by Joseph Anderson

Callisto, Xena and all elements from the TV show Xena: Warrior Princess belong to MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. Jilly belongs to me. No copyright infringement is intended with this fan fiction which may not be sold, may be copied for personal use only, and must contain all notices of copyright.

This story refers to characters and the relationship from my stories Callisto: Child's Play and Where Everybody Knows Your NameThis story contain graphic violence and cruelty.

There once a beautiful little girl named Jilly, and she had golden yellow hair and brown eyes and a smile that sometimes was radiant and other times seemed too wide for her face and didn't really seem human. And little Jilly could not talk but was very good at getting her point across in other ways. Jilly traveled with her beautiful friend, Callisto, who even though they were not really related, loved her like a daughter and took care of Jilly because the little girl's father was not feeling well. And everyone who saw them together thought they must be related because they looked so alike, as Callisto also had brown eyes, golden yellow hair, and a smile that sometimes didn't seem human.

Now Callisto traveled far and wide in her trade of a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and Jilly helped her as well as she could, which was really quite a lot. And wherever they went people shook for happiness when they saw the two friends, and offered Callisto and Jilly the best of everything because they liked them so much.

Now one day while they were in just such a village, Callisto came up to Jilly with two large cloaks in her hands, and she said to her little friend, "Look at what a kind man insisted on giving me, Jilly!" And she showed the little girl two blood red cloaks with hoods which would fit them wonderfully. And Jilly wrote something on her slate (for that was one of her ways of communicating) and Callisto said to her in answer, "Yes, indeed, Jilly, they are the perfect color for us and we shall not have to wash them unless they become stiff." And Jilly silently laughed along with Callisto at her joke, because of course they were both very clean persons and washed themselves and their garments often.

And Callisto then said to the little girl, "Jilly, an old friend of mine is in a nearby valley. We had a silly argument and he told my secrets to someone. I want to go visit him and ask him why he would do such a thing, for I am sure he must have had a very good reason! So, I want you to wait for me here, as I expect my conversation with my friend may be quite long and could even take several days."

And Jilly wrote on her slate and Callisto answered, "Thank you but no, Jilly. I want to talk to my old friend myself. Perhaps you could make yourself useful to this village since they have given us these fine cloaks. I understand there is a wolf or something in the woods." And the beautiful little blonde girl's eyes became wide and she nodded happily and took out her chakram and threw it so it rebounded around the room and nearly killed Callisto. And both the woman and the girl laughed at Jilly's funny joke.

So after Callisto went to ask her old friend what reason he had for telling her secrets (for he must have had one!) Jilly remained in the village. And she began asking everyone about the wolf or whatever it was that was causing a problem. And one man thought that because Callisto was gone he no longer needed to be polite to the little girl or answer her questions; however, he soon felt differently and like everyone else in the village was very friendly and helpful to little Jilly. And Jilly learned that travelers were disappearing in the woods, especially children. And when Jilly heard that her eyes became very wide so that the whites showed all around the brown and her pupils got small as pins. And everyone in the little village shook--probably for joy at having such a sweet beautiful child among them.

So the next day Jilly requested a picnic basket, writing on her slate that she was going into the woods to seek out the wolf or whatever it was and hang it by its own entrails. And one person started to laugh but stopped when he realized little Jilly was not making a joke. And a young woman came up to Jilly with a picnic basket and said, "Be careful, as my own little daughter disappeared not four months ago when she was going to visit her grandmother, and you look rather like her, Jilly." But she then was overcome with tears and walked off from the child who looked after her with a strange expression. And Jilly noticed too that a man from the village was watching them secretly.

So with her picnic basket and the beautiful blood red cloak which concealed her sword and chakram and other weapons, Jilly skipped off into the woods and many in the village sighed with relief. And Jilly was following the very path travelers had disappeared from, and after a while she stopped and opened her picnic basket and took out some bread and cheese. When suddenly little Jilly heard a cruel laugh and a man stepped out of the woods. He was ugly as an animal and certainly smelled the part, so Jilly thought this must be the wolf or whatever it was.

"Where do you think you are going, little girl?" the smelly man said, and leered at the little child hoping to see her cringe in fear. But Jilly just looked at him and continued chewing her bread. Then she pointed at her throat and made a croaking sound to indicate she could not talk. She did not bother saying her father had cut her tongue out, as it was too much trouble to write on her slate.

