Unknown: Written by Gerry Leblond November 9, 2024
This story is based on a frightful experience I had one night in October 2014.
I sat on the couch watching TV with my wife. The night sky was starless due to the dense cloud cover. The crisp fall air seeped through the windows of the old mobile home. Outside, flashes of light periodically brightened the living room. It was strange that no thunder accompanied the flashes.
A bright flash directly outside the window appeared as we watched the crime drama on the tube. But again no thunder was heard. Moments later footsteps on the home’s roof sounded. It was too heavy to be a squirrel, raccoon, or any other wildlife.
I grabbed a flashlight and walked out the door to the backyard. In my haste, I forgot to put on a jacket. The cool air made me shiver, but curiosity outweighed the chill. I shined the light to the roofline. Nothing was seen.
Quietly I stood and moved the beam of light back and forth over the distance of the roof. Suddenly large eyes glancing out over the peak were captured by the beam of light as it passed by them. Startled, I stopped moving the light, but whatever I saw was gone. I continued to pan the flashlight slowly on the roofline, and again the eyes appeared. I focused the light on them. The entity climbed over the peak and stared at me. Its eyes were huge compared to the size of its head. The thin body of the small creature was pinkish in color. It slowly crawled down the slope of the roof and stopped near the gutter. It hissed and with a shrill shriek, raced the length of the roof, and disappeared into the night.
In disbelief, I went back inside. My wife looked at me and said, “What was it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I answered, “I’m not sure what I saw, but it reminded me of Gollum.”
The Dream: Written by Gerry Leblond November 4, 2018
A real dream I had dealing with dark forces, trust, and faith.
Standing in the middle of a field, I feel alone. Among hundreds of others, I still feel alone. Shouting, but no one answers. Reaching to touch, but no one feels my hand. They pass by me unaware that I am even there. Fear begins to run through me. Spinning around, I look at their blank faces. None of them noticed me. How could they? Their eyes are gone.
I look up. The cloudless sky is bright blue and the sun is directly overhead. I feel the warmth on my face, but the rest of me shivers from the coolness in the air. There is silence everywhere. No birds, no animals, no noise, just hundreds of expressionless people wandering in every direction.
I wonder where I am. Suddenly, in unison, the crowd stops moving, as if something is commanding them. Their dingy gray attire slightly sways from a gentle breeze. I think I hear a voice call out, “Begin,” and the crowd once again moves without purpose. Bumping into one another without any concern.
Intensely staring through the crowd of strangers I notice a man standing motionless across the field. His long white robe glistens in the sunlight. His wavy dark brown hair hangs over his shoulders. I cannot see his face, but I know he is different from the others. I say to myself, “I am not the only one alone.” I begin to walk toward him. The crowd of people packs tighter around me with every step I take. They reach out for me to prevent my movement, grasping my body with their cold hands. “Let me through,” I say as the man in the white robe turns and begins to move into the trees. I shout, “Wait, don’t leave! I can see you!”
He stops momentarily, then continues along a narrow path. I force myself free from the clutches of the crowd, pushing them aside as I struggle my way through the wall of people. I run to the edge of the forest. My heart is pounding harder. My breathing is irregular, as fear begins to overwhelm me. I can barely see him now. He stops once again and without turning, motions for me to follow. I turn, in amazement the field is empty. I speak aloud, “Where have all the people gone.”
I look up, the sky is darkening, and the sun has vanished. The clearing is being consumed by a dark fog as raspy breaths echo in the air. I turn back, and the man is also gone. Again, I feel alone. Quickly, but cautiously, I step into the trees. Hearing faint footsteps in front of me, I run forward. As I turn a corner along the narrow path, I once again see the same man walking slowly ahead of me. I hurry to catch up with him. Keeping pace, I follow him closely. The fear has almost vanished from me. The sky becomes brighter. Sunlight returns and leaks through the leaves. The closer I am to the stranger, the brighter the surroundings.
