In the world of night
When light takes flight
And shadows walk
Just out of sight

A girl walks through
The forest dark
Where green sap oozes
From tree bark

She wear a cloak
With a pulled up hood
Its colour is
The colour of blood

She carries a basket
With a small patterned cover
A gift, of sorts
For her mother's mother

She dances along
The windy long trail
In the light of the moon
A darker shade of pale

And from the trees
Where he hides
A lone wolf spies
The girl in her cowl

And he utters a low growl..

She'll do nicely on toast
She'll be fine with some wine
She'll be tasty with gravy
When, on her, I will dine

And his eyes have a sparkle
As the wolf struggles to wait
As the girls carries on
Not knowing her fate

The wolf licks his lips
And sharpens his claws
And follows behind
On soft, padded paws

A light in the distance
A cabin tucked away
Where the Grannie of the girl
Lives out her days

The wolf sees his chance
And slopes off ahead
To beat the girl
To her Grannie's instead

He slides in the back
And before she could know
He gobbles the old woman
Down in one go

He slips on her glasses
And climbs in her bed
And waits for the girl
To find him instead

A knock on the door
Then another again
The girl has arrived
And the fun can begin

"Come in my dear"
The wolf said in a way
That a woman so old
Might possibly say

His voice was a croak
A little bit hoarse
With the pitch aimed high
Though just a little bit forced

He cleared his throat
And out spat Grannies eye
And he scoffed it back down
Lest the little girl spy

"Come in my dear"
He said once again
And this time he sounded
More like a friend

More like a Grannie
Less like a growl
Though, as the door opened
He stifled a howl

The girl in the cloak
Stepped up to the bed
"Hello Grannie"
She smiled as she said

"Come a little closer"
Said the wolf with a smile
"I can't see very well
And it has been a while"

The girl in the hood
The colour of blood
Walked a step further
Though she didn't think she should

"What big eyes you have Grannie
And ears, oh so long
And teeth sharp and pointy
Is there something wrong?"

"Nothing at all"
The big, bad wolf said
"The better to see and to hear you"
He said from the bed

"And the teeth?"
Asked the girl
"They look nasty to me"
"The better to eat
You for my tea!"

The wolf lunged forward
To grab the girl for a snack
But when the hood fell away
The big, bad wolf fell back

For the girl was no girl
Or, at least, not anymore
She was a shiver of a shade
Of what she was before

Her hair hung down
Half covering her face
Where the skin hung down too
Barely sticking in place

An eyeball was missing
As were most of her teeth
And she smiled just to show
The fangs underneath

The nails on her fingers
Were broken and black
And parts of her spine
Were showing on her back

And she moved closer to the wolf
And from his neck took a bite
And his body did shudder
Filled with fear
Filled with fright

And the ghost of her Grannie
Couldn't help but laugh
As Little Dead Riding Hood
Tore the wolf in half

"You wouldn't want me"
The little girl said
"I'd taste so disgusting
Seeing as I am dead!"

She pulled the cover from the basket
And shared what was inside
Rotten fruit and cockroaches
And a bottle of boiled slime

Though Grannie's ghost couldn't eat
And drink just washed right through
She was still the best cook around
And made a great boiled wolf stew

So watch who you might to eat
For they might eat you too
And if you see a girl
In a cloak of red
She may come after you!