6
The Wolf stopped walking. Bang! Bang!
The wolf pounded the door with great intensity.
"Open the door, little pig!" boomed the Wolf.
I stayed silent.
"I know you're in there, pig," the Wolf said. "I'm the Wolf. I can smell you before ever getting here."
"You aren't getting in here!" I shouted. "You'll never eat me."
"You foolish pig! I can do whatever I want. If I want to get into your house, there's nothing a little pig like you can do about it. I will get into your house and eat you alive!"
I shuddered. I did not want to be another victim of the Wolf. I had to be brave.
"You know what I can do," said the Wolf. "We can save a lot of trouble if you just come out now. If you don't, I will just have to blow your house down just like I did your brother."
"Nothing you say will get me to open that door," I said. "Nothing!"
"Hey, pig!" the Wolf said. "If you let me in now, I'll make sure you're dead before I eat you. So let me come in."
"Sorry, Wolf. Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin. I won't let you in."
"How dare you deny the Wolf?!" he exclaimed. "You will kill you, pig! I'm going to huff and puff and blow your puny brick house in!"
"Go ahead and try!" I yelled.
I did not know if it was a good thing to support him blowing at my house. But hopefully Sam was right about the house being sturdy enough to withstand the Wolf.
The Wolf began his first huff and a puff. A sound of great wind surrounded the house. Was our house going to fall? There was a few seconds of only the sound of wind before stopping. Sam and I were still okay and the house was still in tact.
"Ha ha, Wolf!" I teased. "You can't get in here!"
"We'll see," he said. "That was only the beginning."
The Wolf huffed and puffed
again. This time the wind sounded a lot
stronger, but it was not enough to blow down my house. He did this routine over and over but was
not able to cause damage. On the
twelfth blow, he was able to make one brick fall out of the wall. But I was not worried. At this rate, it would take hours to bring
the house down. And by that time, he would
be exhausted from blowing. It looked
like Sam was right and we would be okay.
"It looks like you can't get in here, Wolf!" I said. "Why don't you just give up and go home? Loser!"
"I'm the Wolf!" he said. "I don't lose. No pig can escape me. I'm going to force my way in!"
A few seconds later...Slam! There was an extremely loud bang against the front wall. Slam! It was another.
"The Wolf is trying to smash through the wall!" I shouted. "Can he do that?"
"Sometimes," Sam said.
Again and again the Wolf slammed against the wall, causing several bricks to fall each time. Some bricks began to fall from the ceiling. Sam and I had to dodge them. The house was beginning to fall apart.
"We're going to die," I said. "We can get killed just from falling bricks!"
Brick after brick fell, creating entire holes in the wall so that we could see outside. But then the pounding stopped. I heard the Wolf groaning.
"I think he's hurt," I said. "He must be tired of ramming himself against the wall."
"That's good," said Sam. "He probably will have to give up now. He's too big to get through the holes he created."
"You built a very sturdy house," said the Wolf. "But there's a flaw in everything. And that flaw is the chimney."
I turned to look at the chimney. The fire was on, but it was not nearly enough to stop the Wolf.
"Yes, little pig," the Wolf said. I'm coming down that chimney of yours!'
I heard the Wolf climb the walls of my house, working his way to the roof. He walked across the ceiling and toward the chimney.
"Why did you make a chimney anyway?" I asked Sam. It was cold last night," he said. "I needed something to keep me warm."
What were we going to do? The Wolf was going to come down the chimney and the fire was not large enough to burn him. If we were to go outside, he would chase us down. We were trapped.
"Hey, Charlie!" said Sam, running toward a pile of sticks. "We can try to increase the fire! I still have sticks left!"
I rushed over to help him throw sticks on the fire. The flames attacked the sticks and the fire grew.
"It's dinner time!" said the Wolf through the chimney.
I heard him crawl into the chimney and start to wiggle his way down. The fire grew larger and more violent.
"Oh no!" the Wolf yelled. "It's hot!"
I could hear the Wolf struggling to climb back up the chimney. Scratch, scratch, swoop. He could not go back up. Instead, he fell all the way down, landing in the fire.
"Aaaarrrrrrgghhh!" roared the Wolf. He struggled to get himself out of the chimney.
"We should get out of here," said Sam, leading the way.
I glanced back to see the Wolf running around the room trying to get the fire off of him. Then the Wolf stopped running around the house and charged right out the front door! Sam and I scurried out of the way, the Wolf passing us. The Wolf continued running, still on fire, until he vanished from sight.
