A Short Story
The night the village vanished.
Children played near the rivers, the men hunted and farmed, while the women told stories by the fire. Nothing ever disturbed them; the village was so peaceful that no one imagined that any danger could ever creep in until one evening.
A woman known for gathering herbs for medicinal and sale purposes was returning home as the moon shone brightly in the midnight sky. The wind was still and calm. The moon showed her the paths to walk on as if she prayed to it. But then, she heard a rustle among the trees. At first, she thought it was some hunters returning late, but when she saw the figure, she froze.
From a distance, it looked like a human, but the closer it came, the less human it seemed. His body was tall and hairy, his shoulders huge, his fingers looked like claws and the same with his feet. His eyes were golden, and they could be seen from a distance. He wasn't standing erect as a human, it was bent like an animal. She fled without a second thought. She didn't want to disturb the villagers, so she waited till the next day. Throughout the night, she couldn't sleep, but somehow she managed to sleep.
The next day, she told the villagers about how the thing followed her till the end of the road, how it looked, and the hunger in its eyes, but none of them believed her. They thought she was sick and might be having a bad day, but she couldn't stop speaking of what she saw and the danger that awaited them. How could they believe that their quiet village could harbor such danger?
Days turned into weeks, but there was no sign of such beast. The woman never left her hut to the forest again because of the dread that awaited. People whispered about her and thought she was going insane. Some thought it was symptoms of aging and asked her to rest and leave her children to take care of her.
Nothing strange happened, and life seemed to go back to normal until one cold morning, while the farmers were going to their farms to do their daily cultivation. They noticed that their flocks were getting smaller by the day, and there was no sign of attack.
They thought they might have strayed and went in search of them, only to find their body pieces in shreds in the woods. After examining the wounds and cuts in the cut pieces, they froze. It didn't seem like a wild animal would perform such an act. Someone suggested that what the woman said might be true, but no one dared to admit to what the woman had said.
Soon enough, fear started to grip them. Children were kept indoors; there were no more midnight stories for fear of the unknown. Then came the night of screams. it started with a low growl towards the edges of the Forest. It was so loud that it seemed to shake the whole village. But by the time the men arrived with their torches, their flocks and animals were gone; only claw marks and torn fences remained.
The next day, some of the strongest men were sent to kill whatever or whoever was behind it. But some of them never came back, the ones who returned spoke of the creature they saw and how the shadow moved behind the trees and walked as if it was the night. The Woman who had seen the beast told them of how it is a human by day and a beast by night. But they asked her to stay silent and stop spreading evil.
Days passed and some men were asked to go in search of the beast. But this time, none of them came back alive. It was until one day,a drunkard who had mistakenly slept off while wandering in the woods spoke about a Human in a beast form. He has seen him transform from what seemed to be human to a monster. His teeth were many and as sharp as an edged sword. When he spoke, they looked at him with disgust and said;"Of what good is a drunkard". With this word,they retired to their homes. For days, some prayed while some cried hoping nothing as such was true.
By then, the once peaceful village became chaos, no one dared come out in the night nor spoke of what they heard. People who left in the night never came back. It was then that they knew that there was trouble.
They resorted to going to their neighbouring village for help. It was concluded that the journey would begin the next day. But on the night of that day, a man approached them, he ran as if he was being chased by a demon. He tried speaking but the only words he could mutter was ;"it followed me". Before they could give meaning to what he has said, a stranger approached them. He was different from their kind.
He was tall and had dark humor. He looked like the demon they were told in folktales. They questioned his whereabouts, and when he refused to answer, they waged war against him. But then, midnight struck. The moon surfaced, and within their eyes, he turned into a beast, something that was known to be a Werewolf. His claws stretched out, and the same with his teeth. Hair was all over his body like he had covered himself with wool. His eyes glistered and were golden. He fought with less strength, but it was mighty. The villagers scattered around, running to wherever they thought was safe. Cries were heard, and prayers of help were in high voices. By dawn, no single voice were heard. Silence enveloped the whole village. Those who survived fled into the forest and into the neighbouring village.
And till today, no one has dared entering that village nor thought of rebuilding it. Travellers who passed by the wood said they still heard the howls up in the valley. Some claimed to have seen a dark, tall figure with eyes that shone in the utter darkness. The stories spread to the other villages. And so the stories became a myth passed from generations to generations, some who believed it and some who feared to believe it.
The villagers' names faded, and the place was forgotten. But whenever the moonlight struck in the night, some still swear they hear it, "A low howl that shook the earth, a sound that was too heavy for any beast. And today, even some travellers came to see with their eyes. Some said it is protecting the graves of those it killed, while some said it is lurking around for another prey.
