![]() “Do not open that door,” Babcia growled in James’s ear. The fire flickered the shadows danced and shifted. It’s so cold out here.”Ī gust of wind blew through the hole the wolves had dug. “Mom? Is that you?” it asked, muffled through the wood. “Sssshhh! You know that’s not your mother… my daughter. Before he could stop himself, he was calling out: “Mom? Mom?”īabcia clamped her hand over his mouth. “Are you in there? I’ve missed you… so, so much.” The voice swelled and broke with emotion, like a wave crashing on the shore. In seconds her strong hands were on James’s shoulders. ![]() His heart thrummed in his chest he pulled Babcia’s shawl tighter around himself.īabcia leapt back from the door. Then a voice, muffled and soft, from the other side of the door: He had never seen her scared or nervous before – Babcia was fearless, courageous, stoic. In the flickering light, James could see her widened eyes, her shaking hands. For a few moments, James and Babcia silently held each other – the fire hot on their backs, the icy wind coming in through the hole.īabcia stood up, then slowly stepped towards the door. The hole was empty the scratching was gone. ![]() A soft whimpering sound filled the air, followed by rapid footfalls of the wolves. Babcia held him tight.īut then, as suddenly as it started, the digging stopped. James saw a flash of gray-and-white fur, heard a guttural growl. James clung to Babcia with all his strength. The seam of dirt next to the front door shifted, buckled, roiled. James stared at the dirt floor, beginning to tremble. She undid her shawl and wrapped it around James’s shoulders. “Ssssshhh,” she replied, holding him close. “I heard them! The wolves! There was one right outside my window!” The tiny room was washed in dancing firelight, and the shadows jumped and twitched. Then he heard her voice, calling down the hall: “I’m here, James!”īabcia was back in her rocking chair. Through the thin cloth pinned to the windows, he could make out a large shadow, shifting and swaying right outside. He sat up in bed, heart pounding, and stared at the window. The sound of claws scratching against wood, right outside his window. He pulled the blankets around him tighter – and that’s when he heard it. The wind howled, and he imagined it was instead a dozen wolves, howling at the orange moon hanging in the black sky. James had trouble falling asleep that night. No matter what you hear on the other side.” She stood up, hobbled over to the door, and checked the locks. James shivered, despite the warm glow of the fire. Nothing but his bones are found in the morning.” “If any poor soul ventures out, he is attacked. They smell our suppers and treats, try to dig their way into our homes all night.” She motioned to the dirt floor of their tiny house. The wolves come from the forest, over the river, and into town. She turned to the fire, the orange light flickering over her face. On the coldest nights, when the river freezes over… all of the bad things in the forest are able to cross into the village.” “Now that you are almost a man, James, I will tell you. ![]() “It’s not the chickens I worry about.” She rocked faster, fidgeting with the blanket on her lap. “Don’t worry, Babcia,” James said, giving her a smile. “The chickens are very cold, Babcia,” he said. ![]() But when he came back in, his face was screwed up in a frown. “Will you feed the chickens before dinner?” One cold, January night, Babcia was sitting in her rocking chair by the fire. James was a good boy, who loved his grandmother very much. James diligently helped Babcia with the chores she cooked him hearty dinners and read him many books. Thankfully, between them and the trees lay a wide river, protecting them from all the forest held.ĭespite their poverty, they were happy. It sat at the foot of a snowy mountain range, next to a deep, dark forest that held all kinds of dangers. They were very poor: their house was a tiny, dilapidated thing, with a dirt floor and a crumbling chimney. His mother died when he was only five, so he lived with his grandmother, Babcia. James was an eight-year-old boy with the heart of a dog and the energy of a hummingbird. ![]()
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