Cursed - Part II

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. The names, characters and situations mentioned bear no resemblance to anyone living or deceased.

“I know what I saw! You may think I am crazy or under the influence of some drug, but I know what I saw. One of our sheep was carried away!” She was now screaming. The meat store owner’s wife was hysterical. It was past midnight and her husband was at his wit’s end, trying to pacify his wife.

“Alright! Let me call the priest. Until then, can you calm down? He may be asleep at this hour, but I will try anyway”, he said, trying to be as calm as he could. In his mind, he was terrified to step out of the safety of his home. Especially after listening to the description of the events by his wife.

“You want to step out of the house now??? Are you insane? Were you even listening to what I said?” She started off, with fresh vigor. He silently thanked his stars that he did not have to go out. But he now had to deal with calming her down.

“Alright, my dear! I’ll make a phone call to the priest. If he is awake, then let him…” He was interrupted before he could finish.

“Have you lost your mind?? YOU WANT SOMEONE ELSE TO TAKE AN UNNECESSARY RISK BECAUSE YOU DON’T WANT TO?” His wife screamed, throwing her hands up in the air.

“Woman! CALM YOURSELF DOWN! BE CLEAR WITH WHAT YOU WANT, OR ELSE GO OFF TO SLEEP!” He had finally lost his temper and the control on his voice.

The meat store owner walked to the wall cupboard and took out his shotgun. He checked for cartridges and loaded the chamber. He grabbed a handful of the cartridges and shoved them in his jacket.

“Go on! Sleep it off. I’ll stay put, right here. If I see anything that is suspicious, I’ll shoot first”, he said, trying to sound as reassuring as he could.

The rest of the night passed without any further events. She gently woke him up with a cup of coffee.

“Darling, I am sorry about last night. But I was terrified.”

He looked at her, with drooped eyelids. “It’s alright. Let me freshen up and we can go meet the priest.”

The church priest had just finished the morning service and was shaking hands with some of the parishioners. He looked up when the meat store owner called out to him. He immediately knew that something was wrong, gauging from the expressions on their faces.

“My dear, tell me everything. Just like it is a confession. Do not worry about anything. Open your heart out. No one will interrupt us”, he gently told the woman, as he closed the door to his office with the three of them inside.

“Father, I was in the garden. I had just closed the gate to the sheep’s pen. We rear the sheep to supply the store with the meat. I had finished the counting and had just turned away, when I got a feeling that I was being watched. The feeling was so creepy! It felt that no matter where I hid, I would still be watched! I turned around and stared at the gate. For a few minutes, nothing moved. Even the air was still. Then, I saw the sheep shuffling around, uneasily. They were bleating loudly. I know those cries. They were terrified. Usually their bleats tell us about their hunger, or if one of them is sick. This time, it was raw fear! I hesitated. I had never seen them behave that way. I took a step towards the pen, when I saw those eyes. Huge, round, blood-red eyes, father! They were staring at me. There was so much malevolence in them! So much hatred! The air suddenly reeked of the stench of rotting meat. I think it was from the creature. I say creature, because it was definitely not an animal. It was not human either, although it stood on two legs. The back was slightly hunched. I could make out the shape of his muscles in the fading light. Those muscles were capable of crushing any grown man! The body was covered with thick bristles. I thank the heavens that it did not attack me. I know I would not survive an attack. It would have crushed my bones to dust! I began to sob. I saw the sheep trying to escape, but they could not. The creature leaped over the fence and landed right in their midst. In one fluid motion, it picked up one of the sheep and shook it in the air, like it was a rag doll! I saw the teeth. Fangs really! They were dripping with saliva. It looked like the beast was relishing the taste to come. It sank its teeth into the neck and the bleating stopped. All the sheep were silent. It was like they knew that the moment had passed. Only one of them was to die that night. I saw the creature tear a mouthful of fur, blood and gore out. Some of it landed right near my feet! I wanted to scream, but couldn’t. It was unreal. The creature then picked up its muzzle and howled – long and loud. It was as if it was declaring that it would return soon. It was a declaration of what was to come. The next instant, it hoisted the carcass on its shoulder and turned to look at me. I think it smiled at me. I don’t know, I couldn’t tell. The fangs were flashed and the eyes had narrowed down to tiny slits. It leaped over the fence and bounded away, without so much as a stumble in the dark! I know what I saw, father! It was horrible. It will return”, she said and immediately began to sob.

Her husband calmed her down, rubbing her shoulders and looked at the priest. His eyes told the priest that he had also encountered something similar. The priest waited.

“Father, I think we have a werewolf in the town. I had heard howls from the jungle a few times, when we went hunting. I haven’t seen it. I believe my wife though. And I know she is right when she says it will return. I also think I know where we should look”, he said, with a tone of finality.

The priest nodded. He was aware of everything that happened in the town. The parishioners confessed everything. He did not say anything, but his mind was furiously working. He knew that the path that lay ahead was going to be difficult. He knew that another life would be lost. He hoped he could reach out before the one he was thinking about, either before he got damned or before he died.

“I need to visit someone. I think you all should come too. But I must warn you on how you must speak”, he said to the couple in his office and began to discuss his plan.

**Copyright: Amit D'Souza