Once upon a time, in a deep dark forest, there lived a family of wolves. There was a Mama and Papa Wolf who had three children occupying their den. Peevish was the name of the oldest boy, and Churlish was the middle child; she was the biggest wolf of the pack. The lastborn was Little Robbie Wolf, so timid and kind. He was the runt of the litter; an outcast some would say.

Their days consisted of hunting and gathering and they would sew up branches and leaves for shelter. The children were learning how to survive for when the time came that they would leave the den.

Churlish was only a year from moving out. She was an experienced hunter who would brag about her accomplishments. Leaving the den was not based on age, but on skill. She was a mean wolf alright. She would bully her brothers and prove their weakness with her success.

Peevish would complain and whine to Mama and Papa, always crying wolf (no pun intended). They would comfort him with reassurance, reminding him of his accomplishments and strength he had.

As for Little Robbie Wolf, he would never sulk or boast. He knew he wasn’t as strong or as mighty as his siblings. He failed greatly at hunting, not even able to catch a mouse. He was sad that nobody thought he was big and brave, feeling left out and alone. He was very quiet and in his thoughts, usually being left to do the sewing out of all the duties. Mama and Papa were not as proud of him, compared to his siblings, and did not talk to Little Robbie Wolf much. He felt ashamed and embarrassed to be a part of his family.

One day, Churlish was out hunting, like any other ordinary day. Although this time she did not come back with a deer as usual. She came back with a story. She claimed that she came across a little girl with a red cap, roaming the forest alone. The girl was on her way to her grandma’s, which was about twenty-five kilometres away from the den. For a wolf, twenty-five kilometres isn’t very much. Churlish described her plan to beat the little girl to the grandma’s cabin, eating the grandma for an appetizer, then the little girl for the main meal. She told the girl to pick some flowers for her sick grandma, trying to buy some time. Humans were not popular in the forest where the wolves lived, so this was a very big deal. Churlish was about to run off to execute her plan when there came a small voice from the corner.

“Wait,” Little Robbie Wolf nervously uttered. He had found a moment of courage.

The family of wolves were in shock and taken back from the word that was expelled from his muzzle.

“What is it?” Mama Wolf asked.

“I want to go instead. I want to try and hunt these humans.” Little Robbie Wolf was looking down while talking.

Everyone in the room burst out laughing, tears were coming to their eyes. Not even Mama and Papa could hold in their howls. The idea of Little Robbie Wolf hunting, let alone humans, was very comical.

With a belittling tone, Churlish belted, “How stupid can you be? You can’t even hunt a mouse, let alone humans.”

Little Robbie Wolf knew that he wasn’t blessed with a tall figure or big teeth, but he wanted to try and prove his determination and dedication to being a wolf. Although he had mastered building a shelter, he had yet to take on real hunting, and this would be a perfect test.

Mama and Papa caught on to Robbie’s train of thought and hushed the laughter.

“Let him go. Let’s see how strong and brave he really is,” Papa said.

Peevish interrupted with his moans and groans. “What? You’re letting him go? Why not me? This isn’t fair! I never get to do anything exciting.”

Mama patted his head to calm him down. Churlish was furious. “Fine. He’ll be sure to fail, and when he does, he’ll be turned into stew, or better yet, a rug.”

Little Robbie Wolf gulped at the thought of that image, but he could not back out now.

He quickly kissed Mama and Papa goodbye, as the girl in the red cap was surely almost to grandma’s house. He set off, looking back at the den once more as it became smaller and smaller. He never looked back.

Little Robbie wolf was scared as he entered the dark woods, but he was committed to his word. The thought of having to hunt humans made him feel sick and insecure.

“What was I thinking? Hunting humans? I’m not strong enough, let alone brave enough to do such a thing,” Little Robbie Wolf muttered to himself.

