Robin Hood and the Girl - Original Fairy Tales Challenge

The conclusion of Robin Hood and the Girl for my Original Fairy Tales Challenge. The beginning is here.

Ann-Rentgen at deviantart

One night Robin called her over.
“Lil,” he said and slapped an arm around her neck. “We have a job for you. It will involve some danger, and quite a bit of strength, but it must be done and you need to prove yourself. There is a certain noble who has been giving too much trouble. Think you can pull him off his horse on the highway and steal whatever he has? Including the horse of course.”
She just nodded, her lips tight.
“Ok. We’ve been told he’s riding through later tonight. You better get a move on.”
She went. She found the road. She hid in a tree hoping to jump down and use the power of gravity to stop the noble. But he was riding on the other side of the road so when she jumped she only grazed him. He hauled on his horse and jerked to a halt.
“What is this? Children robbing me now?”
“Give me your things,” she said. Hoping her courage and strong voice would force him to comply.
He lifted his head to the sky and let go a big belly laugh. “I don’t think so little one. How about you come home and work for me in legitimate business?”
While he was laughing and persuading her, she had inched forward until she could jump at him. He caught her, still astride his horse, and they tussled. Her cap came off, her hair flowing down, and with his arm around her upper body he gave a shocking scoff.
“A woman?”
“No,” she squeaked.
“Come child. You are coming home with me.”
She started to fight with all she had, but he overpowered her and tied her hands, dumping her over his horse’s rump behind him. She had a mouthful of hair and dust before long.
He kept her in a dungeon with a barred window. He took her clothes and gave her a nightdress. She sat crumpled in the corner bathed in moonlight, picking at the seam of her dress with her fingers.
A face appeared in the window.
“Lil?”
“Yes,” she said. Not realizing it was him, Robin.
“You’re not Lil.”
She stood. “I am,” she blushed.
“You’re a girl!”
“I am.”
He stared at her. Then he seemed to decide because he sent signals back to men behind him. He unscrewed the bars from the window and reached down to help her climb out. He gripped her hand and they ran into the forest.

Robin Hood and the Girl - Original Fairy Tales Challenge

I confess I didn't read all of Robin Hood this month yet. It's a lot of short stories so I've gotten the feel for it and written my own rendition. Here is the first half for the Original Fairy Tales Challenge, the other half will be posted later this week. Let me know what you think!

krankyk on Etsy

Liliana crept through the forest, keeping her arrow nocked and her feet quiet. A fox ran in front of her and off to the left. Before she caught up with him, and he skittered off, she heard noise. Men. They sang in drunk voices. She thought she could hear drinks sloshing and a fire.
Looking around each tree before she continued forward, she saw them before they saw her. In a clearing was a party of men, all dressed in green and brown. They were indeed drinking and were roasting a boar on a big spit. One of them called out to a younger man in the center of the group, “Robin! To Robin!” Instantly Liliana knew who they were, and she ran.
Out of breath and fairly dirty, she had returned to the house with nothing to eat. So her stepmother took her out back, chose a particularly prickly branch, and beat her. She whimpered a bit but didn’t cry out or shed a tear. She went to bed hungry and sore.
The sun began to rise and woke her the next morning. Her stepmother was still asleep and her father was already in the fields. She took some of his clothes – trousers, a button shirt, and a cap – and tied them around her scant body as best she could. She tucked her hair under the cap, unable to bring herself to cut it off. Then she grabbed her bow and set off for the forest in search of the merry men.
She stomped through the forest intending to be found, and find her they did. Three of them dropped from the trees to surround her.
“What’s your business here,” the largest, she guessed Little John, said.
“To join you,” she said, trying to deepen her girl’s voice.
“I see,” he said. “Bind and gag him boys.”
She tried to fight but it was no use. They took her bow, to which she cried out, and dragged her the rest of the way to the clearing. She was set before Robin on his log. He leaned back and put his arms behind his head, extending his size. He wasn’t much bigger than she, or older.
“Who are you?”
“An orphan.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“It’s answer enough,” she said. His eyes were a beautiful blue, and she couldn’t stand to look at them or she would blush and give herself away.
“Can you shoot?”
“Of course I can.”
“Let’s see it. Untie him.” They released her and gave her a bow and arrow, but not hers. This one was a much stronger wood with less bend and the bow string was very taut. Her shoulders were stiff from the beating, but she wouldn’t be laughed at. With a tiny grunt, she pulled the string back and let the arrow fly. It hit Little John’s hat and took it from his head to secure it to a tree behind him. His eyes were saucers.
Robin laughed.
“Very well. Get this man some sustenance.”
She managed to keep her secret. Whenever she needed to do something private she walked a few miles away. It turned everything into an ordeal, but it worked.
But every night Robin would pull his closest group together and talk. He tended to send looks her way, looks that were full of meaning. She just ate and drank, trying to stay inconspicuous.