The narrow trail twists and turns among the dense growth. Vines entangle the trees that are lining the path. It seems like we are walking forever. Still following him closely, we begin to ascend a knoll. The path rises slowly, but still twists and turns through the trees. Up and up, we begin to climb. Steeper and steeper the trail rises. Then the path begins to narrow, into what seems like no path at all. I struggle through the forest bursting with brilliant foliage. Still keeping the man within my sight, I force my way through the thick vegetation that covers the ground.
The tree branches reach out for me as I push my way through. Walking is getting harder now. My feet are dragging and I am slowly losing sight of the stranger. Again, the sky becomes darker and the forest behind me turns into an unnatural blackness. Then he disappears. Fear once again fills me. Again I am alone as the darkness surrounds me. Screaming, “Where have you gone?” I began to run towards the last place I saw him. I could see a dim light ahead. Running towards the light with every ounce of strength I have left, I enter another clearing. The stranger is on the other side of the clearing with his hands reaching for the sky. There is a light descending on him from above. His body is consumed in a bright glow. Suddenly the descending beam of light vanishes and his body consumes the glow. He lowers his hands and without turning, motions for me to follow.
Stepping into the trees he immediately vanishes into the dense growth. I try to run, but a force I cannot see is pulling at me, stopping me from moving. Darkness once again begins to form around me. “Wait!” I shout. With a desperate surge forward, the unseen force releases me. I race to the edge of the clearing. The stranger is barely visible as he is moving, almost gliding up a steep grade.
As I hustle along the narrow path, leaf-filled branches swat at my arms. I once again am behind him. His white robe sparkles brightly from the sun's rays peeking through the leaves. I notice welts on my arms from the branches. My clothes have small tears on them. The blackness is swallowing everything behind us. However, the area around the stranger is brightly lit.
Finally, we crest the hill and stand on a small plateau. Never turning so I can see his face, the stranger walks towards a single tree that is growing in the distance. Behind us, darkness conceals the forest. I wonder how we ever made it through. On each side of us, are cliffs so high, that they vanish into the cloudless sky. In front of us, is the lonely tree. The man walks over and stands beside it. Again, he motions for me to follow.
Cautiously, I approach to where the tree overlooks a ledge. I look down. As far as my eyes could see, there was no bottom. Roots from the tree grew downward and clung to the rocks of the endless ravine. To my right, the man is standing on another path, maybe two feet wide. Along the right side of the path is a wall of rock rising toward the sky. To the left, it is infinitely down.
Suddenly, the ground begins to shake. I begin to run back toward the trees from where we came. They disappear, and darkness replaces them. A cold breeze begins to blow, causing me to shiver as it swirls by. I turn back and run to the tree that stands alone. Wrapping my arms around it, I hold it tightly. While the ground continues to tremble, I close my eyes.
A voice sounds, “Come, come with me. You must follow me. Trust me, come with me.”
Opening my eyes, I see the man standing with his hand out. His face was glowing, hiding his features. “I am frightened,” I answer.
He replies, “Trust me; you must trust me.”
Tightening my grip, I close my eyes and shake my head. I speak, “I can’t let go. I will fall.” Then silence, except for the rumble of the ground below me. Moments later, the ground beneath me begins to shake more violently. I open my eyes and notice a doorway in the cliff open, and the stranger disappearing into it.
Staring at the doorway, I notice a smaller person peek their head out and motion for me to come. Then I heard a soft voice, “Hurry before the door closes.”
I glance behind me. The ground was disappearing. Releasing my grip, I bolt toward the path. Slowly, the door is closing. I sprint down the trembling path. The closer I get to the door, the more intensely the path is shaking, almost forcing me over the edge. Behind me, the path is crumbling and falling into the bottomless ravine. Fear is filling my soul, but I could not stop.
With every step down the slender cliff-side path, the earth was crumbling at my heels. Glancing back to see how close it is to me, the darkness fills the air, rolling like a fog, only inches from me. I think I see an evil face hiding within the blackness, but the fear inside me may be causing this hallucination. Looking back to the doorway that is ever so slowly closing, I run harder.
The path beneath me is not only crumbling under my feet; it begins to sway back and forth. Beads of sweat are rolling down my cheek. I feel a cold hand grasp my shoulder tightly, but no one is there. The unknown presence is trying to force me over the edge. Jerking my shoulder away, the cold hand releases its grip. A loud raspy voice explodes in my ear, “I will have you!”
