Chapter 8 - The Job
As the waxing moon rose high into the dark sky, its cold light cut through the rolling fog, and Jacob noticed that the forest of old trees was beginning to thin around them. Hoping this signaled that they were almost at the edge of town, he squinted intently down the gravel road, searching for the comforting shapes of buildings, or the orange glow of lantern light. Unable to distinguish anything through his scratched glasses and the swirling fog, Jacob turned his attention to Wilhelm who was staring fixedly down the road.
"Jacob?" The older man finally questioned, coaxing his horse to a stop in front of his brother.
"Yes, Will?" Jake replied in a carefully neutral tone as he reined his horse in beside Wilhelm.
"Would you kindly remind me why we're here?" Wilhelm asked, leaning over his saddle towards Jake and giving him a smile that was big enough to make his younger brother suspicious.
"Uh," Jake started, unsure of what information Wilhelm was trying to get out of him, "We're heading towards Hameln?" He ventured uncertainly.
"No, no, we're already there. I can see the town's lights from here. I meant why did they send for us, exactly?" Will clarified, unnerving Jake with the way he was staring so intently at him.
"Will… I gave you the letter, didn't I?" Jacob retorted, receiving an apologetic shrug in reply, "Honestly, what do you expect when you don't bother to read it before tossing it," The younger man exclaimed in exasperation. Jake glared at Wilhelm, who grinned apologetically in return. "Will. This. Is. Important!" He hissed through gritted teeth, completely vexed as his brother shook his head.
"Okay, okay. I'm sure it's important, missing damsels or a cursed goat or whatever. Hopefully more lucrative than our last job at least," Wilhelm added disinterestedly.
"Gods, Will! Had you read the letter in the first place, you'd know how serious this job is," Jake chastised his brother, rubbing the bridge of his nose in exasperation, "The town's children have gone missing."
"What do you mean by the town's children? You mean only a few, right? A dozen? Surely not all of them?" Wilhelm interjected, unable to hide his shock.
"They estimate over a hundred children are missing, but the numbers haven't been confirmed yet. So yes, Wilhelm, that would be pretty much all of them," Jake snapped in annoyance. "The townspeople seem to believe that some sort of demon stole their children, using a pipe," the younger Grimm added. Had it not been for the grave circumstances, such an explanation would have been funny.
"A pipe?" Will echoed in disbelief, nudging his horse forward, "A dainty little woodwind? Are you kidding me?"
"No Will, and had you read the letter you'd know that," Jacob said with a sigh, encouraging his mare to catch up to Will. "And this time, Wilhelm, I have a one request."
"Which is?" The older Grimm prompted mockingly.
"Please, just this one time, lay off the theatrics. It's too serious," Jacob pleaded, knowing how unlikely it was that his brother would accept.
"Theatrics? Please Jacob, they're what get us paid," Will scoffed, "I'd have thought you realized that by now."
Author's Note: Thank you for reading. This is the updated version of Chapter 8, uploaded on 02/2023.