Tales From the Hood

by Michael Buckley

  “We’re back,” Little John bellowed with a grin. “Did you miss us?”

  Robin Hood waved to the crowd. “For those of you wondering, the Sherwood Group is officially closed for business. Don’t worry about us, we’ll find other jobs. You know what they say, ‘do what you love and the money will come.’ I look forward to robbing all of you in the very near future.”

  “That guy is so cool,” Puck said.

  Nottingham pulled his sword. “I’ll kill you, Robin. This time I’ll make sure of it.” He dashed into the crowd, pushing and shoving in his eagerness to get to Robin.

  The Merry Men rushed into the crowd as well, turning it into an enormous mob. Everyone was fighting—members of the Scarlet Hand even fought one another. Uncle Jake pulled Briar to safety. Then he found Granny and the girls and did the same. Puck, however, flew over the crowd, smacking the tops of people’s heads with his wooden sword.

  “We have to get out of here,” Uncle Jake said, reaching into his pockets to arm himself with magical items.

  “What about Mr. Canis?” Daphne asked.

  Sabrina could see the huge man tossing people aside and roaring. “I think he’s OK.”

  “Are we all here?” Granny asked.

  Sabrina scanned the crowd. “Where’s Ms. White?”

  In the chaos it was obvious that even a trained self-defense teacher like Snow could be seriously injured. Sabrina shouted at Puck. “Hey, dirtface. Find Snow White!”

  Puck nodded and zipped away. A moment later he was back. “I found her. She’s in trouble. Follow me!”

  The family raced after the flying boy. He took them a block away and down an alley. There they found Ms. White being dragged away by Bluebeard.

  “Leave her alone!” Daphne shouted as they approached.

  Bluebeard sneered. “You people run along. Snow and I are going to have a little talk about manners.”

  Snow punched him in the face and he fell backward, but he sprang back to his feet almost immediately. He wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled a dagger from his pocket. He ran the tip along Snow’s throat.

  “Stand back, folks. Let’s not get excited. I’d hate for someone to lose their head,” Bluebeard said. “Snow and I need to come to an understanding. I am a patient man but my patience has worn thin. I asked you out for a date and you rejected me. Do you know how that hurts?”

  “You disgust me!” Snow cried.

  “See what I mean? That’s just rude. I’m a very nice man, a pure gentleman, who wanted to take you out for dinner, and this is how you treat me.”

  Sabrina heard someone running toward them. She spun around to find Charming approaching from the main street.

  “Billy!” Snow cried.

  “Charming,” Bluebeard said. “Have they captured the Wolf yet?”

  “No, not yet,” Charming said.

  “I was just having a conversation with Snow about how to respect other people,” Bluebeard said.

  “I see. How is it going?”

  “Not well. I wanted to give your ex a chance to redeem herself. She’s no friend of the Hand, what with her relationship with these lousy Grimms. I had hoped that if she were to get involved with me, it might save her life when the Master rises.”

  “It’s hopeless,” Charming said. “I’ve tried.”

  “Billy, what are you saying?” Snow cried.

  Charming approached them and stared Snow hard in the face. “You’ve got yourself into another situation, Snow.”

  “William, you don’t mind if I have a little fun with her?” Bluebeard asked. “If you’re done with her like you say you are, then you won’t mind.”

  Charming was still, then he nodded.

  He turned to walk back to the riot, but in a flash there was a sword in his hand. He whipped around and plunged it into Bluebeard’s side. The villain collapsed with the blade still in him. Snow broke free of his grasp and stumbled away. Bluebeard reached out for her, but then his eyes closed and he was still.

  “I didn’t see that one coming,” Puck whispered to Sabrina.

  Snow was trembling when Charming pulled her to his side. “You hate me,” he said. “I get that. And I would apologize, but I can’t. I did all of this—the betrayal, the cruelty, joining this wretched Hand—I did it all to save your life.”

  Charming released her and turned to Granny. “Canis has fled.”

  “What? Where did he go?”

  “Robin told him about Hatchett. Canis was furious and he ran off,” he said. “Relda, he was injured and something inside snapped. I think the Wolf is finally in charge.”

