THE MAN-EATING WEREWOLF (ENG)

Once upon a time, five friends lived in a village called Surya Nagar. Since childhood, they had grown up listening to stories about a terrifying man-eating werewolf that supposedly lived deep inside the nearby forest. The villagers often spoke about it, and the fear of the creature had become a part of everyday life.

However, none of the five friends had ever actually seen the beast. They had only heard stories.

As years passed, the villagers’ fear continued to grow. Eventually, they built a large fence around the entire forest so that nothing could come out and no one could go in.

Time went on, and the five friends left the village to pursue their studies in the city. Several years later, they returned to Surya Nagar and reunited.

One day, while discussing places to visit, everyone suggested different locations, but nothing seemed exciting enough. Suddenly, Abhi said,

“Why don’t we go into the forest? No one goes there.”

The others were shocked. Just hearing the forest’s name was enough to scare them.

Abhi continued,

“Think about it. We’ll spend only one night there and come back. Maybe then the villagers will finally stop living in fear. How long can people keep being afraid of stories?”

Karan nodded.

“You know what? You’re right.”

At first, everyone rejected the idea. But a few days later, tragedy struck.

One of their friends, Sahil, faced an emergency when his mother suddenly became critically ill. The shortest road to the hospital passed through the forest area, but that route had been closed because of the villagers’ barricades. They were forced to take a much longer route.

By the time they reached the hospital, the doctor delivered heartbreaking news.

“She is no more.”

Sahil broke down in tears and collapsed into Karan’s arms. Abhi stood silently nearby, tears running down his face. Soon, Surya and Suyash arrived. Seeing their friend shattered, their eyes filled with tears as well. They comforted Sahil as best as they could.

The next day, Sahil’s mother’s funeral was held.

Villagers dressed in white gathered outside his house, chanting:

“Ram Naam Satya Hai...”

Sahil walked in front carrying the ceremonial clay pot with burning cow-dung embers placed on top. Behind him, Karan, Surya, Suyash, and Abhi carried his mother’s body on their shoulders.

After the funeral, life in the village slowly returned to normal, but Sahil remained devastated.

During the thirteenth-day mourning ceremony, Sahil overheard some villagers talking.

“Nothing would have happened to his mother if that forest barrier hadn’t existed.”

Those words stayed in his mind.

Later, he told his friends everything he had heard.

Abhi immediately responded,

“I’ve been saying this from the beginning. They’re just stories. And even if the werewolf is real, it’s only one creature. The five of us can handle it.”

Then he added,

“How much longer are we going to suffer because of this wall and this fear?”

Unbeknownst to them, a villager overheard the conversation and informed everyone.

The entire village tried to stop them. They warned them, begged them, and pleaded with them not to go.

But the friends refused to listen.

One morning at around 4 AM, just before sunrise, the five friends entered the forbidden forest.

After walking for hours, they found a beautiful spot beside a river with a waterfall nearby. They set up two tents and lit a campfire. Two friends slept in one tent, while the remaining three stayed in the other.

Night fell.

Nothing unusual happened.

They laughed and joked among themselves.

“See? The villagers were afraid for no reason.”

Then midnight arrived.

The campfire continued burning outside.

Suddenly, Abhi woke up and stepped out to relieve himself. For safety, he carried a torch.

While standing near the waterfall, he looked up and noticed the full moon shining brightly in the sky.

Then he saw it.

A massive wolf stood on a cliff above the waterfall.

It raised its head and released a terrifying howl.

The creature’s glowing eyes locked onto him.

Abhi froze in fear.

He immediately turned and ran toward the camp.

But before he could reach it, another wolf suddenly appeared directly in front of him.

Terrified, he somehow escaped and rushed back to the others.

The friends quickly spread burning wood around the camp to create a ring of fire.

Abhi shouted,

“I thought there was only one! Why are there two?”

Surya replied,

“Does that mean all those stories were true?”

Suyash remembered something the villagers used to say.

“Anyone killed by the werewolf becomes one of them.”

Panic spread through the group.

They immediately climbed nearby trees.

Sahil, Surya, Karan, and Suyash managed to climb high enough, but Abhi got stuck halfway.

As everyone panicked, Abhi noticed the fire slowly dying out.

Fear consumed him.

He jumped down and ran toward another tree where Karan and Suyash were hiding.

But it was too late.

The second werewolf had already arrived.

It lunged at him and brutally tore him apart.

His screams echoed through the forest before suddenly disappearing.

Now only four remained.

Sahil and Surya hid in one tree, while Karan and Suyash hid in another.

As more sections of the fire died out, both werewolves entered the camp and attacked.

The friends had assumed the creatures couldn’t climb trees.

They were wrong.

These werewolves possessed unnatural strength and abilities.

They began climbing.

Sahil and Surya were trapped on separate branches.

Realizing there was no escape, Sahil looked toward the sky and whispered,

“I have nothing left now. My mother is waiting for me.”

Then he deliberately attracted one of the werewolves toward himself.

As the beast lunged, Sahil jumped into the fire while holding onto it.

Both disappeared into the flames.

Surya watched in horror.

Tears rolled down his face, but anger soon replaced his fear.

Determined to save Karan and Suyash, he grabbed a large branch and leaped from the tree onto the remaining werewolf.

The creature was incredibly powerful.

It attacked him relentlessly.

Karan joined the fight to help but was badly injured.

Then Suyash rushed in with a knife.

He stabbed the werewolf and managed to wound it severely.

The beast finally retreated into the darkness.

But the battle had taken its toll.

Suyash had suffered fatal injuries.

As dawn approached, only Karan and Surya remained alive.

Before leaving, they burned the bodies of their three fallen friends to ensure none of them would return as werewolves.

Then they ran.

They ran as fast as they could toward Surya Nagar.

By afternoon, they reached the village and told everyone what had happened.

From that day onward, strict guards were permanently stationed around the forest to ensure that no one ever entered it again.

And deep within the woods, the legend of the man-eating werewolf continued to live on...

THE END

By Saurav Kumar