But as he carried on through the forest he came across a bush with huge leaves. He couldn’t help but notice the shape of the plant, replicating his ears, but much larger. He then had a brilliant idea. Robbie wanted to be bigger and stronger, scaring the people he would hunt. He would do anything to prove his worth to his family. He gently plucked two leaves from the bush, holding them up to his ears.

“Perfect,” Little Robbie said with a big smile.

Using his sewing skills, he carefully sewed each leaf to his fur that sat in front of his ears.

He hurried along to grandma’s house as he was running out of time. He could smell the sweetness of the little girl with the red cap, as she would have been the only person in the forest. He started to pick up speed, as he did not want to disappoint his family. He started to run, smelling the smoke from grandma’s chimney when he noticed something from the corner of his eye. A huge pile of sticks were sitting in between the trees to the right.

Robbie screeched to a halt, investigating the pile. Once again, wanting to prove his strength and bravery, he thought bigger teeth would help him. He grabbed four sticks, breaking each in half, placing them up onto his gums, over his real teeth. It was a little uncomfortable but he couldn’t help but grin and let out a growl of pride. Robbie was elated with confidence. He wished that his family could see him now, big teeth and all.

All he needed now was thicker fur, and a bigger frame, but time had run out. The girl would be arriving at grandma’s cabin soon. Little Robbie Wolf bolted as fast as he could the rest of the way, not stopping for anything else.

He eventually saw the cabin and smoke, slowly creeping over the fence, towards the door. Little Robbie couldn’t believe his luck. A bear hide was sitting in front of the door as a welcome mat. He didn’t think twice, wrapping his body with the dark, coarse hair. He caught a glimpse of his reflection in the window. He could barely recognize himself. He looked mean and scary, something he had never truly felt within. The needle and thread he put through his ears were stinging, his gums were throbbing, and the bear hide was very itchy. He focused on the plan and how perfect this was all turning out. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

The grandma yelled, “Hello, who is it?”

In his best little girl voice, Little Robbie Wolf answered, “It is your granddaughter, the one with the red cap.”

“Oh, of course, darling, I’ve missed you so much. C’mon in. The door is unlocked.” Grandma was very excited to see her granddaughter.

Little Robbie was taken back. Nobody has ever spoken to him with such kindness. His thoughts were distracted by the painful accessories he had attached to his body. He could not take it anymore. He leapt towards the door and ran to the grandma, swallowing her in one bite.

Robbie Wolf, who was not so little now, was very full. He felt pride, guilt, happiness, and sadness all within one thought. He couldn’t believe that he had actually hunted a human, all in one bite too. His family would be so proud, yet he felt ashamed. She was a sweet woman, with love and life, undeserving of death.

He smelled a sweet smell towards the door. He looked out of the window to see the little girl approaching the cabin. Robbie Wolf panicked, jumping into the bed. He hid under the covers hoping she wouldn’t notice her missing grandma. The little girl pushed open the partially opened door.

“Grandma? Are you okay?” She could tell something was off.

Robbie Wolf, in his best grandma impersonation, let out a lie. “Oh yes, dear. I was hot, so I opened the door to let the breeze in.”

“Oh! Well, I brought you some bread and flowers to help you feel better.” The little girl with the red cap was getting closer to the bed where Robbie lay.

The wolf could not believe how kind and sweet these humans were to each other. He started feeling really guilty about eating the girl’s grandma and taking her identity. He didn’t want to prove anything anymore. He wanted the little girl to leave.

“Thank you, dear. Set them on the table. I am tired and need to sleep now. I am sure you want to start heading back home now before it gets too dark,” Robbie said, thinking fast.

The little girl laughed. “Home already? I just got here! I want to take care of you. I let Mother know that I will be staying the night. Do not worry.”

Robbie gulped. “I have no room for you tonight. Only this bed, for me.”

“Don’t be silly, Grandma! We always sleep beside one another when I stay the night.” The little girl took off her red cap and started to tidy the cabin, while also arranging the flowers and preparing the food.

“Are you feeling okay, Grandma? You don’t seem like yourself today,” asked the little girl, worried about her grandma’s health.