  “Mom, if the Wolf gets to Hatchett before we do, he’ll kill him,” Uncle Jake said.

  Granny took Daphne’s hand. “Do you still have that kazoo?”

  The little girl nodded.

  “It might be our only chance.”

  A caravan of cars raced through the twisting country roads of Ferryport Landing. In the first, there was Sabrina, Puck, and Daphne in the back, with Granny, Uncle Jake, and Briar Rose squeezed into the front. The second was driven by Snow White with Prince Charming in the passenger seat; Little John and his wooden staff took up the backseat. The third car held the rest of the Merry Men.

  Uncle Jake pushed the family car to the limit. Driving around the block was more than the old car should have been able to take, but Jake managed to get the vehicle over the speed limit. Small flickers of flame flashed from under the hood. Sabrina tried not to notice. She suspected her uncle and grandmother were doing the same.

  Next to her Daphne held the kazoo. She turned it over and over, studying every part of it. Daphne caught her staring and mouthed that she was preparing herself. No one could have a conversation in the noisy car.

  Soon they found the entrance to Hatchettland. Uncle Jake slid into an empty parking spot and turned off the ignition. Everyone leaped out and gathered together.

  “Do you think we beat him here?” Robin asked.

  Somewhere down the path, Hatchett screamed and there was a terrible roar.

  “I wouldn’t bet money on it,” Puck said as he freed his sword. Then he turned and raced down the path. Everyone followed until they came to the ancient house. Once there, Sabrina could see the door had been ripped off its hinges and tossed aside.

  “Children, you are to keep your distance from Mr. Canis,” Granny said.

  “I came here to fight,” Puck complained.

  Granny ignored him. She turned to Daphne and smiled.

  “Are you ready?”

  Daphne held up the kazoo and nodded.

  Granny turned to the house and called out to Mr. Canis. There was no response, so she called out to the Wolf. A moment later, the hulking creature stomped through the doorway. He dragged a kicking and screaming Hatchett behind him.

  “Well, well, well,” the Wolf said. “If it isn’t everyone’s favorite family, the Grimms. And look, you’ve brought friends. Good, I’m famished.”

  “Let Hatchett go,” Granny begged.

  The Wolf laughed. “Relda, you really do make me laugh. You truly don’t understand me. I am a beast and I must do beastly things. You tried to help Canis keep me locked up. But I’m free now, no longer bound by the old man’s chains. I’m back in action and I’m eager to spill some blood.”

  “I know that Mr. Canis is still in there,” Granny said.

  The Wolf chuckled. “You’re right, Relda. If only you’d come closer, reach out to me, take my hand, maybe you could coax him out. Come on, give it a try. See what happens.”

  “Let the man go!” Robin Hood shouted. He had an arrow trained on the Wolf.

  Hatchett squealed and begged for someone to save him.

  “Can you believe this guy? He built this place to honor his bravery,” the Wolf said. “The brave hero who destroyed me is sobbing like a baby.”

  “Wolf, I’m going to give you one last chance to stop this now,” Granny said, sternly.

  The Wolf raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Relda, y
ou’re threatening me!”

  “I’m serious.”

  “We should talk about this,” the Wolf said, looking at Howard Hatchett. “Just let me finish my lunch.” He opened his jaws wide and bit down hard on Hatchett’s arm. The man cried out in agony.

  “Daphne, do it,” Granny said, as she stepped aside. Daphne placed the kazoo in her mouth and blew a long, fuzzy note. The wind appeared from nowhere, blasting through the surrounding trees and sending leaves and branches flying in all directions. The Wolf released Hatchett and glared at the little girl.

  “That belongs to me!” he growled and leaped forward. He was nearly on top of Daphne when Robin’s arrow sank into the Wolf’s arm. He howled in pain and pulled it out. He continued toward the little girl but was knocked to his knees when Little John pounded him on the back with his staff. Puck leaped into the air and landed on the Wolf’s shoulders, standing. With his sword he smacked the beast on the top of its head, and then he backflipped out of the way. None of this had much effect on the monster, and the beast lunged forward once again.

