“This guy sure does love himself,” Little John said as he and Robin got out of their car.
“He’s the idol of millions, remember?” Sabrina said sarcastically.
“How do we get in?” Puck asked.
Uncle Jake pointed to a path with a sign above it that read THIS WAY TO THE SCENE OF THE CRIME!
The group followed the path until they came to a gate with several turnstile entrances. To the right was a store. A sign above it read the big bad gift shop. Sabrina spotted movement through one of the store’s windows and led everyone inside. Her entrance triggered a mechanical wolf’s howl that came from a dusty speaker mounted above the door. A pimply faced teenager behind the counter put down his handheld video game and approached the group. When he reached them, Sabrina noticed he was wearing a hat with big wolf ears on it.
“Welcome to Hatchettland,” he said in a well-rehearsed voice. “Are you here to visit the museum or just stopping by to stock up on all our popular Woodcutter-brand products like our gourmet Woodcutter Wasabi?”
“Actually, we were hoping we could have a word with Mr. Hatchett himself,” Granny said.
“He’s down at the house,” the teenager said.
“The house?” Sabrina asked.
“It’s at the end of the path. If you want to see him, you have to buy tickets.”
Granny sighed but purchased enough tickets to get everyone into the park. Once past the turnstiles they saw a sign that read WHERE IT ALL HAPPENED. GRANNY’S HOUSE! They hurried down a dirt path surrounded by forest. As they walked, speakers attached to trees told the story of Little Red Riding Hood and how Hatchett’s bravery had saved her life and the lives of countless others. The speakers crackled loudly, giving Sabrina a major headache.
At the end of the path there was a small wooden shack with a brick chimney. It looked rundown and drafty, with broken windows and vines growing up the walls to the roof. At odds with its appearance was the bright, blinking neon sign above its door that read GRANNY’S HOUSE.
“What’s this?” Sabrina asked.
Hatchett stepped through the front door. He looked startled to find the group waiting for him, but he quickly composed himself and gestured at the meager building.
“This is the house,” Hatchett announced.
“What house?”
“The house. This is where it all happened. This is Red Riding Hood’s grandmother’s house.”
“You built a model of it?” Uncle Jake asked.
“No, this is the actual house. I had it disassembled and shipped piece by piece to Ferryport Landing,” he said.
“Whatever for?” Granny asked.
“’Cause this is a bona fide, moneymaking tourist attraction. Do you know how many people know the story of Red Riding Hood? People read about it in every nation of the world and there are a lot of them that would pay a pretty penny to visit the actual place. Want to go inside?”
Sabrina wasn’t sure. If the stories were true, then horrible things had happened inside the little shack. It gave her chills just thinking about it, but Hatchett wouldn’t take no for an answer. He opened the door and urged everyone to come inside.
The house was one room with a dirt floor. There was a crude table and a chair in the corner and a small bed on the other side of the room. A dressing gown lay on a tattered quilt on the bed. The fireplace was ablaze and a cast-iron pot hung above the flames. Other than the fire, the room was dark, and the firelight created shadows that slithered along the walls. Sabrina was completely unnerved. She imagined she heard distant screams echoing around the room, until she realized the screams were real and coming from a speaker in the corner of the room.
“Every time I come in here, it’s like I’m transported to that day,” Hatchett said.
“Good to know,” Little John said. “’Cause we’ve got some questions about it.”
“I’ve said all I’m going to say on this matter. If you want to know more, you can read my book. It’s called Facing the Fangs: One Man’s Journey into the Jaws of Death. It’s for sale in the gift shop. It got a starred review from Publishers Weekly.”
“Congratulations,” Robin Hood said. “But we don’t have time to read your book. A man’s life is in jeopardy.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Hood.” Hatchett said. “I wish I could give you details, but the truth is it was a very long time ago. All that I really remember is that it changed me into the man I am today. When you become a hero, the little things just aren’t that important.”
“I had a feeling you would say that,” Granny said. “Children, would you like to step outside and get some air?”
Sabrina recognized the code the group had worked out beforehand. It was time to get down to business and Puck couldn’t have been more excited. He dragged the girls out of the shack and closed the door behind him.
“Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy! This is going to be so much fun!” Puck shouted.