Once Upon A Dystopia: An Anthology of Twisted Fairy Tales and Fractured Folklore

by Heather Carson

  Without a sound to alarm them, Hannah suddenly feels a pair of hands grasp her shoulders, causing her to jump. Her sudden movement startles the other two as well and they all turn their back on the unspoiled image. To their surprise, Tommy stands behind them with an angered expression.

  “Where in the hell were you guys? You had us worried sick!” he spits at them.

  Hannah twists her head, looking for sun. It has completely set and darkness fills the forest. She turns back to the homestead, wondering how the time faded so quickly. Tommy follows her glance and is too, pulled in by its beauty.

  “Food,” Nikki happily sighs as she pushes past the immobilized children.

  “Wait,” Tommy says, snapping his arm in front of her to block her forward motion. He nods his head, gesturing to the house.

  “So?” Nikki scoffs. “It’s dark. We won’t get caught.”

  “We don’t know that,” Tommy remarks, relaxing his arm to his side. “It’s impossible to tell what kind of precautions the people who live here have taken.”

  “For all we know,” Riley interjects, “they have poisoned some of the food so that those who steal some will die.”

  “You’re being dramatic,” Hannah mocks. “If anything, they probably have traps set up, just waiting to capture us. There is no way they would ruin good food. Not with how scarce it is.”

  “It doesn’t seem that scarce to them,” Dexter adds, still longingly looking at the garden.

  “We will be quick, in and out. Plus there are seven of us! I’m sure we outnumber them,” Grayson says excitedly.

  “There is enough food here to feed maybe… ten grown adults for the season,” Emma says. “Plus, they may have livestock somewhere too. It’s hard to say how many people live here.”

  “There is no way more than three adults could fit into that small house,” Nikki contests, gesturing to the small shelter.

  “And seven of us managed to fit into a deer’s bedding,” Hannah snickers. “I think it’s too risky. We will find more food. We always do.”

  “We won’t take much!” Dexter says in a panicked voice. “And just from the edges! We don’t have to go near the house. I promise we won’t be greedy!”

  “It’s not about greed,” Tommy sighs, looking longingly at the ripe vegetation. “It’s about safety.”

  “So, it's safe to starve to death?” Nikki asks in a sarcastic tone.

  “We don’t know these woods or this land. We don’t know what kind of people or how many live here. These people could be dangerous and we have no weapons to protect ourselves. It’s not safe because there are too many unknowns,” Tommy says, annoyed.

  “I don’t mind sharing a little,” a frail voice calls from the dark. The children have been too caught up in their bickering to notice the man who was slowly closing in on them.

  They all quickly turn their bodies to face the man. “Stay back!” Hannah yells at the man in a shaking voice.

  “Oh I’m sure you all could outrun me if you needed,” he says, first chuckling, and then coughing. “I’m an old man out here by myself. You all are more than welcome to take some provisions with you. I have more than I need.”

  The moon cast only a bit of light on the encounter. The age of the man could not be well seen, but what could be distinguished was his hunched posture balancing on a wooden stick beside him. His baggy clothes and untamed hair seemed to float with the small breeze.

  “It’s much too cold to be outside tonight,” the man adds when the children remain silent. “Come, join me in my cabin. In return for my hospitality, you can help me in my preparations for the winter.” The man turns from them and begins scooting his way back toward his home.

  All seven of the children stand still, frozen in confusion and dazed by the kindness of the man. Emma slowly leans over to Tommy and whispers, “What should we do?”

  “I….” Tommy begins, trying to quickly think.

  “I think we fill our stomachs!” Nikki starts to follow the slow man.

  “We can’t just go with him!” Hannah spits at Nikki, grabbing her shirt and yanking her back.

  “He said he lives here all alone and is old. We could easily overtake him!” Nikki pulls herself free of Hannah’s grasp.

  “And we are going to trust an adult, just like that?” Emma asks.

  “He has plenty of food for himself! He doesn’t need to eat us!” Nikki gestures to the garden.

