She hid underneath a crimson cloak, shielding herself from danger, terror and pain. She liked to care for others, tended to their needs and illness. She held them, nurtured them with positive thoughts and kindness. She had an innocence in her heart, one that was rare in the world today.
Her crimson cloak, a red hood covering her eyes was a protection. No one could look into her eyes for she feared her eyes would tell all. Her brown eyes would scream out the horrid things she had done, and there would be no more protection. She wore her red cloak, as a marking. The red poured out shame and guilt. But no one could see the girl behind the cloak.
It covered her body, one that she practiced to starve away or the marks on her body that told more stories than her words. Her cloak caused a separation from reality, a wall between memory and imagination. Her cloak kept her warm from the bitter ice winds, the biting air that blew secrets around. Her mistakes and her memories hit her cloak, but she remained warm inside and hidden.
Her cloak protected her physical body, one that hands of another could no longer touch, a safety between man’s hands and her own. It covered her legs, her rear, waist and breast.
The cloak worked perfectly for this girl, until she came face to face with a wolf; a wolf so attracted to her blood-red cloak, the color reflecting for the wolf, luring him. The girl stood frozen staring into the eyes of a wolf; reflecting images of her soul and herself. She stood gazing into the eyes of the wolf and she found words softly coming from her mouth as she spoke:
“What big eyes you have…” she said. The wolf responded with a harsh “the better to see your truth with my dear.”
The girl then lowered her gaze, focusing in on the wolf’s nose. She commented, “Well, what a big nose you have.” The wolf snarled, whispering back, “The better to smell your fears with, my dear.” The girl then stared at the fangs of teeth jutting out of the wolf’s mouth. She whimpered, “What big teeth you have.” The wolf grinned and responded, “The better to chew you up and spit you out.”
The girl then realized the cloak that had been protecting her all this time worked until it ended up luring the danger and fear she had been avoiding all this time. She was face to face with an enemy, until her life was at risk. The girl then had a choice:
A. She would remove her cloak, throw it distracting the wolf’s vision, and run in the other direction, escaping or B. she would keep her cloak on, burying herself deeper into the fabric only to find herself being eaten alive.
May I find peace in this uncertain world. 