Ch. 1

A long time ago in a small village there lived a man named Benjamin. He was a poor farmer of very common and humble origins. He wasn’t very good looking either, being rather tall and bulky. His skin was tough as leather from years of hard work and his face, though not hideous, was far from handsome. The only remarkable feature he had were his eyes. They were as blue as the clear, deep ocean. No matter how gruff and uninviting his exterior, one could see his kind nature reflected in his eyes.

 

Benjamin was a good and generous man who was always willing to help whoever came his way. It was this generous nature that one day got him into trouble and ended up changing his life forever.

 

He was walking past the village market when he heard shouting. A moment later, a boy came running out toward him. Assuming that this boy had something to do with the commotion, Benjamin swooped into action and grabbed him. He then carried him, kicking and screaming, back to the old woman who was causing all the fuss. “Alright, lady. Here’s the boy. What’s going on?

 

She was a frightening sight, all bent and weathered like a prune, with rotten teeth and dirty, matted hair. She glared maliciously at the boy in Benjamin’s arms, then pointed with a gnarled finger that was barely more than twisted bone. “That urchin stole from me!” Her voice was horse and screeched like sheering metal.

 

Benjamin looked at the boy. “Is this true?”

 

The boy looked down for a moment, then up at Benjamin. “All I took was one apple from that barrel she’s selling. I was starving and figured one little apple wouldn’t hurt.”

 

Benjamin stared at the boy for a moment. When he didn’t look away, Benjamin knew he was telling the truth. Releasing the boy, Benjamin walked over to the barrel, looked at the sign and pulled out his money bag. Counting out the money, he added a little extra and handed it to the old woman. “Here, mother. Now you can return home and the only one to suffer anything from the boy’s action’s will be me.” He picked up the barrel, then turned to the boy. “You remember this day, son. Next time you get in trouble, there may not be someone like me to bail you out.” With that, he headed home, not thinking any more about the old woman.

 

But she wasn’t just any old hag. She was, in face, an evil witch. And Benjamin had made her furious. She had been watching the boy, planning how to lure him into her trap. It had worked perfectly until Benjamin had gotten involved. Now there was no way that she could take her revenge on the boy without putting herself in danger.

 

Then she remembered Benjamin’s words: ‘The only one to suffer anything from the boy’s actions will be me.’ “Very well, foolish interloper. If you wish to take the punishment for the boy, so be it.” She then muttered a terrible curse, and in his home, asleep in his bed, Benjamin morphed into a terrifying creature.

 

His hair grew long and shaggy, then spread across his entire body. His teeth grew into sharp fangs and his nails into wicked claws. His body and even his facial features transformed, becoming more feline in nature. The only thing that remained unchanged was his eyes. They still remained the gentle pools they had been before the spell.

 

He didn’t even notice anything was wrong until he awoke the next morning and looked at himself in the antique brass mirror he had inherited from his mother. At first, he stared at himself, unbelieving, wondering if he were still asleep. But soon realization of the reality of the situation struck and he cried out in horror and disbelief. How could it be possible that this had happened to him? He finally realized it must have been the old woman from the market. She had looked furious when he left, but he never would have thought that she was a witch.