I am running even harder now, but the doorway seems to be beyond reach. Only a slim crack of light can now be seen from the cliff-side entrance. “Don’t shut the door!” I yell as a shadow blocks the light exiting the small opening. I see a hand grasping the door’s edge, holding it from closing.
“Hurry, before the door closes completely,” the soft voice speaks.
I am only a few feet from the doorway when the shadow vanishes. Heavy, evil breaths sound and a chilling gust of wind causes me to shiver. Finally, I reach the doorway. Maybe there is just enough room for me to squeeze through. I give a tremendous shove against the door, but simultaneously, the path below gives way, and I fall. As the door becomes smaller, I scream, “I trust you!” Then everything is black.
When the light reenters my eyes, I am in a room. How did I get here, I wonder? There are two, what appear to be angels, standing beside a doorway. They too are dressed in white robes. Their bodies glimmer with the same glow as the stranger. Smiles fill their faces as they speak together, “We’re glad you made it.
Last 20 Miles: Written by Gerry Leblond: July 17, 2017.
Al is on his way home from vacation and on the last twenty miles, havoc ensues.
With heavy eyes, Al Colton merged back onto I-95 North. He had made one final stop for a cup of hot black coffee and fuel before he reached the toll booth at the southern end of the state. The caffeine-filled beverage rested in the cup holder of his silver SUV, and as he reached down to grasp it, he confidently spoke, "This will wake me up." After he took a big gulp, he exclaimed, "Now that's a hot cup of coffee!"
The young gentleman at the toll booth seemed disturbed about something. Al asked as he handed the man the toll money, "How are you tonight?"
The man answered sharply and handed Al his change, "Fine, just fine!"
Under his breath, Al stated as he pulled away, "Excuse me for asking." Thoughts of what was troubling the young man entered Al's mind. Maybe he was just having a bad day.
After Al brought his vehicle up to the posted speed, he activated the cruise control. Then turned up the radio, cracked open the window, and said with a yawn, "That should help a little." He was returning home from a week-long vacation at Virginia Beach and had been on the road for the past twelve hours. The boredom of driving alone caused exhaustion to take hold, and he tried everything he could to stay awake. He sang along with the radio, rolled the window down a little more, and even slapped his face a couple of times. However, his eyes were still heavy as he drove. In his heart, he knew he should have stopped at the welcome center, but his mind convinced him he was fine and could make it home, or at least to the next rest area.
Entranced by the blackness of night, Al drove. Miles slipped by quickly before he realized that he had passed the next rest area. He told himself, "Only thirty miles to the next one. I can make it." Al placed the cup of coffee to his lips to take another drink. However, the cup was empty. He asked himself, "When did I finish it?" He crinkled the cup and threw it in a small trash bag that rested on the passenger's side floor.
Over the next several miles the road was deserted. Al thought it was peculiar that there were no other vehicles around. Usually, this section of the highway was riddled with traffic, even at midnight. Al then blurted with inward laughter, "I guess I have the road to myself." Not giving it another thought, he glanced to his right, noticed mile marker thirty-seven, and spoke, "Only sixty-five more to go, then I'll have two days to recover before returning to work."
Al was an engineer for a local construction company and imagined his desk would be full of paperwork that accumulated from his absence. He spoke, "Maybe I shouldn't have taken a week off during the busy season." He paused then continued, "Yes it was the right time to have a vacation. It cleared my head of the pressures of the project. Now I'll be able to focus more clearly."
For several more miles, Al continued his trek home, and the absence of vehicles re-entered his mind. "I wonder what is going on? I've driven through this area many times around midnight, and there were always other vehicles around, especially truckers," he uttered with concern. Then headlights suddenly reflected in the rearview mirror, and a sense of relief flowed through him. The vehicle was about a half mile behind, and for the next ten miles, Al often glanced in the mirror. The lights appeared and disappeared as Al drove around corners and over hills. Oddly, the lights kept the same distance between them.
His focus switched to his recent vacation, and a chuckle was released. The elderly couple arguing in the restaurant about what color the tablecloth was, entered his mind. "It was yellow; they were both wrong!" Al laughed loudly.
