The stormy wind howled. It must be the ghosts of giants tonight. I stayed indoors and drank cups of tea. There was no moon and no stars. No wolf changing for me. I felt so vulnerable on nights like these. My children live hundreds of miles away and I hardly see them anymore. I miss my grandchildren. I miss my pet dogs who have all passed away now. I miss my husband. I'm a lonely widow.
It's just me, the ageing werewolf lady with toothache and brittle joints. I sit for hours in my rocking chair in front of a dying fire with just a flickering TV. I lost my knitting needles again and I can't bend down to get them from under the sofa.
I got myself a plate of cookies and another cup of tea. Walking to the kitchen hurts. Atleast when I become a wolf, I feel stronger, but I'm told that I'm "slow" by other werewolves. My werewolf friends don't live near here. I only see them during a full moon. If only I knew their human phone numbers, which I don't. I could do with their company right now.
I'm 96 years old and my hair is like a bundle of white snow. I wear my half moon specs to do a crossword that I enjoy so much. I jump now at the stormy sounds outside. There is a light knocking at the door. I hope it isn't the big tree bending over.
It knocked again. Then a voice, that sounds like a person. It's midnight. I'm not going to get up and answer that. Not at this hour! Goodness no! I resume my tea and biscuits as I concentrate on my crossword puzzle. Knocking again at the front door.
"Who is it?" I called out.
A muffled voice from behind the door speaks but I can't understand it.
"Speak up!" I said.
The voice spoke again slightly louder but oh! it's the voice of a child! What child would be out at this dreadful time?
I have to answer the door right now.
So I eased out of the chair and grabbed my walking stick. I picked up my candle and hobbled to the front door, I have to remind the child that I'm on my way so they don't give up. I can't have children outside at night.
Then I opened the door. No one was there. Perhaps they went away.
"Where are you?" I asked, feelingworried that a child is on their own in the dark with such terrible winds. Nothing answers me. I waited. I watched the leaves getting scooped up. The trees opposite waved their branches in the rough wind. I heard rattling and banging as neighbouring houses are affected by the wind, and someone's gate crashing open and shut.
I felt so very cold. It's winter afterall. I went back inside and shut the door, bolting it up instinctively. I slowly turned and looked forward to my rest in the chair, when a knock at the front door made me jump.
"Is that you?" I asked.
"Please let me in," replied the voice of a small child. I didn't hesitate to unbolt the door and open it.
What I saw totally baffled me. There was a kitten on the front doorstep. It looked wet and hungry. I can't understand why a kitten should approach me anyway as I am a werewolf and cats never liked me. But this one was at my door and I know a child must have left it there.
"Oh," I said. I can't bend down to pick it up. The kitten darted passed me into the house, and ran straight into my living room. It jumped up onto my rocking chair and pawed at my cookies!
"No, stop that!" I said to it. Kitten knocked over the plate of my cookies, and tore at my lovely crossword puzzle. I became annoyed with it. I close the door two, just to stop tleaves blowing into my house. Kitten stared at me with wide green eyes, and as I got near it, the kitten leapt over the chair and ran off into the kitchen. I'm too tired for this. I sigh in despair at my cookies on the floor and my torn crossword.
"Come here you naughty cat!"
I tried hard to go and find the kitten in my kitchen, but it had gone. Strange. It just simply vanished. I started to look for it in case it was hiding. Then I simply gave up looking for it. There was nowhere for it to go. The back door is locked. The windows are shut tight. Kitten had to be clever, causing me trouble like this.
Then there was a mighty loud crash. I had to go and see. I went into the living room saw something very distressing. A huge branch of a tree was sent through the window and damaged the room, lying right over where my rocking chair had been. Now my rocking chair was all broken.
I screamed. Then neighbours were out banging on my door to find out if I was okay.
Now I know why the kitten appeared at my door. If it hadn't done, then I would still be sat on the rocking chair with my crossword and tea, and that tree would've come through the window anyway and killed me! The kitten was a spirit! It saved my life.
Such an incident shocked me so much that I wanted to tell you this story. I'm in Fenrir's Daughters and one of the oldest members in the club.
(((Fiction stories of Fenrir's Daughters written by Rayne)))
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 Rayne Herbert.
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