"Can't talk? You don't need to talk but you do need your mouth," the rude man said. And Jilly finished her bread and carefully wiped crumbs off of her blood red cloak and closed the picnic basket. Then she took her Corinthian dagger out (a present from Callisto!) and cut the man open so she could hang him with his own entrails, which she proceeded to do from a tree limb.

Now Jilly thought that she probably had taken care of the danger in the forest, but she wished to make sure the uncouth man was not alone. So after she took his purse which was full of gold (probably stolen from unlucky travelers!) Jilly proceeded along the path and within a short time she again was stopped, this time by two dirty bad-smelling men. So Jilly was very glad indeed she had not assumed the first man she had hung with his own entrails was the only wolf or whatever it was.

"Hey, look, how'd she get past, Climan? Where are you going, little girl?"

Now, rather than just go ahead and hang them with their own entrails, Jilly wanted to learn how many other men there might be. So she wrote on her slate, "I am going to my grandmother's house." Then she smiled at them.

"Oh, no you're not. You're coming with us. But only after we first sodomize you, little girl." And both men reached for Jilly, who sighed and this time used her sword to cut the men open. Jilly was very angry at them because they were making her waste time, as she welcomed going with them but not if it meant being sodomized first. So in addition to taking their purses and hanging them with own entrails, Jilly built a small fire under them and positioned them carefully over it.

Jilly proceeded on her way, smelling the men cooking behind her and thinking they needed seasoning (Jilly was a very good cook and was always thinking about things like that) and this time she was not stopped but instead saw a small house in the woods. It looked like a safe and snug little dwelling, and Jilly remembered the crying woman in the village who had said her daughter really had been going to visit her grandmother. So Jilly approached the snug little cottage and peered in the window, and she saw a little old woman sitting sadly by the fire. Jilly went back to the front door and knocked on it, and the little old woman opened the door and began to weep, saying she must be dreaming, that her little granddaughter had finally come back. And she bustled little Jilly inside and gave her some stew which she was cooking and which Jilly liked very much, even though she would have gone lighter on the salt. Jilly took her little slate out and wrote she was sorry but she was not her granddaughter. Her name was Jilly and she had been hanging men by their own entrails all day and was very tired.

"Oh, you poor dear!" the little old woman said patting her hand. "I am sorry, Jilly. I always think pretty little girls are my missing granddaughter. Though she is not missing; I well know where she is!" And she began weeping again.

Jilly wanted to tell the old woman that weeping was dangerous and weak, as that was what her beautiful friend Callisto told her. However, Jilly did not do that but instead wrote on her slate, "How do you know where she is? Is she held by uncouth men?"

"Yes, indeed, Jilly," the old woman said, sniffling. "The men who have her prey on all travelers in these woods. They force me to cook for them and keep my little granddaughter alive so I will not poison them. I pray they do not harm her in some other way. I do not think they would. No one would be so cruel!"

And as Jilly listened to this her eyes got wide again, with white all around the brown and pupils small as pins. She wrote, "When are these men coming again? Do you know how many they are all together?"

"There are eight of these rude and uncouth men all together, and they are coming this very evening, so you had best flee or they will take you too!" the old woman said excitedly.

And Jilly smiled at her with that smile that seemed too big for her face and did not seem quite human. "Do not worry about me. I am going to free your granddaughter and whoever else these rude men may be holding. Then I will hang them all by their own entrails, and some other stuff also." And she took her chakram out as if for evidence and sent it rebounding around the room so that it nearly killed the old woman. And they both laughed at Jilly's fine joke.

Now Jilly was a fine woodsman (or woodschild) and the old woman told her which direction the men came from. So Jilly disappeared into the woods and searched and searched and sure enough found the lair of the forest robbers. It was a large cave and Jilly sneaked into it, right past guards and sleeping men until she found the cage full of little children. And she told 'em to be quiet and led them out right past the sleeping men and the guards. Jilly could've killed them all there but she did not wish to. And she led all of the children (12 in all) back to the little old woman's house, who hugged her little granddaughter (who did not really look very much like Jilly) and all of the other children too and fed them all, and washed them all and put new clothes on them. She said she should start cooking for the robbers who would be coming, but Jilly told her not to bother, that she would take care of them and the old woman and all the children laughed.

