Moments later, Red was back. The wolf had miraculously recovered, as if nothing had happened. He was waiting for her, foot tapping impatiently on the hardwood floor. 

“Now, what was all that for?” The wolf sounded agitated.

“What?”

“You tried to kill me!”  

“Well, I’ve learned from it,” Red replied. She held out her hands. “I’ve brought nothing with me this time.”

The wolf crossed his arms. “Why do you pursue me like this? Don’t you understand we’ll both be here for an eternity if you keep coming back? You must have better things to do, as do I.”

“Because I want to see my grandmother!” Red cried. “If you have so much power over our lives, bring her back, just for a moment."

The wolf laughed heartily. “Bring her back? Darling, no one can come back once they’ve crossed the veil with me! You flatter me, thinking I have that kind of authority!” 

“You can’t even let me see her face again? Not even something as little as that?”

“That’s what everyone wishes for. You mortals only value time once it’s gone. Well, here’s the truth: you could have spent every second of your life by her side, and it still would’ve never been enough. I gave you all the time she was allotted for, and you still weren’t satisfied. Either way, she will leave you. What will a few more minutes do?”

Red fell to her knees in despair, unable to find any strength left to stand.

“Well, aren’t you going to try to defeat me? Argue with me? Hit me with an axe again?”

“Just take me,” Red said flatly. “I don’t care anymore.”

The wolf’s jaws closed around her skull, and he consumed every part of her, slowly. Red felt his teeth ripping her skin, and she felt herself move through the slick encasement of his throat as he swallowed her. She slid into his stomach and turned and turned for what felt like years, drowning in the fluids of his digestive system, unable to think of anything but the pain.

Then at last, she opened her eyes, and she stood at the edge of the forest again.

The sight of the cottage brought little comfort. Red was frightened and angry and overall just extremely overwhelmed. Walking down the path again was unbearable, so she turned and wandered into the woods, hoping to get lost. Perhaps she could find some sort of alcove someplace where she could spend the rest of her days.

After some time, Red was startled by the sound of a tree falling in the distance. Realizing it was coming from the direction of the woodcutter’s cottage, she started toward it.

The woodcutter was tall, had an uneven beard, and thinning hair. His arms were large from years of work. As Red approached, he paused, placing the head of the axe on the ground. “So, you’re the one who took my axe.”

Red nodded, surprised that he knew.

The woodcutter laughed. “I’ll bet you gave that old wolf a surprise, huh?”

“Well… I did, sort of.”

The woodcutter walked back to the stump that Red had found before, and in a swift motion, lodged the axe into it. “You seem a bit melancholy. I don’t really blame you. Heaven knows that no magical experience is ever close to being pleasant. So, I’ll help you if I can.”

“Mr. Woodcutter,” Red asked, “Do you know how to defeat the wolf?”

“He tells you how to win, plain and simple. You just have to listen.”

“He told me to go past him, but I can’t. Not if I want to save my grandmother.”

The woodcutter sighed. “My dear… there are some things even magical beings can’t fix.”

“I just want to speak to her, one more time.” Red’s eyes flooded with tears. “Please help me.”

The woodcutter got on one knee and placed a sympathetic hand on Red’s shoulder. “I can go with you if you want me to,” he told her, “But you need to understand that I cannot bring your grandmother back. There’s nothing you or I can do to change that.”

He patted her shoulder as she wept for a few more minutes. In the end, she wiped her tears away and nodded in agreement.

----

The door to the cottage opened one last time. The wolf’s eyes darted between the girl and the woodcutter.

Red stepped forward. “My grandmother is gone,” she began. “She’s no longer in this house. You were right all along.”

She looked past him to the back door. She could see her grandmother’s garden through the window. Looking back up at the woodcutter, she stammered, “I’m not strong enough to leave this place.”

“You are,” he assured her. 

The first step felt like quicksand, but each one after became easier and easier. At last she reached the back door and turned the knob to open it. The flowers in the garden were in full bloom, and butterflies and bees were happily perusing the plants. As Red stepped across the threshold, she heard the wolf's claws drag along the floor behind her, following her, but when she turned, she was suddenly back on the street in the city. 

“Red?” She heard Brady’s soft voice. He reached her and asked her to slow down so that he could keep up. Red was still unsettled from the things she’d just seen, but she took his hand and tried to hide it behind a smile. 

Out of the corner of her eye, Red saw a grey tail disappear behind a nearby building. She paused. It seemed that the wolf hunted her still.

“Red, shouldn’t we be going?” Brady reiterated.

“Yes, yes, you’re right. We’ll be late. Come on.”

Together, Red and her brother continued on their way.