Red Riding Hood - Chapter 2
Meanwhile, the facade of the temple was adorned with vivid carvings of beasts that represented the deity they worshipped and the followers who served it.
The grand entrance below these carvings appeared to be a gateway leading into a world of monsters. A steady stream of visitors passed through its doors.
However, Cinq, the Red Riding Hood, could not enter through the temple’s main gate.
She continued walking along the tall stone wall surrounding the temple. As the wall grew lower, a graveyard appeared to her left. Soon, she arrived at the temple’s back door.
Standing before the low wooden sliding door that connected to the temple’s backyard, Cinq pulled the rope of a small, rusted bell installed there. The bell creaked and emitted a dull, clanging sound.
After ringing the bell, Cinq remained still, gazing up at the gray temple.
The gray temple was the tallest building in Mindie. Similarly, the temple’s priest, White Goat, was the highest-ranking figure in the village.
Soon, the back door of the temple opened, and White Goat appeared, dressed in pristine white priestly robes.
Like the other residents of Mindie, he had a human body clad in spotless white, but where his head should have been, there was the head of a white goat.
He carried wine and cheese in his hands, and even those hands, gripping the items, were dazzlingly white.
A smile spread across White Goat’s elongated snout as he noticed Cinq.
“Cinq, welcome. I’ve been expecting you.”
Cinq looked up blankly at the approaching White Goat.
He was already towering in height, but the large, claw-like horns on his head made him appear even taller, like a tree reaching the sky.
Standing on the boundary between the temple and the outside world, White Goat beckoned her closer with a wave of his hand.
Cinq, holding her basket defensively, approached cautiously. With a faint smile, White Goat placed the wine and cheese he carried into her basket.
“Here, wine and cheese. This batch of cheese is especially good, so I prepared a little extra. You can eat it as it is or pair it with honey.”
Cinq nodded silently.
White Goat slowly reached out and lightly touched her cheek with his fingertips.
“My sweet Cinq. My sinful purity, my chaste harlot.”
The moment his hand touched her, Cinq froze completely.
He was a noble figure, and his touch was always soft and gentle. Yet, like with the other residents of Mindie, she was terrified of him.
She wanted to retreat, but White Goat was essentially the king of this small village. Cinq dared not defy him.
As he stroked her cheek with his fingers, he whispered in a low voice,
“I will be the first to remove your red hood.”
His breath carried the hollow scent of cold ashes and the sickly odor of rotting, damp meat.
“It enrages me that someone like Vinya, that insolent brothel keeper, dares to use you in her sordid dealings.”
His voice was as soft and tempting as a feather.
“But, Cinq, you have nothing to worry about. I am very gentle.”
When White Goat finally released her, Cinq let out an involuntary sigh of relief, her tension melting away.
Clutching her basket tightly, she stepped back hesitantly. White Goat watched her retreat with a brief smile and bid her farewell.
“Take care, Cinq. Beware of the wolf.”
Cinq lowered her head silently in response and turned to leave.
She passed the graveyard and made her way back to Old Vinya’s house, deep in the forest far from the village.
The evening sunset shining through the withered trees disappeared too quickly. In its place came an unwelcome guest—darkness, which rose from its crouch in the forest and chased after her.
The darkness, which had been playfully tugging at her hem from behind, soon surged ahead and waved its arms to snuff out even the faintest light.
Though Cinq quickened her pace, she could not outrun the darkness.
The unruly king of the night expanded swiftly, draping the entire forest in an oppressive curtain. Not a single star could be seen in the sky.
A cold, dry wind howled behind her, screaming as it pursued her. It surged through the dead trees like a wave, shaking the branches so violently they seemed ready to snap.
The wind, though too preoccupied to harm her directly, still made Cinq’s small frame sway perilously with each gust.
Hunched and bracing herself, she walked through the wind, when suddenly, the sound of a wolf’s howl echoed from somewhere nearby, striking her ears.