  This time the Wolf pinned Daphne to the ground. The little girl kept blowing into the kazoo, but the desired effect was either not working or taking too long. All Sabrina could think to do was jump on the Wolf’s back. She punched and kicked, driving her limbs into the monster’s tough hide with all she had. She could hear him laughing, maybe at her efforts but maybe also at the fear in Daphne’s face. He opened his mouth and revealed his horrid teeth and prepared to sink them into Sabrina’s sister when the wind wrapped around him. It was almost visible, the snakelike clinging. Once it was tightly around the monster it began to pull.

  The Wolf snarled and struggled as if he had gotten caught in a hunter’s trap. He cursed Daphne, bellowed threats, swore he’d tear her limb from limb, but the wind prevented him from harming her. Sabrina, too, was helpless in the blustery cage. She did her best to let go of the Wolf but she was firmly locked in the wind’s grip. And then the writhing shadow creature was pulled out of Canis. Like Red Riding Hood’s, it was horrible, but this one was more the shape of a wolf, snapping and spitting, with foam dripping from its jaws. It hovered above them, howling and screaming, helpless in the magic of the wind. Sabrina looked down and realized that she was no longer clinging to the Wolf. Lying on the ground beneath her was Mr. Canis. He was unconscious but breathing.

  “Sabrina, try to break free,” Granny cried, but nothing Sabrina did seemed to help. All she could do was look into the shadow creature’s terrible eyes. It howled in her face, and then she felt an odd sensation, as if the wind had blown through her, like it had seeped into her skin. The wind disappeared and all was calm. She looked around for the monster, hoping someone had captured it.

  “Where did it go?” she said, though her voice sounded odd, deep and scratchy. But the rest of her body felt wonderful—strong and fast and unstoppable. In fact, Sabrina had never felt as confident as she did at that moment. For the first time in a long time she wasn’t worried about monsters, villains, or lunatics. She didn’t fear surprise attacks or betrayal by people she trusted. In fact, she was eager for a confrontation.

  She wanted to share the feeling with her sister but the words were hard to find. Her thoughts were cloudy and complicated. She tried to say something but it came out sounding like a horrible, hungry laugh. She turned to Daphne. The little girl was undergoing her own transformation. A swirling black fog circled her body, blocking out most of her face. All Sabrina could see were the little girl’s eyes, like two brilliant suns.

  “Sabrina, you have to stop this!” Granny cried.

  Sabrina was confused. What did the old woman mean? She wasn’t doing anything wrong.

  “Sabrina, please! Don’t make me do this to you,” Daphne begged from behind the black fog.

  “What are you talking about?” Sabrina said, noticing the shiny toy in her sister’s hand.

  “You have to fight this!” Daphne said. “I know you are still in there. Don’t let him control you!”

  “Have you lost your mind? Why are you talking to me like this?” Sabrina asked. When no one replied, she realized that her words were only in her head.

  “Fight him, child,” a voice said from below, and Sabrina glanced down. Mr. Canis lay at her feet—old and withered, his body trapped in the clutches of a huge, fur-covered paw. It was squeezing the life from the old man’s chest. She cried out, hoping someone would help her pull her friend from its terrible grip, but her cries ceased when she realized the claws that were killing Mr. Canis were her own.

  She had become the Big Bad Wolf.

  She stomped into the house and found a dingy mirror on the wall. One look sent her into shock. Her whole body had been transformed. Her long blond hair was gone, replaced by thick, matted fur that covered her entire body. Her hands were huge and the fingers curled into horrible claws. She spun around and found a bushy tail behind her. It was insanity! How could this have happened? She roared angrily and then smashed the mirror in front of her.

  “I’ll fix this,” Daphne said from behind her. Sabrina turned to look at the little girl, unsure of who she was or what she wanted. Seeing her made Sabrina hungry. She imagined grabbing the girl and—no—she knew she had to fight her impulse but how could she? Her need, her hunger, was overwhelming.

  And then the wind returned and everything went black.

