Fairytale - A Blue Lake Falls Novel

Chapter Five

Soft rays of sunshine filtered through the gap in the curtains of Mabel’s bedroom illuminating her soft egg shell painted walls with warm glow. It was the first day of her holiday and only 7:00am but it had Mabel jumping out of bed with a spring in her step as she floated into the kitchen for a hearty breakfast and her morning ritual of a decaffeinated Earl Grey tea in her favourite mug. Dressed in her best button down pastel mint green flannels decorated with tiny embroidered rosebuds, she boiled the kettle and popped her oats on the hob to cook. She took her almond milk from the fridge and filled the pan up bringing the temperature up so it could bubble slowly, adding a good portion of oats along with her favourite spices to add some extra flavour to the mixture. Cinnamon went in first for that earthy added warmth, next went in a good heap of organic raw brown cane sugar which gave her mixture a sweetness which she loved. Her sweet tooth had to be fed somehow and finally adding in a dash of vanilla essence to complete the flavour combination, her Grandma showed her how to make porridge over twenty years ago when she was just seven years old. She stood in this same kitchen on a wooden stool Grandpa made for her so she could help cook dinner but that morning she was allowed the ultimate gift of helping make breakfast which meant she was going to learn the secret recipe. Her soft brown hair was braided in pigtails tied with white ribbon Grandma had found in her mending box and she wore a bright yellow sundress and tights with her Mary janes because after breakfast she was off into town with Grandma and her friends for the local Women in Business luncheon and she wanted to look her best. Thinking back to that day every time she made porridge warmed her heart with pure love for the greatest family she had, how she missed those days. No worries or problems like a mortgage or bad dates, Mabel cringed at the thought of Dave and his breath. To this day she followed the recipe to the letter but it still didn't beat the original chef's creation, what it did do was burn out the lingering aftershocks of two nights ago. Pouring her breakfast into her bowl she took her food and her prepared tea out onto the deck out the back to enjoy the early morning air before getting ready for her hike. 

The deck ran the full length at the rear of the cabin, from under the windows of her bedroom to the other side where the back door to the kitchen was. A waist height fence finished off the look meeting halfway in the middle where one could walk into the garden down a set of two small steps. Grandpa had added the deck and extra roofing for Grandma after her accident, the first of many falls before the end allowing her to come outside with ease and into the garden to continue her love for horticulture. The steps weren't big at all and it had taken a while for Mabel to get used to not walking up them as if they were normal height with more than once seeing her floor flat on her face through forgetting to watch her footing, he even added a gutter between the house and the decks roof to collect any rain water into a trough which Grandma used to water the plants in the garden, "Waste nothing child, everything has a purpose". Taking her place on her most beloved IKEA garden furniture under the kitchen windows, she sat and enjoyed her breakfast whilst gazing over the garden and into the trees beyond. Her plot of land sat slightly higher than the other houses and not in a gully which meant no water sat still here when it rained meaning there was no chance of landslides or getting her truck stuck in mud on the climb up when she came up between Christmas and New Year’s. She cast her gaze further down towards the end of the garden and followed the path of wool from one side to the other, all intact she saw with satisfaction breathing a sigh of relief she didn't know she held. Tucking into her food with enthusiasm and downing her divinely scented tea in one she stood and marched back through the cabin dropping her bowl and mug into the sink for later and towards the bedroom to get dressed.

