by Sam Hossler
Ned looked at Jake, both had a blank expression, “I don’t know, my pa reads the Bible now an again, and Jake’s dad reads it most every night, but I don’t know what ya mean by deep down.”
“You got ta believe Jesus is your Savior. You got ta devote your life to Him, look to Him for all your guidance. When you’re ready I can lead you in a prayer, but I can see you ain’t ready now. You think about it and when you’re ready, come see me.” The preacher then turned and went out the door.
The room was silent. “I never knew that,” Hans mumbled
“Me neither,” Swede agreed. “You boys be careful. From what I hear, you got the critter riled and if a silver cross won’t protect you I don’t know what will.”
Hans was visibly shaken by this news. “I’ll get right on the crosses and leave the spear. I’ll put a silver tip on it. Just give me a couple a days.”
Then a light, laughing female voice floated in the room from the back work shop. “Are these the werewolf hunters? They are a handsome pair indeed.” With that a little laugh turned the boy’s faces red.
“This’ll be me daughter, Natasha,” Hans said almost apologetically. “She thinks she’s cute an has too much to say. This is serious, girl. These boys are up against a beast nobody has ever seen in these parts before.”
“Papa, you don’t really believe that they saw a werewolf. Why they were probably into a jug a rye and couldn’t see what was out in the pasture,” she snarled.
Jake whirled to look her straight in the eye. “We did not have a drop to drink an we saw what we saw. If you would like to go out in the pasture I’ll be happy to show you the way, but you’ll be there alone. I ain’t stayin’.”
Ned just shook his head. He liked to look at pretty girls but this one had just turned his interest to disgust. “I just hope you don’t run into it some night. It’ll be too late then to realize you didn’t know what you was talkin’ about.” With that he stormed out the door, shouting, “We’ll be back in a couple a days’ to get the crosses and spear.”
It was a long ride home. Finally Jake asked, “What’a you make of that smart ass girl. She thinks she’s really somethin’. If it would’a been a boy I’d have knocked his teeth out.”
“Yah, she’s a looker but she ain’t as hot as she thinks she is,” Ned replied. “I hear she been seein’ that creepy fellow that lives over toward old Hanna’s Town. He’s got what grandma calls wolf eyebrows; they meet in the center of his forehead. Grandma claims that’s a clue to knowing he’s a werewolf.”
“It would serve her right if she got mixed up with one of them critters. I wonder how they pass the curse from one to another? Do you suppose you have to get bit, or can they do some magic?”
Jake shuddered at the thought of transforming into a werewolf.
Chapter 3
The sun was just casting the first long fingers of light across the fields when Ned came into the Housa’s barn. “You ready to start picking potatoes?” he called to Jake who was already gathering the spades and sacks for the day’s work.
“Boys I got some help fer ya,” Jake’s father called as he entered the dusty room. “This girl came by last evening an asked if we had any work she could do. Said she would work for just some of the produce she picked.
“You bet,” I told her. We got to get the potatoes in before the ground freezes, an if she would work for two sacks of them she was hired.”
“Girl, what girl?” The boys asked in unison.
“Me,” came a soft voice from the door.
The boys looked and there was Maria, sun at her back illuminating all her charms. “Dis be my boy Jake and his friend Ned,” Gus pointed to Jake as he introduced them. “Maybe Ned’s father could use help digging potatoes when you are finished here.”
“I’m sure we could use the help,” Ned stammered. “I’ll ask Pa tonight.”
“Okay, okay, I go help Mother. We got lots a food to put up before winter. You boys show Maria what she is to do, yah!” With those instructions Gus returned to the Housa.
Maria had moved closer and the boys could see her blouse was open to the waist. “Okay to look, but no touch,” she warned wagging her finger in their faces. Then she gave that little laugh that sounded more like singing.
It’s a good thing the barn was dark because the boys’ faces were bright red. “We’ll dig up the rows and you follow pulling out the potatoes. Knock off as much dirt as you can from them and put them in a sack,” Jake instructed.
“I can’t work in this long skirt,” said Maria, and with that pulled the extra material up and tucked it in her belt, exposing a pair of nicely shaped legs. “Remember no touch.”
Ned thought his face was going to explode, “Let’s get to work,” he almost shouted.
The boys turned up the earth along the rows of potato plants exposing the tubular so that Maria could pull them out and put them in a sack. Working on her knees, she kept up with whoever was digging the row.
“You are a fast worker,” Jake called to her. Ned an me wouldn’t have been able to keep up like you are.”
Maria looked up, “I like to work an we need the food at the mine. My brothers dig coal all day for only a few cents. I do what I can. You boys are wearing the silver crosses, that’s good. Where I come from in northern Italy the mountains are known for werewolves. That’s one reason we came here. Now we find they are here, too. Maybe after work tonight I tell you what I know about these beasts. Okay?”
