better idea?
Not at the moment.
That’s what I thought.
We should feel special, since this was what we had hoped for, but all at once, my stomach suddenly performs a somersault, and the nightmare of the crow lady returns. After all, she and the werewolf are one and the same. Eyes glowing a vivid yellow, the creature bounds toward us, taking up several feet at a time with its extended legs.
“So, uh, now what do we do?” I ask.
Ben puckers his lips and sighs dramatically. “Run?”
“Yeah, good idea.”
He and I take off for the forest, even though we have no clue where we’re going. We can always sniff our way back to Colchester, if we make it out alive, but the likeliest scenario is that this werewolf has seen enough and will rip us apart. Ben and I jump over stray branches on the earth, dodge overgrowth threatening to slow us down, and duck from the trees’ outstretched limbs. Darting through the forest in human form is proving to be more and more difficult.
“This way!” Ben calls over his shoulder.
He and I are panting like it’s five hundred degrees outside. Sweat clings to my brow, and my lungs burn from overexertion. Oh, and sprinting through a twisted forest in a dress and heels? Not the best combination. If I had foreseen this coming, I would’ve waited on playing dress-up.
We burst through the trees as fast as our legs will carry us, stopping short of a clearing. Just on the other side is a dark-haired woman picking berries and plants. She’s completely oblivious to what’s headed her way.
“You have to get out of here!” Ben yells, his arms beckoning her to move.
She glances up, squints, and doesn’t seem the least bit surprised that two strangers are in the middle of the woods, midday, shouting at her.
“What seems to be the trouble?” she asks, as Ben and I approach.
Stopping long enough to catch my breath, I blurt, “There’s a wolf after us. You have to run while you can.”
“A wolf?” She laughs. “Aye, my ears have heard of this creature through those who wag their tongues, but my eyes have not yet seen such a thing.”
Ben frowns. “Well, it’s alive and well. You’ll see it soon.”
As if on cue, the werewolf materializes from behind us, teeth bared and snarling.
“Oh, that wolf,” says the woman. She steps past us, actually striding toward the werewolf. “Run along now. Shoo. Go on.” She waves a hand at the creature, and it immediately stops growling. As a matter of fact, it almost looks scared of this woman. Obediently, the werewolf tucks its tail between its legs and trots off, disappearing in the labyrinth of trees.
“How’d you—” I begin, but I’m too shocked to finish inquiring.
“’Tis like any animal or child—scold it and it retreats,” she says, returning to the berry bush she worked on before.
Ben and I swap a skeptical glance.
“Do you live nearby?” Ben asks.
She gestures toward an area ahead of us. “Just beyond those trees, at the edge of the forest. I have lived here long enough to know that neither of ye are from this town. What brings ye to Colchester?”
“We’re just passing through,” I lie. “Hopefully, we won’t be here longer than a month.”
“And what does Colchester possess that is so appealing to ye?” She plucks a few more berries from the bush and tosses them into her basket. “Come now,” she says, “there must be something special here.”
“Like she said,” Ben starts, “we are just passing through and shouldn’t be here long. There’s nothing in particular that interests us about this town.” But your freaking werewolf problem does, he adds, for my ears only. I refrain from smirking.
The woman strides over to another nearby shrub and begins picking the berries from it. “Interesting,” is all she says.
“Well, we should probably be going.” I look to Ben for confirmation, and he bobs his head once in agreement. “It was nice meeting you, and thanks for getting rid of the wolf.”
She turns around from harvesting, eyebrows raised, and says, “’Twas not an issue at all. I am very pleased to meet ye, as well. Pardon me, though, but what are thy names?”
“I’m Candra. Candra Lowry.”
“And I’m Benjamin Conwell.”
A spark of knowledge passes so fleetingly in this woman’s eyes, I almost consider my mind makes it up. But it was definitely there.
“I hope we cross paths again,” she says, a little too happily for my taste.
Ben and I begin our long trek back to town, both