Now there were five of the uncouth men left (Jilly having disemboweled the other three) and they were cursing at each other and the gods as they came to the old woman's house for dinner.

"Where could they have gotten to?" said one.

"You should know, you fathead! You were on guard!" said another.

"Shove it up your..." the first started to say but was interrupted by a third.

"He's right. You were on guard. I'm more worried about our three companions, who have not yet returned. I wonder if there is a connection."

"Maybe we should not come here for our supper, since we no longer have the old woman's granddaughter," said the first again. But they were all bad cooks and did not think the old woman would have the courage to poison them.

Now as they approached the snug little house its front door opened and they were all astounded to see a pretty little girl in a blood red cloak. They all smiled at the sight of her. "No time like the present..." one started to say but then stopped talking as he fell holding his knee. He looked and saw two of his companions were likewise holding their knees, and the little girl was walking toward them holding something round which she threw again and this time the two remaining standing uncouth men fell holding onto their knees. They yelled and drew their weapons and cried out as the little girl threw her round killing thing again and three men's hands fell in the dirt still holding their weapons. She replaced the round thing inside her red cloak and came out with a small sword with which she easily disarmed the men whose hands she had not cut off. And they were cursing and threatening and begging the little girl who did not answer but merely smiled at them. Then she carefully walked from man to man, wounding them in their arms and legs as they cried out.

Now the little girl looked around and clapped her hands and the men saw all the little children they had been keeping prisoner and sodomizing come running from inside the snug little cottage. And the men were upset because they saw they were all carrying knives and forks and knitting needles. And they were all laughing as they descended on the helpless men. Jilly was carefully watching and occasionally would stab a man or cut a hand off if he seemed he was not defenseless enough. And then Jilly pulled all the bloody children off and sent them skipping back to the house, because she did not want to let the uncouth men off as easy as that, and did not want them to die just yet.

The little old woman approached Jilly and said, "You are a sweet and pretty girl. What will you do now?"

As she was listening to her Jilly was going from moaning man to moaning man cutting holes in their bellies. She wiped her hands off on her cloak (which still looked clean although it was getting stiff) and wrote on her slate, "I am going to hang all of these rude uncouth men by their entrails and roast them. After that I will take all of the children back to the village to be sure they get there safe."

And that is just what little Jilly did, after spending the night there getting a good night's sleep and roasting the uncouth men.

When Jilly returned to the village with the 12 missing children, Callisto was waiting for her. And Jilly sensed many in the village were glad to see her return because of what her beautiful friend Callisto may have said to them, because Callisto was not as soft as Jilly was. And the village celebrated the return of the children and Callisto told Jilly she had done a good job but she should have hurried back sooner. But Jilly reminded her that Callisto had said she was going to have a long conversation with her old friend, and Callisto admitted that was true but her old friend had simply dropped dead at the sight of her so she could not have the long talk with him that she desired. And Callisto asked her young friend if she was ready to leave but Jilly told her no, she had to talk to someone first and would Callisto help her?

So the beautiful Callisto and the pretty little Jilly, both in their blood red cloaks, went to see the town blacksmith. And he was very nervous looking at them, even more nervous than everyone else in town, which made him very nervous indeed. And Jilly wrote something on her slate and handed it to Callisto, then erased it and wrote more and showed Callisto. And the beautiful Callisto looked at the blacksmith and got a smile that did not seem human and the whites showed all around her brown eyes and her pupils became like pins.

"My little friend here says that you were in league with the uncouth men sodomizing the village children and killing travelers, that they admitted it to her when she was hanging them by their own entrails and roasting them."

As her beautiful friend was talking Jilly had closed the doors of the blacksmith shop. Then she went to where the fire was and made sure it was very hot and began putting implements in it to heat up. The blacksmith said, "That is ridiculous! Why would I be in league with rude and uncouth men? It is a lie by the old woman who is senile and mean spirited and possibly a witch!"

Jilly wrote something and handed her slate to Callisto who read it and softly said "How do you know about the old woman?"

And the beautiful Callisto and sweet little Jilly had a long conversation with the blacksmith about this matter in his shop, and then rode away and promised if they met a new blacksmith they would send him to the friendly little village.

The End