As Al approached the next rest area, he felt more awake, so decided not to stop. He noticed there was one vehicle on the facility's on-ramp to the highway. Its lights were on and appeared to be idling. As Al passed by he could hear the exhaust rumble as the driver revved the engine of the sports car. When Al looked in the mirror, he noticed the headlights of the vehicle had turned off and mumbled, "Just kids playing around."
A few miles later unexpected bright headlights in the rearview blinded him momentarily. "What the …!" he blurted. Then the same sports car that had parked in the rest area raced by and caused Al to swerve slightly. As its taillights quickly disappeared, Al shook his head, "Idiot," he said as he once again glanced in the rearview. The set of headlights that was once about a half mile behind seemed closer. With every glance in the mirror, the lights drew nearer and it became clear it was a semi.
For another five miles, the semi inched closer until it was directly behind Al's SUV, so close he could hear the engine over his radio. As the truck pulled beside Al the diesel fumes were sucked in through the open window which caused Al to gag slightly. He shouted and rolled up the window, "Just pass me already!" However, the semi slowed and pulled in behind staying a few hundred yards behind.
A few miles further, exhaustion began to overtake Al. His head drooped toward the steering wheel, his eyes closed. A loud blast from the semi's air horn abruptly woke him. Al jerked his SUV to the right to avoid a collision with the large truck. As it passed, Al noticed it was a military vehicle hauling a large object covered by a camouflage canvas tarp. Al immediately pulled his SUV to the edge of the highway, put the transmission in park, and exited the SUV to catch his breath and calm his nerves.
While he leaned back against the front grill, Al noticed mile marker eighty-two. His vehicle's headlights illuminated the sign making it readable. He rubbed his forehead, reentered his SUV, buckled his seat belt, and continued his trip. "The last twenty miles," he said still a little shaken, "I'll be home soon."
Exhaustion no longer controlled him. Wide awake from the adrenaline rush caused by the previous incident Al drove; his thoughts recalled the last fifty miles, "What a strange trip it's been." Then Al noticed a full moon rising on the horizon. "That explains it," he said with a chuckle.
His mind emptied of thought, and the next several miles passed quickly. Suddenly blue lights appeared behind him. Al looked in the mirror. Three, no four patrol cars were there. Just as he was about to pull to the side, they passed quickly. In the distance ahead, Al saw an orange glow. "Must be a fire somewhere," he said. The muffled sound of a helicopter appeared. Al reached down and lowered the volume of the radio. To his left, an Air Force helicopter flying just above the treetops soared by.
Al thought why an Air Force helicopter would go to a fire. He then remembered the military semi that drove by. Maybe the semi crashed and caught fire? Anticipation grew within him as he steered around an extended corner of the highway. He noticed the four patrol cars had completely blocked the road about a mile ahead. Their blue and red flashing lights filled the air with a glow. Behind them was the helicopter; it hovered over the scene, and a spotlight illuminated the military semi that passed Al miles before. It was on its side completely across the highway. Smoke and fire billowed from beneath the tarp. Debris scattered everywhere.
Al slowed his SUV to a crawl as he approached the horrendous accident. One of the officers walked toward him. Al stopped his vehicle and rolled down the window, the officer leaned down and spoke, "You will have to turn around and go back to the last exit."
Just beyond the accident was Al's exit. He spoke, "Officer, my exit is only a few hundred yards away. I've been on the road for over fourteen hours now. Could I just squeeze by?"
The officer replied, "I'm sorry sir, it is far too dangerous. You must turn around."
A guardrail blocked access to the southbound lanes, so Al asked, "How am I supposed to, I can't get across the medium?"
The officer answered, "There are officers at the last exit preventing anyone else from coming this way. I have radioed them, and they will let you exit there."
Al nodded, rolled up the window, and turned around. As he drove south in the northbound lane, he kept a close eye on the mirror. The accident scene was now behind him. Suddenly a massive explosion sounded, and his vehicle shook violently. He gazed in the mirror. The sky behind turned a bright white. Al thought he saw a mushroom cloud form. A shock wave began, and trees were flattened. Al pressed the accelerator to the floor. His heart raced. He looked at the speedometer for a second. The needle was pinned at 140 MPH. The wave intensified and quickly approached. "My God!" He screamed as the wave slammed into the rear of his SUV.
