Fairy Tale Friday--Rotkappchen '65 (Anneliese Meinert, 1965)

Hello and welcome to Fairy tale Friday. Are you sitting comfortably? Good. then I'll begin.

For the last few weeks we have looked at funny versions of Little Red Riding Hood. This week is also a funny version, but with a more modern, sexualised tone written by German author Anneliese Meinert. Earlier versions of this tale were very sexually suggestive in nature, but more as a warning against immoral behaviour in women. This is a tale that seems to reclaim the sexuality of our protagonist who has a devil-may-care attitude as she speeds along at 100 miles per hour in the car with Hans Hunter, drinking the whisky that was meant for Grandma and nearly running over Mr Wolf.  

Rotkappchen '65 (Little Red Cap '65)

“LITTLE RED CAP,” the mother said, “I've prepared a basket for granny. Cake and whisky. I've got to rush to an appointment, so be nice and bring it to her.”

Little Red Cap was not too happy about this. She had a date. But since she was a friendly person, she growled, “Give it to me.” Little Red Cap jumped into her sports car. She zoomed through the woods.

Though the road was not a highway, there was so little traffic that one could speed. Past the trees. Past the warning signs with silhouettes of a­nimals marked on them. A grey shadow stood on the side and signalled to hitch a ride. Nothing doing!

Granny didn’t seem to be particularly pleased by the visit. “You’ve come at a bad time, my child. I have a bridge party. And what’s gotten into your mother's head anyway? Cake and whisky! I’m on a diet. I’ve got to take off a few pounds. Get that stuff out of here before I’m  tempted.”

“Yes, Granny.” Little Red Cap grabbed the little basket which she had put on the table. Then she asked: “Granny, how come you have such sparkling eyes?”

“So that I can see you better,” Granny laughed. “Contact lenses. They’re much better than glasses.”

“How come you wear such big ear-rings?”

“So that I can hear you better. This is the latest invention. The hear­ing aids are built into the ear-clips.”

Now Little Red Cap laughed, too. “Granny, your mouth is un­usual.” “That’s so I can eat you better! No, that’s not it. I’ve got new dentures. The dentist made them so that the corner of my mouth won’t hang. But I don’t want to detain you any longer, my child....”

Little Red Cap hopped into her car and drove off. Her young friend Hunter waited at the usual time. “Late,” he muttered as he climbed in. “Where were you fooling around so long?”

“I wasn’t. I was at Granny’s. And, if you don’t believe me – there’s the little basket she gave me.”

Hans Hunter opened the bottle of whisky. “You didn’t meet a soul?” he asked as he took a hefty swig.

“Oh, just old Mr. Wolf. He wanted to hitch a ride, and I almost ran him over.”

“Mmmmm good,” mumbled Hans, for he had his mouth full of cake. They drove over the highway and through the woods. They didn’t notice the flowers growing alongside the road or  the ones which were prettier and further in under the trees. Nor had Little Red Cap noticed them before when she had been alone in the car. How could she, especially when one is going a hundred miles an hour!

Stay tuned next week for a tale of werewolves, transformations and swirling cloak of scarlet velvet.