Ned broke out in a smile, “That would be good of you. We can tell you what we saw and learned at the silversmith’s shop.”
The sun was almost directly overhead when Gus came out to the field. “I bring you fresh spring water and some food Mother fixed. You all make a good team. Just look at all the sacks full. I’ll get the wagon and pick them up later.” Then looking at Maria, “You know from being down at the mines you are a hard worker. I like you, you be welcome at my house anytime.”
Jake couldn’t believe his ears, his father inviting an Italian to his house? Nevertheless he was thrilled. She was pretty and a hard worker to boot. What more could you ask? “Pa, maybe Maria could stay for supper? Then afterwards I could help her take her sacks home.”
Gus was all smiles, “Yah, an Ned you stay for supper too. Then we hitch up the team and take the wagon down to the mine. I go tell Mother we have company for supper.”
Jake wasn’t thrilled. That wasn’t what he had in mind. He liked his friend well enough, but had hoped to be alone with Maria on the ride to her Housa. “Yes, that’ll be fine,” he lied to his father.
At supper, Grandma kept staring at Maria, then said something to Gus in Hungarian. “Grandma wonders what part of Italy you come from.”
Maria smiled that infectious smile of hers. “We lived in the North, almost to the border of Switzerland. In fact most of our people worked in Switzerland. We didn’t own our own land and heard about all the land free here in the colonies. What a lie! But Madam, you are from Hungary. I have never been there, but I hear it is beautiful too.”
When the comment was translated to Grandma, she beamed with approval of this young lady. Gus again translated a question, “Grandma wants to know how your people removed the werewolf curse from those afflicted?”
Marie wasn’t comfortable with the talk of werewolves, but answered, “My grandma told me that they would heat a silver cross red hot and then with it brand the suspected wolf-man on the forehead. If he survived, he would be cured of the curse. If he didn’t survive, it was thought he was surely a werewolf and died to protect his identity.”
“Branded on the forehead. That’s pretty rough treatment if he isn’t one of them,” Jake muttered.
“You refer to these beasts as him. There are female werewolves also. At least that’s what my grandma tells me,” Marie told her table mates. “Let me help with the dishes then you can take me home, yes?”
Jake was uneasy with the talk of werewolves, knowing there was at least one that was looking for h
im. “Ned an me will hitch up the wagon and load her sacks.”
Gus was lighting his pipe and blew out a large cloud of smoke, “Put three sacks in, she worked hard and deserves three.”
Another first, thought Jake—his father actually giving more than bargained for. “All right, Pa. We’ll get them loaded.”
With three on the wagon seat—a boy on each side of her—Maria feel like a queen. Jake had brought his spear and the silver tip gleamed when what little moonlight there was shined on it. “You won’t need that tonight, Jake,” she told him. “There’s only a sliver of moon out, and if the stories are true, werewolves only come out when the moon is full or nearly full.”
“Maybe not, but I feel a lot better when I have it close by. Did you ever know anyone who had a cross branded in their forehead?”
Ned shivered at the image he saw in his mind. “What’s the matter, you cold?” Maria asked. She could feel his body shake as she snuggled a little closer.
“Yah, I didn’t bring my heavy coat,” Ned replied. Then glancing at her, saw that she was watching him intently.
“In another three weeks we’ll have a full moon. If you are going to try and kill this thing, I would like to go with you,” Maria mentioned casually and then looked from one stunned boy to the other. “What’s the matter? Don’t you think a girl can kill a werewolf as good as a boy?”
Neither boy spoke, but each was wishing that he was alone with this beautiful girl who wanted to hunt werewolves.
“There’s the light from my house,” Maria said as they rounded a bend. “And there are my two brothers standing in front with clubs. Let me talk to them.”
Ned glanced over at Jake, “They’s mean looking. I hope she can explain we is just bringing her home. In any case keep that spear handy.”
“Carlo, Guiseppe, vi fermate! Mettete giu quelle mazze. Questi ragazzi solo mi hanno potato a casa dopo ho lavorato il giorno. Guardate, ho tre sacchi delle patate,” Maria shouted. Her brothers looked disappointed, but lowered their clubs and moved up to the wagon. “Hand the sacks down to them,” she instructed Ned who was now in the back of the wagon.
As Jake turned the wagon around to start home, Ned called, “Daybreak at my place tomorrow; we’ll get you three more sacks full.”
Jake raised his eyebrows, “You’d better ask your pa or there may be a problem.”
“Oh, I think he’ll be happy to get extra help that don’t cost him nothin’.” Ned laughed.
Chapter 4
“Jake, the moon will be full in another couple a days, ya think we should take another crack at that thing?” Ned and Jake were just finishing up sacking shelled corn in the Duncan’s barn.
“Hell, I don’t know. We got the silver bullets and the silver tip on me spear. I guess we could handle anything that come along.” Jake was saying the words but his voice was cracking giving his fear away.