Blackness filled his consciousness. Pressure increased on his chest; he thought he heard a voice say, "We have a pulse." Al coughed and slowly opened his eyes. Two paramedics hovered over him.
One of them spoke, "Can you hear me?" Al nodded, and the man asked, "What is your name?"
Al replied, "Al, Al Colton."
The female paramedic spoke softly, "He is lucky to be alive."
Al asked, "What happened?"
The female answered as the paramedics hoisted the gurney, "You were in an accident, and we were able to remove you from your vehicle just before it exploded."
Al gazed behind them and saw his burning vehicle upside-down in the middle of the highway. "A bomb?" Al asked.
The female answered, "No, there was no bomb."
Al frantically spoke, "The military vehicle crashed, and the bomb under the tarp exploded. I was trying to get away, but the shock wave hit me."
The male spoke, "Calm down sir. There was no military vehicle, and there was no bomb."
Al repeated loudly, "But I saw it; I saw it."
As the paramedics hoisted the gurney into the ambulance, Al noticed that mile marker eighty-two was just to the right.
Light From Above: Written by Gerry Leblond: July 21, 2019
Three brothers experience fear when an unexplainable light invades their campsite. This story is fiction, but based on an actual event in the author's past that has him wondering, are we alone in the universe?
One mid-August day, many years ago. Brothers Johnny, Craig, and Joe were enjoying a day on the lake. It seemed hotter than a typical summer day. The wind was absent, the air stagnant, and sweat rolled down their cheeks. Their grandfather had told them the more humid the day; the less fish you'll catch. Since the fish weren't biting, they decided to head to the island early where they had camped many times before.
With a slight bump, the bow of the boat rested gently on the grassy shore. Joe, the youngest of the three, always sat in front of the craft. He was the first to step off, grabbed the rope, and attached it to a birch tree along the edge of the calm water.
In northern Maine, the air cools quickly when the sun descends below the horizon. So the three hustled to set up the tent and slip into their sleeping bags. As the darkness molded around them, silence quickly turned to noises of the night. A hoot from an owl, the rustling of leaves, maybe it was a raccoon or some other small night creature.
Laughter erupted from what would be called a stupid joke. Suddenly, a circular light appeared at the base of the tent. Similar to that of a flashlight beam, it slowly rose to the peak and moved down the other side.
Johnny, the oldest of the three teens, asked, "Who's out there."
Once again, the light appeared at the base and rose in the opposite direction as the previous time. Up over the peak and down the other side, then vanished.
"That was a big firefly," Craig spurted with a chuckle.
Johnny spoke nervously, "It may be someone trying to scare us." He unzipped the door peeked out and expected to see another person standing there. He jumped back and said in a frightened voice, "That was no firefly! We got to get the hell out of here!"
"What is it?" Craig asked.
Johnny replied, "I don't know, but I am not waiting to find out," and then rushed out the door. "Come on; we got to get out of here!" he shouted as his two brothers followed. It was several hundred feet to the water's edge. As they ran through the trees, fear began to grow within them.
It was now past midnight, but the sky was bright enough to see their way through the thick brush. Joe looked up, was it the moon, or was there something else above them in the night sky? They reached the boat, and Johnny and Craig jumped in. Joe untied the rope and shoved the craft into the water.
"Did you hear that," Craig shouted as the boat drifted backward.
"Hear what?" the other two brothers answered simultaneously.
From above the island, a loud hum emerged. Frozen in fear the three stared into the trees. From the object that hovered above, an orb of light descended into the trees. It faded among the thick growth. Suddenly the whole forest lit up like it was daytime. For twenty minutes, the bright light illuminated the trees in the area where the tent sat. The light dimmed, and the orb shot to the sky, absorbed into the object and both vanished.
The next day they went back to the island to gather their belongings. Johnny, with a baseball bat in hand, arrived at the site first. "What happened!" he shouted.