The Unseen Wonder by Anne Van - Story Review

The Unseen Wonder by Anne Van is a sweet little story with a lot packed in. The family and characters are all wonderful and I really want to get to know them better. The ending was a bit anticlimactic. It ended well and good, but could have had more impact like the rest of the story. I was hoping for a bit more, but maybe these characters will show up in later writings and we can have more? The language was smooth and beautiful to read. All in all, a simple but nice, quick read.

I really look forward to seeing more from Anne.

You can also catch this story in Gaslight: A Golden Light Anthology.

I received this book from the author for review.

Cinderella - Original Fairy Tales Challenge

My Cinderella story is ready! Here is the first half, the rest to be posted later this week.

Cinderella by ~Maryanneleslie on deviantART

  In the dark night only the tip of her cigarette was visible. With every pull it brightened with an electric orange. Then through the dim light she saw a girl running. She ducked between the RVs, campers, mobile homes, and every pink flamingo in between. Her white skin and yellow hair flashed like neon lights in the darkness.
"Ella?" Marjorie called.
"Shhh!" the girl cried. She flipped over the makeshift, plastic fence in front of Marjorie's trailer. "Aunt Marjorie, don't let them know I'm here."
"Why are you here?"
"Because that witch is being cruel. She's always cruel. And her daughters just make it worse. I needed a break."
"So you come to me."
"Well, you are my aunt, aren't you?"
"Yes." Marjorie stubbed out her cigarette and looked Ella over. Her rags were more rags now than ever and her face was streaked with dirt. She had the blossoming body of a young woman, and the face of an angel covered in soot.
"You need to brush your hair. Come on in."
Ella followed her aunt inside and sat down before the flannel-covered couch to be pampered. After the tangles were gone and her hair shone like gold, she fell asleep with her head tilted back, mouth open. Marjorie turned on the TV and let the blue glare wash over them.
In the morning Ella woke with a start. She ran back to her own trailer, hoping her stepmother hadn't noticed her absence. She raced into the kitchen and started the breakfast. In her father's shaving mirror, hung inside a cabinet that Hadley never dared open in case there were rats inside nibbling on the crackers, Ella saw her shiny hair and tried to muss it enough so Hadley wouldn't punish her. She wasn't supposed to leave their trailer, especially if Hadley was asleep.
Hadley and her daughters, Jessica and Jennifer, stumbled into the kitchen with their hair in curlers and cigarettes dangling from their lips.
"Good morning," Ella said. She set plates and mugs before them and then went to clean their rooms.
"Ella!" Hadley screeched.
"Yes?" she stopped in the hallway.
"We're going to the club tonight for a birthday party." Her stepsisters went to a private school with debutantes and yacht owners. Ella was convinced Hadley was doing inappropriate things with the headmaster to afford the tuition. "We need the dresses on my bed cleaned and fancied. And I need you to go buy some make-up at the 7-Eleven."
"Ok."
"Along with your other chores," Hadley said.
"Ok."
Jessica and Jennifer spent the afternoon with masks on their faces, painting each other's toenails. They sent Ella here and there, getting things – another color eye shadow from the store, their brushes from the bathroom, a soda from down the road at the bus stop, a movie from the rental store. They made her wax their legs and then slapped her when it hurt. She helped them put on their dresses, curled their hair, and smoothed in their bronzer and blush.
When they finally left in a limo borrowed from one of the other trailer park residents, Ella felt like her back was going to break and her fingers would bleed. Instead of finishing what she had left to do, she went to Marjorie.
Marjorie took one look at her face and dabbed at the tears with the corner of her floral Muumuu. She put her arm around Ella's shoulder and led her inside.
"What now?" she asked, popping open a can of soda.
"They went to a dance at the country club. I've been running around all day. I'm just tired. Can I sleep?"
"They went to a dance?"
"Yep."
"Well, then you should go too."
"What?" Ella sat up from her almost-asleep position on the broken recliner.
"Why not?"
"Let's see," she counted off on her fingers, "I don't have a dress, I wasn't invited, I look terrible, they would kill me when I got there. What else?"
"They won't even know you're there. Come with me."
She tugged on Ella's arm and got her to stand. She led her over the shag carpet and past the laminate wood walls to a room in the back Ella had never seen. Inside were closets upon closets built from PVC pipe and shower curtains. Marjorie threw one open and sparkles and glitter and pretty things came tumbling out.
"What is all this?"
"I used to be on stage."
Ella's mouth dropped open.
"Oh close your mouth. Not like that. I was in beauty pageants, darlin'."
Ella ran her fingers over the sequined dresses. They felt stiff and sharp, like the edges of knives, but they shimmered.
"I've got tons of make-up too. A little old and maybe crumbly, but it'll do. Go take a shower, we'll make you shine."