  When Sabrina awoke she was back to her normal self. She lay in the bed in the little wooden house that Red Riding Hood’s grandmother had slept in hundreds of years before. Standing near her was her family. Daphne was crying and wiping the tears on her sleeve. Mr. Canis was there, too. In his hand he held a glass mason jar. Inside, Sabrina could see a dark, black creature desperate to escape. Briar, Snow, and Charming were there, as well as Robin and Little John and the rest of the Merry Men.

  “How are you feeling, child?” Canis asked.

  “Normal,” Sabrina said, examining her arms to make sure they were free of fur.

  Canis chuckled. “It’s a wonderful feeling.”

  “Is it over?” she asked him.

  He nodded. “In a manner of speaking.”

  Granny Relda bent down and felt her forehead.

  “You’ve had quite a day,” the old woman said as the air filled with sirens.

  “Here comes Nottingham,” Robin said. “So are we decided?”

  Charming and Canis looked one another in the eye and then shook hands. “Yes,” they said.

  “What’s going on?” Sabrina said. Charming and Canis were usually bitter enemies.

  “I’m afraid that—after you and your family—we’ve become Ferryport Landing’s most wanted,” Charming said.

  “Right where we belong,” Little John bellowed.

  Canis smiled slightly. “We’re going to have to hide out for a while.”

  “There are places in the mountains where no one will find us,” Snow said.

  “You’re going, too?” Sabrina asked the teacher.

  Snow nodded, then turned to Charming. “Someone has to look after this bunch of troublemakers.”

  “I won’t be far,” Canis said to Granny.

  “I know, old friend.”

  One of the Merry Men raced into the room. “They’re coming down the path.”

  Canis finally turned to Puck. “You’re in charge, boy.”

  “Haven’t I always been?” Puck said.

  “Then we’re off,” Robin said. “Don’t worry, people. You’re going to like the forest.”

  The Merry Men, Charming, Snow White, and, finally, Mr. Canis left the shack. Canis turned back for one moment. “You say my name was Tobias Clay?”

  Sabrina nodded.

  “I’m very eager to get to know him,” he said, then he was gone.

  Nottingham dragged the family in for questioning, but after several hours he released them. Despite his anger he had no proof that anyone in the Grimm family had been responsible for freeing Canis, killing Bluebeard, or inciting the riot. Still, he made it c
lear that soon he would have all of them at the ends of nooses.

  Uncle Jake dropped Briar Rose off at her coffee shop and promised to call later. She smiled and whispered something into his ear. He grinned like a child on Christmas morning and watched her walk away.

  “What did she say?” Daphne asked.

  “She said she is in love with me.”

  “Barf!” Puck cried.

  When they pulled into the driveway, Sabrina was startled to see Nurse Sprat standing on the front porch.

  “Nurse Sprat,” Granny cried when she got out of the car. “We’re very sorry we’re late. We were detained by the sheriff.”

  Nurse Sprat was finishing off a meatball sandwich and seemed quite content. “No problem, Mrs. Grimm. I hope you aren’t in any trouble.”

  “Trouble is practically our middle name,” Granny said.

  “I brought the girl. She’s around here somewhere—oh, here she comes,” Sprat said, gesturing to the side of the house. There, Sabrina was shocked to see Red Riding Hood bounding around the corner with Elvis in tow.

  “Is this your doggie?” Red asked. “He’s so much fun.”

  Elvis licked the girl happily.

  “What is she doing here?” Sabrina asked.

  Granny knelt down to eye level with Red. “She’s coming to stay with us.”

  “What!”

  “Mr. Canis asked us to look after her while he’s away, and I think it’s a wonderful idea. Red needs some friends while she works on her memory.”

  Red smiled at the girls.

  “But she tried to kill us,” Sabrina said.

  “Sabrina, don’t hold a grudge.”

  Granny gave Red Mr. Canis’s bedroom and promised that she would take the child shopping the next day for some more modern clothing. Sabrina followed her sister up to their room, tired as a dog, but Daphne did not enter the room. She went into Granny’s and closed the door. It broke Sabrina’s heart. Winning her sister’s respect back was going to take a lot of work.