The tent was in shambles, and all three sleeping bags were ripped to shreds. From that day on, the brothers never stayed the night on the island.
Night Creatures: Written by Gerry Leblond: August 11, 2019.
While doing dishes, Emma has an encounter that will be embedded in her mind forever.
Emma stands in front of the kitchen sink. Dirty dishes are higher than the counter. She should have done them earlier, but an excellent science fiction movie came on, and she couldn't turn away. It is now 11:15 pm. Her daughter will arrive in the morning with Emma's new granddaughter. So the dishes must be done tonight.
Emma squirts a healthy glob of dish liquid into the hot water running from the faucet. Bubbles begin to form around the dishes when the house shakes slightly. Emma's first thought is an earthquake, but a pulsating hum soon follows the movement. It is odd because Emma has never heard of a hum accompanying an earthquake before.
The trembling becomes more intense, and the hum increases. Emma immediately turns off the faucet and glares out. She notices an eclipse-like shadow slowly covering the full moon. But, there is no forecast for a lunar eclipse tonight.
Overcome by curiosity, she decides to go outside and see what is causing the commotion. As Emma passes the end of the counter, she grabs her cell phone. She clicks on the back deck's light, opens the door, and steps out.
The shadow now covers the moon entirely as Emma looks up. A large disc-shaped object slowly glides a few hundred feet above. She stares in amazement as the disc moves to the top of the small hill in the back pasture. It then descends to a stationary position. Four landing arms protrude from the object as it settles on the knoll.
Emma immediately dials 911 and places the phone to her ear. A recording on the other end sounds, "This number cannot be reached as dialed." She desperately tries again and again but with the same result.
Suddenly a ramp lowers from the bottom of the object and a bright light releases from inside. One by one, several silhouettes appear, walk down, and stand on the hilltop. The ramp raises back into the craft. In an instant, the object streaks upward and disappears into the night sky.
The full moon reappears and dimly illuminates the surroundings. Emma sees five humanoid figures standing with their backs to her. The tallest one has two others on each side. Emma thinks the center one must be the leader. A loud grunt sounds as that creature points to the swamp that adjoins her property. The other four race in that direction, leaving the tallest one alone.
Five minutes pass. The being turns, fiery-red eyes reflect off the moon's light. The creature slowly begins to walk toward Emma's house. Emma backs up, enters her dwelling, shuts, and locks the door. Once again she tries calling 911, but the same recording sounds.
Moments later loud footsteps pound the deck. The door rattles as the creature tries to enter. Frozen in fear, Emma closes her eyes. Hot water splashes onto her feet. She reopens her eyes and quickly turns off the faucet realizing the encounter was just her imagination running wild stemming from the movie she watched an hour before.
Caterwauls: Written by Gerry Leblond 12/28/2019
A hoard of wolflike creatures menaces a kingdom. An aging warrior discovers the truth behind the attacks.
With One final swing of the ax, a week's supply of wood lay beside the chopping block. Hanz looks at his palms. Blood oozes from the broken blisters. He yells to his seven-year-old son, "Hurry Hunter, we must get the wood inside before darkness arrives, and the Caterwauls crawl out of their lair."
Hunter loads several small sticks onto his tiny arms and follows his father into their home. Inside, piles of chopped wood rest on the floor. Candles line the mantle emitting the only light within the dwelling. Slats of wood cover the windows preventing light from entering the home. Also, to hinder the creatures from invading.
For hours the two carry as much wood as they can inside before the sky darkens. As the sun begins to descend over the horizon, darkness quickly molds around the home. Faint howls and screeches sound in the distance. Hanz hurriedly lights a fire in the old cook stove as well as the fireplace. Smoke billows from the two chimnies.
Hanz speaks, "As long as we keep the fire burning, the caterwauls will keep their distance."
Hunter nods, and the two sit at the table to eat. Outside, screams of the caterwauls continue, seeming closer than the previous year's assault.
"Tell me the story of how the caterwauls came," Hunter asks.
Hanz replies, "When you were just one year old, a tremendous earthquake split the ground at the base of the mountain. One year later, hundreds of caterwauls crawled out from the depths of the earth. They invaded villages and captured many people, including your mom. Every year, they return for one week to take more of our citizens."
