red devised a plan. Armed with her smartphone, determination, and her signature red hoody, she went to Victor's office and spied on him from behind a bush filming his activities with her mobile phone.

Victor was meeting with shady characters and Red uploaded her videos to YouTube and TikTok so the world would see he was a common criminal.

The city and the whole world watched as Red unmasked the wolf, revealing his true nature. Finally the wolf Victor was arrested and sent to prison. His empire crumbled, and Nana’s home was safe and so was everyone else's. Red became a local hero, her crimson hoodie a symbol of courage.

And so, in the modern cityscape, Red wasn’t just a girl with a red hood; she was a force to be reckoned with, a guardian of the elderly, a protector of homes, and a thorn in any wolfs’ side.




This was a Tale Teller Club production for Toddle Poddle™.

©2024 Sarnia de la Mare/Tale Teller Club


#music, #action, #kidsevents, #musicforkids, #parenting, #partycharacters, #kidssongs, #creativekids, #kidspartyplanner, #atlantaeventplanner, #animation, #kidsshow, #love, #birthdaypartyideas, #characters, #atlevents #partyideas #art, #learningthroughplay, #musiceducation, #familymusic, #preschoolmusic, #atlantakidsparty, #kidsartsandcrafts, #melissascharacters, #gilbertaz, #kidsbirthdayparty, #chandleraz, #tempeaz, #eastvalleymoms,
on
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,