1927: Redemption

Research on WEREWOLF!

“Myths are what remain once the history of an event has been forgotten or lost to time. Myths are like the memory of one’s first crush; the pain and longing one felt at that time are forgotten, but the warmth and sweetness of romance live on, probably even magnified, larger in the imagination than it was in reality.”

2021-DECEMBER-FLORIDA

Returning home with the groceries, Adeline unlocked the door and kept everything on the kitchen’s counter. She went to her room and felt relieved when she noticed the hole in the wall had been taken care of by none other than the beast himself.

Adeline thought to look for him in the apartment which she did a number of times in the past but never exactly found where the beast lived.

She went to check all the spare bedrooms but found nothing, everything looked untouched. Not even the clothes that were placed on the couch, bed and everything, were taken off. Sometimes, she really felt alone in her apartment, but in these five years, Adeline kept herself so busy that she never found time for the loneliness to mess with her brain wires.

Turning to leave one of the rooms, Adeline’s phone pinged with a new message. Pulling out her phone, her forehead dissolved in lines as she read the message from Dr Carter, it said:

“I hope you’re doing fine Miss Martinez as you have missed two sessions. Just a reminder, visit whenever you feel like it.

Happy Thanksgiving, Adeline.”

Not wanting to waste her time on thinking about a reply, Adeline typed a simple generic message, which said:

“Definitely Dr Carter. Thanks for checking up on me and yeah…. Happy Thanksgiving.”

Tucking her phone in her pocket, she closed the door and went into her room to do some reading. Because she knew, whatever Ace said- he wanted her to know James’ point of view as well and not only the beast’s as it depended on the beast to visit and she had no idea where she would ever be able to find him. The thought put a strange knot in her stomach, and she felt even more confusion when the beast’s face continuously came to her mind.

Ace’s words replayed in her head on a constant loop along with the beast’s three powerful words.

“Decide for yourself.” His deep and rough voice combated Ace’s words with fury.

She found it strange for someone like him to say “Decide for yourself”. Someone who hid the truth from her for five years and decided for her by himself. He seemed to be more than he gave.

Keeping every thought aside, Adeline sat on her bed and kept the pile of documents beside herself and started to pull out the papers one by one.

Firstly, the attached documents she pulled out was on:

“Early Werewolf Legends”

It’s unclear exactly when and where the werewolf legend originated. Some scholars believe the werewolf made its debut in The Epic of Gilgamesh, the oldest known Western prose when Gilgamesh jilted a potential lover because she had turned her previous mate into a wolf.

Werewolves made another early appearance in Greek mythology with the Legend of Lycaon. According to the legend, Lycaon, the son of Pelasgus, angered the god Zeus when he served him a meal made from the remains of a sacrificed boy. As punishment, the enraged Zeus turned Lycaon and his sons into wolves.

Werewolves also emerged in early Nordic folklore. The Saga of the Volsungs tells the story of a father and son who discovered wolf pelts that had the power to turn people into wolves for ten days. The father-son duo donned the pelts, transformed into wolves and went on a killing rampage in the forest. Their rampage ended when the father attacked his son, causing a lethal wound. The son only survived because a kind raven gave the father a leaf with healing powers.

“Infamous Werewolves”

Many so-called werewolves from centuries ago were in fact serial killers, and France had its fair share. In 1521, Frenchmen Pierre Burgos and Michel Verdun allegedly swore allegiance to the devil and claimed to have an ointment that turned them into wolves. After confessing to brutally murdering several children, they were both burned to death at the stake. (Burning was thought to be one of the few ways to kill a werewolf.)

Giles Garnier, known as the “Werewolf of Dole,” was another sixteenth-century Frenchman whose claim to fame was also an ointment with wolf-morphing abilities.

According to legend, as a wolf, he viciously killed children and ate them. He too was burned to death at the stake for his monstrous crimes.

Whether Burgos, Verdun or Garnier was mentally ill, acted under the influence of a hallucinogenic substance or were simply cold-blooded killers is up for debate. But it likely didn’t matter to superstitious Europeans during the 16th century. To them, such heinous crimes could only be committed by a horrific beast such as the werewolf.

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After reading it, Adeline raised her eyebrows in utter confusion and annoyance. “What the f**k is all of this?!” Muttered Adeline turning the page.

Blowing out a sigh, she read further:

“Are Werewolves Real?”

The werewolf phenomenon may have a medical explanation. Take Peter the Wild Boy, for instance. In 1725, he was found wandering naked on all fours through a German forest. Many thought he was a werewolf or at least raised by wolves.

Peter ate with his hands and couldn’t speak. He was eventually adopted by the courts of King Sylvester I and King Sylvester II and lived out his days as their “pet” in England.

Research has shown Peter likely had Pitt-Hopkins syndrome, a condition discovered in 1978 that causes lack of speech, seizures, distinct facial features, difficulty breathing and intellectual challenges.

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There were cutting of medical reports attached to the paper and when Adeline reached, at last, her eyes widened when she read the name of the person who did research on Werewolves.

And, that person was Rose Martinez, her mother.

After reading it, several questions arose in Adeline’s mind, as if:

Why her mother was so much interested in the mythological creature as she was from the history department and wife of a scientist. But, again when she thought about a certain someone with golden eyes, Adeline blew out a sigh and read further.

What did the other pages said?

Why was Rose Martinez interested in the mythological creatures?

What will Adeline find in further documents?