  “Need and want are two very different things,” Tommy adds, still unsure.

  “Then let's take a vote!” Grayson suggests catching everyone off guard.

  “This is about safety. A vote is juvenile. Plus-” Hannah’s words are cut off by Nikki.

  “No! We should vote! You older kids always push us around. We should get a say in what we do. We are a team,” Nikki says. Before anyone else can say anything, she continues, “Who wants to eat?” Grayson, Riley, Dexter, and Nikki all shoot their hands into the cool air.

  “Let’s just grab some food and run,” Emma suggests. “He said so himself that he couldn’t catch us.”

  “Now you want to steal the food,” Nikki rolls her eyes and sighs. “I thought we were ‘better’ than the adults. Is it really right to steal from this old man?”

  Dexter faces the older kids, “You guys always say how morals should stay intact even when it comes to survival. What has suddenly changed your minds?”

  “Staying alive!” Hannah says.

  “Now you sound just like the adults…” Nikki says in disgust turning away from them. “I’m eating and helping this man. Both parties get what they need and I see nothing wrong with that.” Riley, Dexter, and Grayson slowly follow Nikki and quickly catch up to the slow-moving man.

  “What do we do?” Emma asks Tommy and Hannah.

  “We stick together I guess,” Tommy sighs as he, too, follows the man back toward the cabin. “But keep your guard up. As you both know, we are never truly safe.”

  ***

  “This is it,” the old man says wearily, opening his cabin door. The old man’s hobbles didn’t keep a fast pace and the children felt as if he was torturing them as they were forced to slowly walk past all the vegetation without touching it.

  The man climbs his front step with effort and invites all seven of them inside. The cabin is only one room holding his dining area, bed, kitchen, and closet. The space is crammed with all of them inside, but with some shifting, they are able to shut the door.

  “Please, sit,” the man says as he bobs over to his lit stove. He holds his right hip as if it causes him pain.

  The children glance around the room, trying to find a place to sit. Emma, Tommy, and Riley sit on the bed. It looks big enough to sleep a few adults, but the mattress is old and stained and smells of sweat. Tommy is too alert to notice the odor as he keeps his eyes locked on the man.

  Nikki, Grayson, and Hannah sit at the homemade stools around the small dining table while Dexter leans against the closed wardrobe. “Why do you have three stools if you live alone?” Tommy asks sternly. Riley elbows Tommy in the side and gives a wide smile.

  “Don’t mind him,” Riley quickly states. “He is just nosey. You don’t have to explain yourself.”

  “Oh, it’s okay child,” the man replies with a shaking voice. He takes the lid off a large pot that sits on the stove and steam wafts into the room. The smell of cooking soup makes the mouths of the children begin to water, even Tommy can feel the salvia accumulating in his cheeks. He swallows it hard, trying to stay focused.

  “I didn’t always live alone,” the man explains, stirring his concoction. “Though, it has been a long time since then.”

  “Then why keep the seats?” Tommy asks, not letting the man down easy. Nikki turns from the table and gives him an angry glare, which Tommy ignores.

  “I just couldn’t bring myself to get rid of their seats,” the man responds. “Now, I don’t have enough bowls for everyone, but between what I have and the cups, hopefully you all get your own serving
. I don’t have much made as I was unaware company was coming, but I can always whip up more if you stay a while.” The man begins spooning the hot liquid into various containers.

  “Why did you invite us in?” Tommy asks sternly, still wary of the man's intentions.

  The man doesn’t stop scooping soup as he says, “I’m an old man and my days are numbered. I am well aware of the wolves that prowl in the city. We have fewer savages out here, but they still exist.” The man puts the lid back on the pot and opens up a sealed jar. He removes what looks like shredded purple petals and places them in each of the servings. “I haven't always been so kind to those traveling, even children, but if there is such a thing as the afterlife, maybe I can make up for some of the bad I have done.”

  “What kind of bad?” Tommy asks, genuinely curious. Riley hits him hard with her elbow before she stands up beside the man.

