Red Hood
Page 24
We are the ones who swing the ax, stained with wolf blood, to break the pond’s thin ice. We are the ones who wait and watch and listen as the ice groans, as the crack spreads and fragments and reaches out like fingers, like memories, like hope. We are the ones who strip bare, who tread into frigid water, who swim our shared burden out as far as we can bear, our bodies shivering so violently that our teeth slam together, we are the ones who almost seize with cold.
We are the ones who release him, who paddle in place as the water reaches up and claims him, who watch as he sinks to the murky depths that will keep him.
We are the ones who swim to shore, who stumble from the water, who shiver on the bank, who rub each other dry. We are the ones who go, arms wrapped around one another, away from the water, away from what is beneath it, and we are the ones who don’t look back.
We are the ones.
We are one.
Acknowledgments
“The witch who works with the hands only is a laborer;
the witch who works with the hands and the head is a crafts witch;
the witch who works with the hands, head, and heart is an artist.”
In their original form, these words were written by trial lawyer and author Louis Nizer in his book Between You and Me:
“A man who works with his hands is a laborer;
a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman;
but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist.”
But we can only wonder where Mr. Nizer may have found the spark of inspiration for his words, the sources he borrowed and built on.
All of writing—all of living—is an act of creative comingling. My stories come from the novels, poetry, and art I’ve absorbed, as well as the people I’ve interacted with throughout my life.
If I work alone, I labor alone; if I acknowledge that my work is not singular, but woven together with the work of others, then, perhaps, I (we) can create art.
Red Hood was not a singular creation. Most notably, I am indebted to my friend Martha Brockenbrough, my sister Mischa Kuczynski, and my editor, Jordan Brown, all of whom read dozens of drafts and offered suggestions, criticisms, queries, and even some killer lines. Thank you.
I’m glad for the friendship of Amber Keyser, who offered keen insight on an early draft, and Brandy Colbert, the first “fresh” reader of this book in its final form. And Ronda Rabe, thank you for suggesting the title.
I’m indebted to the team at Balzer + Bray, who helped turn my story into a book: Tiara Kittrell, whose notes on an early draft were invaluable; Alessandra Balzer and Donna Bray, who have given this book such a wonderful home; Megan Gendell and Renée Cafiero and their eagle eyes; designer Chris Kwon and art director Alison Donalty; and, again, my editor, Jordan Brown, as he deserves double thanks for this one.
I’m grateful, always, to Rubin Pfeffer, my agent and my friend.
And, as always, I need to thank my beautiful little family—Keith, Max, and Davis. Our family, made together, is my favorite creation.
About the Author
Photo by Davis Arnold
ELANA K. ARNOLD is the author of critically acclaimed and award-winning young adult novels and children’s books, including the Printz Honor winner Damsel and the National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of. Several of her books are Junior Library Guild selections and have appeared on many best books lists, including the Amelia Bloomer Project, a catalog of feminist titles for young readers. Elana teaches in Hamline University’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program and lives in Southern California with her family and a menagerie of pets. You can visit her online at www.elanakarnold.com.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
Books by Elana K. Arnold
What Girls Are Made Of
Infandous
A Boy Called Bat
Bat and the Waiting Game
Bat and the End of Everything
Damsel
Red Hood
The House That Wasn’t There
The Blood Years
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Copyright
Balzer + Bray is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
RED HOOD. Copyright © 2020 by Elana K. Arnold. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
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Cover art © 2020 by Vault49
Cover design by Chris Kwon
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Digital Edition FEBRUARY 2020 ISBN: 978-0-06-274237-7
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-274235-3
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2021222324PC/LSCH10987654321
FIRST EDITION
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