Once upon a time there was a child named Red, who had their grandmother’s love.

 

Both remember the first time grandmother held them. They have been bonded since.

 

Grandmother lived in the woods a few miles away from Red.

 

One day Red’s mother said,

 

“Your grandmother is sick. We don’t know why. What we do know is: if this sickness is not taken seriously it could be devastating. Please take this basket of goodies to her.”

 

“I will take these items with great care,” said Red and off they went.

 

Soon after Red entered the forest, a wolf snuck up behind them.

 

Red, startled, caught their breath and said hello.

 

Red felt something; something stirring inside that did not feel comfortable.

 

“Where are you going?” asked Wolf.

 

“To my grandmother’s.”

 

“What have you got in your basket?”

 

“Some goodies to make my grandmother well again.”

 

They walked together for a short time and came upon a meadow of herbs, wild flowers, fungus, and lichens. The Wolf said, “Look at all those weeds.”

 

Red looked around and said, “Yeah, weeds!” but felt something drop in their belly. Wolf proceeded to share that this land would soon become a soybean farm.

 

Red took another moment and looked again and became confused by the idea of “weeds.” What decides whether something is a weed or not? they thought.

 

As they looked at the meadow a bit longer they began to see life, medicine, and interdependency. They proceeded to pick some flowering herbs for their grandmother to make her a nosegay.

 

While Red was gathering, Wolf ran to Grandmother’s house and knocked at the door.

 

“Who is there?” asked Grandmother.

 

“Red,” replied the Wolf. “I have a basket of goodies from Mother.”

 

“Lift the latch,” called out Grandmother, “I am too weak, and cannot get up.”

 

The Wolf lept in and devoured grandmother in one gulp.

 

He put on her clothes, bed cap, and laid in her bed.

 

At this time, Red arrived and was surprised to find the cottage door open.

 

Red called out, “Good morning!” They were very excited to spend time with their grandmother.

 

They had been on quite the journey and wanted to share their experiences. But there was no response.

 

They walked slowly to the bed and drew back the blankets. There lay their grandmother with her cap pulled over her face…and looking odd.

 

“Oh, Grandmother,” they said, “what big ears you have.” “The better to listen to white nationalism with, my child.”

 

“But, Grandmother, what big eyes you have.”

 

“The better to envision a world of purity with, my dear.”

 

“But, Grandmother, what large hands you have.”

 

“The better to control and manipulate the systems with, my dear.”

 

“Oh, but, Grandmother, what a terrible big mouth you have.”

 

“The better to sermonize lies under the name of God, my dear.”

 

And with that, Wolf leapt out of bed and swallowed Red.

 

When Wolf had appeased his greed, he laid down again and fell into a deep sleep.

 

Meanwhile, outside, a Hunter of Justice, Reparations, and Equity was passing along and thought to herself, how is the old woman? I will say hello.

 

The Hunter, with her keen skills, went into the cottage and saw the Wolf – not Grandmother – in the bed. The Hunter with elation said, “I have long sought you, Wolf. You and everything you represent must die.”

 

Then, just as the Hunter was going to strike, she saw Wolf’s unusually bulging belly. The Hunter wondered if Wolf might have devoured Grandmother.

 

The Hunter grabbed her knife, slit the stomach, removed Grandmother and then, to her surprise, a child too: Red.

 

They were both alive!

 

Red said, “Oh how frightened I have been. While inside the Wolf’s belly I saw and understood what I never have before. I saw all the ways whiteness has been destroying the land and the people, especially People of Color.”

 

Grandmother was barely able to breathe. She had longed for this moment – to not be alone – for Red to join her in addressing this inequity. She was catching her breath with feelings of hope.

 

Red now understood why Grandmother was sick. Sick from the toxicity of being part of the people who stole the land and perpetuated the violence of genocide and centuries of forced, murderous, enslaved labor. Sick from mono-crops and the destruction of the land.

 

Red ran outside and fetched stones.

 

Together they filled the Wolf’s belly with rocks.

 

When the Wolf awoke, he tried to run but the stones were so heavy he collapsed and fell dead.

 

All three were delighted.

 

The Hunter built a fire and together they burned down:

the lies

the violence

the abuse

the greed

the disconnection to interdependence

 

and from the ashes,

 

transformational justice and reparations arose.