Hunter asks, "Has anyone tried to stop them?"
Hanz answers, "All who have tried have failed."
Hunter replies, "You are a great warrior; why have you not tried?"
Hanz answers, "That was long ago; my skills have left me. You are my only son, and I must protect you from them."
Hunter responds, "But you have the sword."
Hanz replies, "The skin of the caterwaul is impenetrable. No sword can pierce it."
Hunter interrupts, "The sword is magical, surely you could defeat them with it."
Hanz says, "We must stay within our home and keep the fire burning until they return to their lair."
Hunter says, "But father, there must be a way to stop them."
A loud thump bangs the door interrupting the conversation. Hanz jumps to his feet as deep raspy breaths sound. He places his finger over his mouth to tell Hunter to be quiet.
Hunter whispers, "The fire is supposed to keep them away."
Hanz speaks quietly, "Go to your room and hide. Do not come out, no matter what."
Hunter rushes into his room and hides in a secret room under the floor.
Hanz goes to his room and retrieves the magical sword. A dim white glimmer surrounds the blade as he returns to the center of the dwelling. The door begins to rattle. The creature crashes through and stands on its hind legs facing Hanz. Saliva drips from its fanged mouth. Black eyes sink into a wolf-like head and spikes extend down the creature's back to a tailless body. Pinkish scales cover its slender frame. Hanz raises the sword to strike.
The creature steps slowly toward Hanz. In a low growling voice, it speaks, "I am Sloth, king of the caterwauls. I am not here to harm you. I have held back my army for now from any further attacks on your villages. You shall give your king a message. We will return and expect an answer when the next darkness returns."
Hanz asks, "Before I agree to your demands, what have you done with all our people?"
Sloth answers, "Your people are alive and safe. They will be released if your king agrees to my request."
Hanz lowers his sword and speaks, " Tell me what you demand."
Sloth answers, "We have raided your villages searching for one who can stop our little ones from dying. Since the ground shook and opened the earth above my kingdom, our children only grow for a year. Then they become sick and die. None of the villagers we've taken can cure this disease. Tell your king to provide a cure, and I will release all we have captured."
Hanz replies, "I must see for myself that my fellow citizens are safe. Then I will deliver your message."
Sloth agrees, "Come with me to my kingdom."
Hanz yells to Hunter to come up, and the two follow Sloth to his underground kingdom. Deep below the surface is a wondrous land filled with beautiful flowers, trees, and landscapes.
Sloth speaks, "I will take you to my dwelling where your people are. But first, my only child is dying, and I want you to see him first. Then you may understand our reason for what we have done."
They enter a small castle-like dwelling and enter a room where a small caterwaul is lying on a bed of moss. Hanz approaches the young creature and notices blister-like bumps covering its body. Hanz remembers as a child; he had similar bumps on him. His mother mixed a combination of willow leaves and citrus juice, and the blisters immediately disappeared.
Hanz says, "When I was a child. The same bumps covered me. My mother made a potion to heal them. May I try to do the same."
Sloth replies, "Yes."
Hanz ventures outside, a willow tree stands in the distance. Hanz grabs a handful of leaves from it and returns to the dwelling. He asks, "I need some fruit. Lemon or lime would be best."
A female caterwaul scurries out and returns with a basket of fruit. Hanz grabs a lemon from the basket, squeezes the juice from it, and mixes it with the willow leaves. He then grabs some and rubs it onto the bumps of the young caterwaul. Immediately the lumps vanish. The child's eyes open, "Father," the creature speaks.
Sloth shouts with joy, "You have cured my son! I will now release all we have captured and will no longer invade your kingdom. You have also gained a friend instead of an enemy."
As Sloth releases the prisoners, Hanz's wife runs into the arms of Hunter. And the three weep with joy. Sloth directs his army to administer the same technique on all the young caterwauls. Sloth holds out his paw and speaks, "If you ever need assistance, my army is prepared to come to your kingdom’s aid."
Hanz tightly grabs the paw of Sloth and answers, "The same from us."