Everything Goes Wrong
The day came when Maurice had the chance to enter an invention in the fair. He spent weeks trying to think of what to make and how to perfect it. Just in time, he completed a machine that chopped and stacked wood. Loading it onto the wagon, he assured Belle that his invention would make enough money for them to live comfortably again and visit some of the places Belle had read about.
"Goodbye, Papa! Good luck!" she exclaimed.
"Goodbye, Belle! Take care while I'm gone!" he replied.
There are some people you should never trust to follow written directions to an unfamiliar place. This is no fault of their own; it's just that different people are intelligent in different ways. Someone blessed with outstanding mathematical skills might not be so successful at analyzing literature, for example. Maurice may have been a creative inventor, but he wasn't too good at following maps or signs. As a result, we became lost in the forest.
We reached a place where two trails intersected, and I looked down both paths. One looked dismal and foreboding while the other looked no more dangerous than the area of woodland we had already traveled. I chose the less perilous way, but Maurice insisted the other was a shortcut, and since he was a human, I had to obey.
I was nervous. Evening was approaching, and I sensed that something or someone was watching us. Some sort of evil lurked behind those dark trees.
"This can't be right!" Maurice exclaimed. "Where have you taken us, Philippe?!"
Oh sure! Blame the horse instead of the guy who can't read the map or follow any instinct that says dark paths in the forest are generally a bad idea!
Was that howling? What sort of creatures…? Wolves!
I'd never seen a wolf before, but I knew they sometimes killed livestock, including cattle and horses. I'd heard of such things happening on neighboring farms, and the wolves in this part of the forest were said to be more deadly than most. Unless rabid or provoked, wolves will generally run from humans if given the chance. Some of the braver wolves might bark a little to convince a human to leave the area, but they usually don't make trouble without good reason. However, rumors had circulated throughout farming communities that there was one pack of wolves that had absolutely no fear of human beings, and to make matters worse, their level of reasoning was superior to that of any other wolves in Europe, almost equal to human thought.
Werewolves? Perhaps. Whatever they were, they had surrounded us! I tried to follow Maurice's instructions to escape, but I ended up running away in a blind panic after accidentally throwing Maurice from the wagon.
Some of the wolves chased me. I passed the place in the forest where the paths intersected and felt relieved, thinking they would surely stop there, but the wolves kept following me. I was within five miles of town, but the wolves still pursued.
These had to be some pretty desperate wolves. Usually, a wolf will only chase an animal so far, and if the animal is too healthy to be brought down easily, the pack will stop the chase to save their energy for a hunt where the odds are more in their favor. However, these wolves just wouldn't quit.
Half a mile from my home, the wolves finally gave up and returned to their area of the forest, but I didn't stop running until I saw Belle.
"Philippe! Where's Papa?!"
She unhitched me from the wagon and insisted I take her to her father. I wasn't too eager to return to a place with fearless wolves, but none of them bothered us.
Where was Maurice? I searched the area where I had last seen him. I couldn't find the exact place where he had fallen out of the wagon, but I saw a castle in the distance. Thinking maybe someone there could help, I took Belle there.
Three things were wrong. One, there were wolf tracks in the snow. Two, Maurice's hat was on the ground. Three, I somehow felt the presence of a creature larger and fiercer than all the wolves combined. The combination was too much for me to handle, and I drew back in fright. Belle calmed me down and walked me into the yard of the castle, closing the gate behind us.
After she entered the castle, I tried unsuccessfully to ignore the yellow eyes that burned like embers. I could see the wolves staring at me through the gate. Some of the creatures even licked their chops as if to say, "I'm so hungry, I could eat a horse!"
A harness walked up to me. I'm not kidding. A harness walked up to me on its own! That was frightening, but I didn't sense evil from it. Besides, after confrontations with those wolves, I was willing to put aside my fear and follow the living harness, which led me to a stable. A pitchfork was giving me some hay, and a brush began to groom me. Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad evening after all.