"Where is he going?" I asked.
"He's probably going to the lake not far from here," said Sam. "He's going to survive."
"So you think he'll be back soon?"
"Yeah. He's going to be looking for you."
We went back ion the house and shut the door behind us. I picked up the basket of food that Frank had made before we came out to the woods. There was plenty of goodies inside. "Do you want a cookie?" I asked Sam.
"No thanks," he said. "I ate a sandwich from that basket while you were sleeping. I'm full for a while."
"Okay," I said. I ate all the cookies and then picked up a fruit. "This is some good food. But it's better if I eat it on the move. The Wolf will probably be back any minute. Let's go."
Sam and I left the brick house behind and walked on. Sam held the flashlight and I held the ax and the basket of food.
"It's really dark out here," I said.
"Yes, it is," said Sam.
"I can barely see anything. How will we be able to find Arnie? All we have is this flashlight. And what if the Wolf finds us? We won't be able to escape; we can't see where he is!"
"It's okay," he said. "I've got it all under control. When did you last see him?"
"He ran into the woods when Timmy and I was about to give up. I haven't seen him since."
"If he just ran into the woods by himself, he probably didn't go that much further. We should find him shortly."
How could Sam be so sure? He did not know where Arnie was. Did he see him earlier? Was he just being hopeful like I was?
"Hey, Sam," I said. "Did you ever try to stop the Wolf?"
Sam looked at me puzzled. "The Wolf versus a squirrel. The odds aren't too bad. It's no big deal that he is eighty times bigger than me, a million times stronger, a lot quicker, more violent, and completely evil!"
"Sorry. Bad question. But did anyone you know try and stop the Wolf? Is there no one brave around here?"
"Well, there was one animal," said Sam. "He was a dog. I think his name was Roger. He ran away from a house owned by a human family. The family never came to look for him of course. No dog is worth coming into these woods. Anyway, Roger became a hero here when he killed a snake named Brikoff who had gone mad and started murdering all kinds of innocent animals. And he would kill for no reason. Brikoff wasn't even eating them. He would just kill them. He was killing more than the Wolf was!"
"Wow," I said. "So Roger stopped him?
"Yeah, Roger killed him good," continued Sam. "He was a very brave and smart dog. We all welcomed him when he did that. Then one day, he saw the Wolf kill an innocent deer. He knew the Wolf was not doing this just to survive. That beast would eat about three or four times a day. And every meal was a big meal. The Wolf simply loved to kill. His thirst for death was insatiable. Roger knew the Wolf had to be stopped. So he fought the Wolf."
"That dog must be crazy," I said. "He fought the beast along?"
"Yes, he fought it alone," said Sam. "And Roger was not crazy. He was just brave. Besides, someone needed to put an end to the Wolf. And if anyone could do it, Roger was the one. That dog saved us from Brikoff's rampage. We figured he might just be able to end the Wolf's rampage also. So Roger challenged the Wolf to a fight to the death. Nearly every animal in the woods was there to watch. It was the most excitement we had since the great fire over forty years ago. Perhaps the Wolf would be defeated and we would live in peace. So the animals formed an immense circle around the two fighters. A bird was the one to signal them to begin. He flapped his wings three times; on the third flap, Roger and the Wolf would brawl."
"Did Roger do well?" I asked.
"Oh, yes. Roger did very well. He was a little faster than the Wolf. He was able to dodge his giant paws. Roger bit him several times on the leg and the Wolf gave a loud holler. And after about fifteen minutes of dodging and striking, Roger rammed the Wolf extremely hard in the leg. The Wolf fell down on his face. We thought it was almost over and Roger about to save us again. Roger climbed onto the Wolf's back. He threw up his arms in triumph. The animals were all cheering. We were thrilled to see someone was beating the Wolf. I was standing right in front of the Wolf, now on the ground. He was unconscious and his large eyes were closed. Even when he was not awake, he was a frightening sight."
"Well, what happened?" I asked. "What did Roger do next?"
"After exciting the crowd for a while, Roger asked for a very large stick that he could thrust into the Wolf. He was given the stick and he held it high in the air with his two front paws. He yelled 'This is for all the victims of your evil!' and drew the stick back, ready to shove it through the beast. But before he did, I noticed that the Wolf's face was moving. Suddenly, his huge, black eyes opened wide and looked straight at me. I was incredibly scared. I was thinking Kill him, Roger! Quick before he gets up! But it was too late. The Wolf felt Roger on his back and instantly jumped up. Roger fell to the ground, the stick still in his hand. The Wolf rose up on his hind legs. We all looked up at the enraged beast towering over us. Then the Wolf gave a large roar and slammed his right arm down fiercely, killing Roger instantly. In only a few short seconds, our hero was dead and our hope was shattered."