  “Here, let me help you, you have done enough already.” She grabs a few of the containers and begins passing them out to the children. Except for Tommy and Hannah, all of the children eagerly accept their servings.

  The younger ones don’t wait for everyone to be served before they begin slurping their food, not bothering to chew the larger chunks of vegetables.

  “Why the petals?” Hannah asks the man as she and Tommy look at each other.

  “I’m all out of seasonings, the petals help counter the bitter taste of the vegetables,” the man states as he waddles over to the front door. Hannah continues to watch Tommy as the other children happily finish their servings. “You all seem mighty hungry. I’ll go pick some more vegetables and another pail of water to get another pot going.” He smiles and exits, closing the door behind him.

  “See? Nothing to worry about,” Nikki says with a smile on her face.

  “I’m still not sure,” Hannah says poking at the purple petals floating among the chopped carrots and potatoes in her cup.

  “Well I am,” Grayson says as he takes the cup from Hannah and begins to chug her serving. “What? he asks when she glares at him. “I’m not letting it go to waste. Plus, he said he was going to make more.”

  “Yeah,” Hannah responds as she looks back to Tommy who hasn’t touched his cup either.

  “Will you two stop it?” Riley yells at Hannah and Tommy. “You are both so ungrateful! This man opened his home to us, fed us, and even left us alone with his things. He obviously trusts us, why can’t you trust him?”

  “And doesn’t that seem odd to you?” Tommy hands his cup to Emma to finish. She gladly takes it and begins slowly sipping the broth. “He says he is old and frail. If you were that vulnerable, why would you allow seven children into your home? We could easily just kill him and take all of his stuff.”

  “Because he is trying to be a better person,” Dexter says with a yawn as he slides down the wardrobe and sits on the floor. “I wish others in this world would act like him.”

  “That’s my point,” Tommy says. “No one else in the world is like that and I don’t think he is an exception. I don’t understand why you are all quick to trust him.”

  “Because he can’t overpower us,” Nikki says, laying her head back and closing her eyes. “We outnumber him and honestly, just one of us could overpower him.”

  “Maybe that’s what he wants us to think,” Hannah says, agreeing with Tommy. “You know the adults are always coming up with new ways to capture us.”

  “But he isn’t an adult,” Emma says, laying down on the bed and looking up at the ceiling. “He is a sad old man who just wants to redeem himself. I’m more than happy to help him with that.” Her eyes slowly close as she speaks.

  “I think Hannah is right,” Tommy states. “You know we have tried to protect you from a lot of things, and we have. There are some things we haven’t told you because you don’t need to know, but I don’t think anyone left in the world has good intentions.”

  “Like what?” Grayson asks, setting his head on the table.

  “Like how death may not come quick if we are captured,” Hannah blurts out, frustrated with the group. Tommy gives her a worried expression. “What?” She throws her hands up in the air as she stands. “Obviously they have no clue what true horrors await us if we don’t survive this! Maybe it’s time we stop protecting them.”

  “Okay,” Tommy sighs. “Maybe you are right. Look guys, the adults don’t just hunt you down to kill you, the meat spoils too quickly. What they do is much worse than just cannibalism, they torture you. They chain you up and slowly peel away your flesh until you finally die. It can take weeks for you to die. And that’s if-“

  “Tommy?” Hannah interrupts his speech with a worried tone.

  “What?” he asks, slightly annoyed.

  “I think everyone is…” Hannah walks over to Nikki and lifts her arm in the air. She releases her grip as Nikki’s arm hits the table with the full force of gravity behind it. “Dead?” Hannah can barely choke out the words.

  “No!” Tommy says, quickly going over to Emma on the bed. He violently shakes her, but she doesn’t respond. He places his head on her chest. “She’s breathing!”

  “So is Grayson!” Hannah exclaims as she listens to Grayson’s deep breaths. “So what?” Hannah asks. “They are all just asleep?”

  “The soup had something to do with this.” Tommy looks at Hannah. “I knew that purple flower was added for a reason. This was the only way he could take us all out at once.”

