***
The appearances took place in fairly rapid succession – the vampire, water demon, skeleton, mummy. But now there was a lull. Stu began to wonder if he’d taken a wrong turn. He’d not paid close attention to the route, assuming that Hank would advise him.
He looked toward his lodge brother at the back of the group. Hank flashed a reassuring thumbs up, and Stu continued on with renewed confidence.
Without all the buffoonery of the various ‘monsters’ jumping out of the forest, the night became eerie. The group of visitors drew closer together, their flashlight beams pooling on the wood chip surfaced trail.
Stu heard movement in the forest again, stealthy steps paralleling his progress. He expected another outburst of howling or the frenetic waving of lights, but nothing came. The suspense became annoying.
“Our ‘friends’ are making themselves scarce,” he said, turning toward the group.
He was surprised to find everyone crowded closely around him, like a bunch of kindergarteners clinging to their teacher. The cheeriness seemed to have left their faces. Even Dougie was keeping his mouth shut.
Stu consulted his monster list. “Well, before long, we should be encountering – ”
Suddenly, a werewolf leaped out of the woods, roaring and flailing his claws about. Everyone jumped back in alarm, including Stu. A number actually fled back down the trail several yards before coming sheepishly back.
“They call me ... wolf man,” the monster rasped.
He stepped forward menacingly. Everyone, Dougie included, shrank away.
“I’ve been around for a long time,” the wolf man said.
He was very tall and dressed in an incredibly realistic costume. Stu tried to identify the actor, but couldn’t recognize who it was under the mass of hair.
The werewolf paced agitatedly through the dry leaves, jerking his clawed hands in spasmodic gestures.
“Only three things can stop me,” he said, “wolf bane, the mountain ash, and . . .”
He looked wildly at the people, as if seeing them for the first time. His breath rumbled with the suggestion of a growl. Seconds passed. Someone giggled nervously in the back of the crowd and was silent. Stu glanced over the visitors’ faces and saw tension in them, genuine fear, even.
These people are really afraid!
Stu was getting a bit rattled himself. He cleared his throat.
“Perhaps you can tell us what the third thing is, uh, Mr. Wolf Man?” he said.
The monster ignored the question.
“Once, not long ago, some people chased after me,” he said, breaking his long silence. “They were never seen again!”
He let out a piercing howl and dashed off right through the crowd, knocking Dougie’s father aside.
“You sunovabitch!” the dad cried.
He was furious, and more than a little scared. Stu tried to smooth things out.
“Please try to understand, sir,” he said. “It’s dark, and it’s hard to see from under all that make up.”
“Well, somebody’s going to hear about this,” the man said. He looked to the others for support. “This is one hell of a lousy show if you ask me!”
There were murmurs of assent.
Jackass! Stu thought angrily.
The earlier enjoyment he’d begun to experience vanished into the chill air. He turned and stalked off in disgust. The group followed, but he outpaced them. Hank caught up.
“Take it easy, Stu,” he said. “Slow down a little.”
“Why do I get all the yo-yo’s?”
Hank shrugged helplessly.
“And who was that guy in the wolf man suit?” Stu demanded. “He scared everybody half to death.”
“I don’t know.” Hank shrugged again.
“You don’t know?” Stu was getting angry. “Weren’t you on the planning committee?”
“Yeah, but – well, there’s some new members I’m not too familiar with,” Hank said. “To tell the truth, I was too busy to make most of the committee meetings.”
“Uh huh,” Stu said “Just get back there and keep them quiet, will you?”
“Okay, okay – I’ll do that,” Hank said.
There was surprised indignation in his voice. He drifted back and resumed his place in the rear of the crowd.
Stu walked on silently until reaching a trail crossing. He halted. A right turn seemed most logical, but he wanted to consult with Hank first.
Also, a little conference would enable him to retract his angry remarks. That had been a terrible way to speak to a senior lodge member. The evening had exhausted his patience – his cold, the ill-fitting mask, Dougie and his dad.
He turned just in time to see a dark figure step out of the woods, grab Hank, and disappear with him. A horrified gasp shot through the crowd. They came rushing toward him en masse.