"Wow, that's sad," I said. "Still to this day, no animal has escaped the Wolf's fury. Let's make you and your brother the firsts."
Swish, swish. Something close was moving.
"What was that?" I asked.
"Maybe it's just a raccoon," Sam said. "It's probably nothing."
"Let's keep moving," I said, leading the way. "Keep that flashlight steady so we can see."
Swish, swish. Then I heard a short howl. I screamed.
"Why are you screaming?" asked Sam. "That was an owl hoot."
"Right," I said. "I knew that."
Then I felt something brush against my arm. It was furry and moved quickly. "Aaaah! What was that?!" I yelled. "Something just touched me."
Sam focused his light on the object that was next to me. All we saw was a bird's feather falling. "Is that what touched you?" asked Sam.
"Okay," I said. "But it could have been something else and much bigger."
Then I heard a loud growl somewhere behind us. This time Sam did not have any comment to make. We both started running and screaming. There were too many different sounds in the Woods at night. At least in the daytime, you could see whatever creatures made noise. But at night, the creatures could sneak up right behind you and you would not know until it was too late.
It seemed like there were creatures everywhere while we ran. I realized why us pigs are nocturnal. Sam was unable to keep the flashlight steady as we ran. Neither of us could see in front of ourselves more than a few inches.
"I don't hear it anymore!" I yelled, still running. "I think we can..."
BAM!!! We both crashed into something big and fell to the ground. The flashlight dropped out of Sam's hand.
"Ow," we said simutaneously. "Are you okay, Sam?"
"I'm fine, Charlie," he responded. "What happened? Did we hit a tree?"
"I don't know," I said. "Use the flashlight."
Sam picked up the flashlight. The light revealed a bunch of sticks woven together to create a house.
"We hit a house," Sam said. "Good. I don't like being out at night. Let's go in."
"Wait," I said. "We can't just go in. We don't know who lives here."
"I don't care. We'll just have to see who it is, won't we?"
"No," I said. "What if it's the Wolf's house?"
"It's not the Wolf's house. The Wolf's house is bigger and creepier. I've seen that house and this is definitely not it. Now, let's go."
We walked to the front door.
"Knock on it," said Sam.
"You knock," I said.
"My knock won't be loud enough."
"Fine." I reached up and gave to knocks. I had an urge to run away but I did not want to be outside at night either.
"Who is it?" a voice asked. It was my brother Arnie's voice! He was alive!
"Arnie!" I yelled. "It's me, Charlie!"
The door flew open and standing there was my brother, alive and well. I rushed to him and gave him a big hug.
"I'm so happy to see you," I said.
"Come in," Arnie said. "I want to keep this door locked at all times."
"So you managed to stay alive, huh?" I asked. "I'm proud of you. You know that the Wolf is after us the most. Pig is his favorite meal."
"Yes, I know," he said. "Now that you mention the Wolf, I have something to tell you."
"What?" I asked. "What is it, Arnie?"
"Timmy's dead. I saw him not far from a straw house he must have built. His body was there, but there was no head."
"I know," I said. "I was there when it happened."
"Oh my."
"Yes," I said. "It was horrible. I couldn't believe it. The Wolf just ripped off his head and ate it right in front of me. Timmy, he's dead."
"I could hardly believe it at first either," said Arnie. But I knew it was him. That was his body I saw. I had to accept the harsh reality."
"But you are still alive," I said. "That's important. I am still alive, too. Two pigs have died today. Let's not make it two more."
"You're right," Arnie said. He looked down and saw Sam. "Who's that?"
"That's Sam," I told him. "He's a squirrel. He's going to help us find the Medicine Pig."
"He knows where the Medicine Pig is?"
"Yes, I do," answered Sam. "I can lead you to him. It is very dark, but I see you have a flashlight. That will help me find it."
Arnie's flashlight hung from the ceiling, creating a circle of light in the middle of the Room.
"Great," said Arnie. "Maybe we aren't completely doomed after all. We have someone that can lead us to the Medicine Pig. But there's still one little problem."
"What's that?" I asked.
"The Wolf is still alive."