  “What are we going to do? We can’t just leave them and he will be back soon.” Hannah begins to panic.

  “I have an idea, but you’re not going to like it,” Tommy says.

  ***

  “I told you I’d get them all,” the man chuckles as he enters the cabin once again. He is no longer hobbling or limping, instead he takes large strides and stomps his strong feet on the floorboards.

  “And where do you suggest we keep them all?” a woman’s voice asks in a low tone.

  “I’ll take care of it, don’t worry dear. Now we will have plenty of food for the winter. You’ll be nice and strong when it comes time to push out the new baby.” He rubs the woman’s swollen tummy.

  “What will we tell little Georgey and Ashley when they ask where the meat came from?” she whispers hesitantly.

  “We will deal with that when the time comes. All that matters is that our family will be well fed. We can’t just live off of vegetables much longer. We are all getting too weak,” he sighs as he caresses his wife in a hug. “Now, take the kids to the small shelter south of here and don’t come back until morning. I’ll take care of everything.” He kisses her head and leads her outside to their children who are waiting.

  “We are going to let our new friends rest here tonight,” the man explains to his kids. “We have done our part to help them and they will be on their way in the morning. Just in case they cause a scene, I want you guys to go with your mother to the little shack by the pond. I need you all safe.”

  “But what about you, Daddy? Will you be safe?” the young girl asks her father.

  “Of course, my love,” he says, hugging her. “Now go and protect each other.” The three members of his family leave into the night. Once they are completely out of sight, the man goes back into the cabin.

  He closes the door and lets out a large sigh of relief. All seven of the kids are fast asleep and won’t wake up for a few hours. He cracks his knuckles and decides to start with the small male on the floor. The man grunts as he squats down and places his arms in and around the armpits of the young boy. He lifts with his legs, until he is standing straight up and begins to drag the body, trying to rotate it so he can easily get them both out of the door.

  Before he can take his second step, a large object comes down on the back of his head. The man falls to the ground, dropping the body in the process. He quickly gains his composure and stands back up as blood trickles down his forehead. A second blow comes down hard and dazes him as pieces of a wooden stool fall at his feet.

  “Grab a
nother!” Tommy yells to Hannah who quickly pushes Nikki’s body off of her chair, causing her to thud on the floor.

  “Sorry,” she whispers to her friend as she quickly hands the stool to Tommy. He lifts the stool high in the air and comes down hard on the man’s skull, causing it to crack. The man falls to his knees before slamming face first on the floor. A small pool of blood begins to form around his head.

  “Is he dead?” Hannah asks Tommy.

  He leans down close to the man to examine him. “No, he is still alive, though I’m not sure how long that will last.”

  “We need to get out of here,” Hannah says, panicking at the sight of the bloody body.

  “We can’t leave until the others wake up,” Tommy says. “Plus, I’m not done with him.”

  “What do you mean?” Hannah asks with a worried expression.

  “Did you hear him speak to his wife? They have plenty of food here and yet, they still wanted to harvest our bodies! He deserves to die and so does his family!” Tommy’s eyes are filled with anger and rage.

  “No, we are better than them,” Hannah says with a stern voice. “We will take what we need and continue on our way. I refuse to eat another human no matter how awful they may be. We will learn to survive off a garden. We can plant seeds once we find a safer place and start our own, safe community. I want to be better,” Hannah’s eyes fill with tears.

  “I didn’t say we should eat him,” Tommy says with a mischievous grin. “Instead, we should thank him for his hospitality and give him a full stomach just like he wanted.”

  ***

  The next morning the mother and her two children return to the cabin. Many of the crops have been picked clean and trampled in the dirt. They quickly run to the front door and notice it is wide open. The place has been ransacked, cleared of most of their limited resources. And there, on the bed sits the man. His head is covered in blood and his stomach has been cut open from the ribs all the way down to his pelvis. His intestines, stomach, and other organs lay beside him. Large rocks fill the empty cavity inside the dead man. No one is around to hear the cries of his family.