Ned could see his friend wasn’t really happy about hunting a werewolf, but pressed him, “I say we give it another try. We could put one or two sheep out in the field as bait. I won’t be shaking like I did last time so I can get a good shot at him.”
“Okay, okay,” Jake said between clinched teeth. “Don’t tell Maria, she’ll want to come, an we don’t need a girl messin’ up the shot.”
“I won’t tell her, but you ain’t fooling me. You’re just afraid she might get hurt. Yah, I know we’re both kind’a sweet on her.”
“You ready, Jake?” Ned questioned as he walked up to the Housa house. “I got a silver ball all loaded. I’ll prime it when we get to the hedge row. Did you get a sheep tied out in the field?”
Yah, Pa let me use two older ones, just in case they get eaten.”
Jake’s father and mother were worried about the boys going out in a full moon. Gus told them, “You boys be careful. You know this beast wants revenge for the shot you took at him. Make sure you got a good shot, Ned, there won’t be time to reload.”
“I will Mister Housa. If silver will kill it, he’ll be dead by midnight.”
Jake held up his hand, “Just a minute. Grandma wants to say a prayer over us. I don’t think that’ll hurt our chances.”
They were hardly out of the barn yard when the soft voice of Maria called. “You didn’t think you would get away without me did you?”
“Damn, that girl knows what we’re doing before we do,” Ned swore.
“An she brought her two brothers—what’s their names, Carlo and Guiseppe?” Jake muttered. “They’re sure a mean lookin’ two, an I see they brought their clubs.”
Ned pleaded, “Maria, this could be dangerous. Your brothers look tough, but this monster could pick them up one in each arm. Please go back home before someone gets hurt. An look. You aren’t ready for a cold night out here. Ya only got blankets wrapped around yourselves.”
“No go back,” Maria shouted. “We help kill this thing.” Her brothers nodded approval, although it is doubtful they understood the words she spoke.
“We got to get moving, the moon will be out shortly,” Jake interrupted. “I guess we can’t stop you but I don’t like it much.”
As they approached the hedge row separating the pasture from the potato field another form emerged. Ned brought his musket up to prime it when a female voice called, “All right you werewolf hunters I’m here to show what a bunch of fakes you are.”
“Natasha,” both boys said in unison. Ned was first to recover and swore softly at her. “Natasha get the hell out’a here. You could get hurt or worse, get us hurt,”
“I’m not going anywhere. You think you can scare me with your wild stories, well let’s see this monster,” she replied.
“We got to get set up,” Jake warned. “If they won’t leave, we can’t make them.”
With that they proceeded to hunker down in the same spot in the hedge row they had used before. The moon was up illuminating the field and woods beyond. The leaves were off the trees now giving a clear view into the far woods.
“I’m cold. It’s no fun out here,” Natasha whined.
Ned couldn’t stand her any longer, “Shut up you miserable bitch. No one asked you to come out here,” he snapped.
“There is something moving in the woods,” Maria whispered. “See it is just a large form but it is coming toward the field.”
Ned steadied his weapon on the log, “I see it! See that funny walk it has—kind’a like a swinging motion. The sheep are terrified, bawling and pulling at the rope. When he gets to the sheep I’ll put a silver ball in him.”
Just as the huge hairy form was about to reach the sheep, Natasha jumped up screaming, “I know you’re a fake, just a man in a fur coat and I’ll rip that mask off.” She was running toward the form that stood watching her get closer and closer.
“Shoot the bastard, Ned,” Jake was shouting.
Ned was sighting down the barrel, “I can’t. That dumb bitch is right in the line of fire.”
With a mighty swing of its arm the apparition grabbed Natasha, lifting her off the ground and in its swinging gate ran back into the woods. Terrified screams echoed across the field as the girl now realized this wasn’t a fake after all. “Help me, please help me. Oh God, don’t let him kill me.” Then it was silent.
The boys, Maria and her brothers were racing across the field but slowly entered the woods, not sure what they would find. Finally Jake called out, “Over here, she’s over here.”
Natasha lay in a bloody heap. Her heavy coat was shredded like so much paper. Her dress was torn into strips where sharp claws had raked her body. But she was alive, which seemed a small miracle in itself.
“Wrap this blanket around her. She’s cut all over her body. We must get her cleaned up,” Maria ordered.
Then words hardly audible tumbled from the wounded girl’s lips, “He raped me, he raped me.”
In Italian, Maria ordered her brothers to carry the girl back to the Housa home.
What happens next? Our tale continues in The Silversmith Chronicles, Episode T
wo.
Coming Soon
The Silversmith Chronicles
Episode Two
Sam Hossler
Who is the werewolf?
Will Natasha live?
Will the werewolf kill humans?
Will the boys manage to kill it?
You won’t know until you read Book Two!