Hym and Hur by Phillip Frey - Short Story Review

This short story, Hym and Hur by Phillip Frey, is so fun. Hym and Hur are two, well, I suppose you could call them sprites. They don't age and they like to wreak havoc. In this short story they make a deal with Death and watch as things unfold.

The characters are so bubbly and wonderful. Even Death, with his depressing outlook on life and his cynicism, I liked. There were a few moments that could have been silly or out of place, but Phillip's writing turned those moments around so they made sense and fit in perfectly. Hym and Hur could have used with a few more flaws for me to absolutely love them, but they seemed more like catalysts than protagonists - very much like Puck in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Phillip manages to build up a world, introduce a great turn of events, and wrap things up all in a short story very well. I didn't want to put it down and I certainly wanted to keep reading after the story was over.

I received this book from the author for review.

Drabble Dienstag - Goodbye

Here's another drabble that simply poured out during StoryADay May. It feels like it shows a lot, since I don't explicitly say what's going on. What do you think?

She sat in her rocking chair on the porch, sweet tea on the glass and iron table beside her and the sun setting before her. The last person had left, walking their way down the creaking stairs and across the gravel to their car. She watched the dust cloud follow the car out to the highway. Alone was better, not best, but better than having people in her home invading her space. Her knees popped with every push against the rocking chair. As the sun sank below the horizon, she whispered her last goodbye to the love of her life.

Drabble Dienstag - Choices

This is isn't pertaining to a specific something. It's mostly just a reflection and was a away for me to play with words.

That moment; when your heart, or maybe head, makes the choice. You are no longer confused. But now you tumble into yet another trap. Was it the right decision? Will you get a mulligan if you want one?


You spent all that time debating the answer itself that you almost wonder what the question was in the first place. Sunshine bursts through the clouds, dappling your face with shadows of leaves.


It doesn't matter now. It is done. The act of constantly flipping and flopping between the choices made the consequences instant. It is too late to go back now.

The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter - Short Story Review

The Bloody Chamber
Angela Carter
Short story/novelette

I got this book as a recommendation for fairy tale retellings in a darker tone. So far I am absolutely in love.

Three wives dead, one never found in a boating accident and the story is called "The Bloody Chamber"? It got darker the further I read.

Her new husband is thoroughly obsessed with a ruby choker he gave her, especially while he is taking her virginity and he forces her to wear it. It was his grandmother's and was used as a fancy version of the red ribbons for Madame Guillotine fashion during the French Revolution.

As soon as he showed her his ring of keys, and the one he doesn't want her to use, I knew the story was the tale of Bluebeard who has a room full of dead wives. I didn't even think that he was setting her up for failure by enticing her with the key. He wanted her to disobey.

It ends too deus ex machina with her mother riding in to save the day. Angela Carter even writes that it was too easy because she says the mother had 'maternal telepathy.'

The writing got a little flowery for me and I just wanted faster paced prose, but overall it was a beautiful story and I'm really looking forward to the others.

Some of my favorite lines:

"A choker of rubies, two inches wide, like an extraordinarily precious slit throat." - Page 6

"After the dreadful revelation of that bloody chamber, it was his tender look that made me faint." - Page 33