Red Riding Hood, Dad and I

In Taipei, Taiwan, there was a wild waterfowl habitat in Tianmu. When I was four, my father would take me to this neighborhood wetland after work. There, he taught me how to use telescopes and identify wild egret. Three years later, this lush habitat was developed into Tianmu Baseball Stadium.

When I ran away as a teenager, I like to hide inside this park, which held memories with my dad. I fantasized that I was the red riding hood in the fairy tale, hiding from the big bad wolf. I spent many nights in the closed spiral slide and dreamed. In my dream, I was a tiny girl with telescopes in a flowing marsh land.

I understand the girl in the fairy tale now. Why did she wear a bright red cloth in forest. She was not hiding from the wolf. She was hoping to be found by her father.