“Oh yes, I am fine. I am just very tired today.” Little Robbie was sweating. Not only from the bear hide and blankets but from lying to the innocent girl.

“I’ll be over in a minute with a snack and a cuddle!” The girl shouted over dishes clanking and the running tap.

Robbie Wolf panicked. How would he disguise himself as her grandma? The extra accessories were not helping his case.

As the little girl finished the chores, she started walking over to where Robbie Wolf lay. He pulled the blankets over his head, hoping she would not notice anything out of the ordinary. But of course, the smart, little girl noticed.

“Oh Grandma, what big, hairy arms you have!”

“Really?” Robbie Wolf had never been complimented on the size of his arms before. Remembering he was supposed to be a grandma, he quickly responded in a way he thought would be authentic.

“All the better to hold you with, my dear.”

“Grandma, what big ears you have!”

“Oh, um, all the better to hear you with, my dear.” Robbie was surprised by all the compliments the girl was giving him.

“And Grandma, what big teeth you have!” The mention of his teeth made Robbie Wolf remember the pain he was feeling. He let out a sad howl and started to cry. The girl didn’t know where her Grandma was, or what to do.

After some time, she asked if the wolf was okay.

“I am so sorry,” pleaded Robbie Wolf.

“Where is my grandma? I miss her and I want to see her now. I will have to get her rifle and shoot you if you do not tell me.” The little girl was not taking chances as she already had an intuition of where her grandma was.

“I am sorry, this is not me. I want to be kind, like you and your grandma. I tried to be a real wolf, hunting and all, but I just feel ashamed.” He started to rip out his stick teeth and green ears.

“Well, maybe you should have thought of that before you came here.” The little girl’s eyes started to water.

Robbie Wolf took off the hide and wiped his wet eyes. “I know, I am sorry.”

“I want my Grandma. Being sorry doesn’t change anything.”

The wolf was now looking quite bare and remorseful.

Robbie Wolf had an idea. “I ate your grandma in one bite, she should still be alive!” He growled and coughed a few times. In a matter of minutes, the little girl’s grandma was spat up onto the ground. She was wet with slobber, and a little shaken up, but alive at that.

“Oh, Grandma! Are you okay?” The little girl ran to her.

The grandma looked up at the wolf in fear. “Yes, dear. Go get my rifle. This is a monster of a wolf.”

Robbie Wolf looked at the ground feeling guilt-ridden and disgusted with himself.

The little girl listened to her grandma, but as she passed over the rifle, she couldn’t bear the thought of harming this wolf.

Robbie Wolf, who was back to his original little self now, looked scraggly, with big eyes. He was scared to die.

The little girl interrupted her grandma’s aim. “Wait!” she cried.

Little Robbie Wolf, who was wincing while awaiting his death, looked at the little girl in disbelief.

“What’s wrong, darling?” Her grandma was surprised at the objection.

“I don’t think he deserves to die. He looks lonely and regretful. Maybe we can talk to him and hear his story first. We can decide what to do after we listen to his side of the story.” Grandma agreed.

They all sat down, admiring the flowers and eating the bread. They listened, cried, and laughed at the stories Little Robbie Wolf told them. He talked about his family, their roles, his life, and his dreams.

By the end of the night, the grandma and the little girl had made a new friend. More importantly, Little Robbie Wolf had made two new friends; people who were accepting of who he was and who he wanted to be.

Little Robbie Wolf lived with the grandma, taking care of her on the days when the little girl with the red cap couldn’t.

They lived happily ever after; that is until Churlish came roaming the woods one year later.

Helen decided to twist the classical story of Little Red Riding Hood into a tale about a under developed wolf who learns that listening to people is more effective than violence. She also played with gender stereotypes making Robbie a character that “goes against ‘manly’ norms” and his sister (Churlish) the strong, hunter of the family. Helen said that when she started writing the story, she didn’t think about the message behind it but is happy that several messages emerged by the time she finished it.