Tradition dictates the same actions of the past to be performed in the present and as per her tradition the first full day of when she stayed in her cabin she hiked the trails of the forest she lived in. She knew every path and hiking trail for the next 10miles in any direction, of course she had her favourites but more importantly she knew every location of a large tree if the weather required it and quite often it did. She picked out her trusted boot socks and underwear she knew wouldn't rub and make her skin raw, she had learnt that lesson the first time she decided to venture out alone. The one good thing about living here was no one could catch her with her pants down, or off in this case when she removed them completely and went back home commando red raw from chaffing and in desperate need for an ice bath. No, today was the trusted underwear day and gym leggings with the Wonder Woman symbol on, why not she decided when she added those into her online shopping basket one night after feeling frisky and adventurous. She got dressed quickly into her outfit and did her necessary trip to the bathroom before departing out the back door locking it and double checking. Just in case she said confirming it was indeed locked up tight, swinging her rucksack on she mentally went through the list of everything she packed before she was too far from home to turn back for missed items. She always made sure the main essentials for hiking went in first, equipment such as a torch, a couple of flares  and her fully charged smartphone. Then went the non-essentials but still just as important items such as emergency snacks ie; jelly beans, fluids in the form of sugar free Dr Pepper and a bottle of water and a brightly coloured waterproof coat she had found whilst shopping in England two years ago on one of visits to see some old friends. Her eyes had caught the coloured garment through the window of the shop whilst she strolled back after her trip to the Cambridge Universities library for some research before flying back home later in the week. She had spent almost all of her money, however that morning Grandma had sent over an early birthday present of a hundred English pounds and this jacket was calling to her. It was a bright red waterproof coat, thin enough so you wouldn’t over heat but completely waterproof it had boosted on the tag. She marched in and headed straight for the coats, they only had four UK size 10s, one size 12 and two size 18’s left,

“Popular aren’t you” she spoke aloud to the coat as if it could reply. She took the size 12 off the hanger even though she measured a curvy UK size 14 and tried it on, the zips met with ease and the jacket zipped all the way up comfortably with room for a jumper underneath easily. Popping off the coat she headed to the cashier to purchase it immediately along with some funky sausage dog cotton socks that were next to the register because who doesn’t love the idea of dogs named after food. Once she had paid and emerged into the early warmth of spring along the Cambridge high street with her stripy Joules bag which proudly held her new coat she felt just a little bit lighter on her feet for treating herself, “Thankyou Grandma” she whispered to the wind. Making her way through the garden and towards the wool that still surrounded her cabin she stepped underneath making sure to touch the wool as Grandma taught her, “So the house knows you’ve left darling” and unlocked the gate which connected her garden to the forest before her. Heading straight until she met the frequently walked seven mile circle route used by the locals as well as herself she decided today she would go anticlockwise just for a change, something told her she needed more changes to her routine so she set of at a sedate pace through the forest touching the trees as she passed them and clearing fallen branches from the path. After about two and a half hours of walking she had covered over two thirds of her route in a record time only seeing one other person with their two dogs, nodding her hello’s she decided to pause for a well-deserved rest and to consume her treats at leisure finding a large relatively flat tree stump to sit on. Being connected to this land from when she was a child gave her an energy boost when she walked through these trees. They had grown with her after all, shading her from the hot sun and sheltering her during freak thunderstorms in her teenage years when Grandpa finally trusted her to walk her favourite route alone as long as she took the essentials with her so he could find her if something went wrong quickly. Packing up her now empty pop bottle and packet of beans to throw away once she was home she zipped up her bag when the sound hit her like an aftershock wave from an earthquake.

“What the f*****g shitting hell was that?!” asking the trees with a voice full of panic, even her bones were shaking. Taking a long and deep breath she turned to its location whilst putting her hand in the secret pocket which was in the back part of her rucksack taking out the knife she stored there. Placing one foot in front of the other she ventured closer to the continued sounds which could only be made by a rogue grizzly that had perhaps wandered too far from its home. Bears never come this high up, there isn’t food up here for them thinking quickly to try and work out what was making these unearthly roars and moans. The next wave of moans had the ground shaking, leaves and loose branches fell from the trees on top of her, she covered her ears and crouched down in fear something was about to launch itself at her and rip her to pieces. This wasn’t right she decided, this wasn’t a bear or anything else she had heard in these woods before, fear started snaking its way through her body. Making her way round the last few trees hiding what was making these muscle quivering sounds she knew what she was about to find. It was about ten years ago when she was 18 when her Grandparents had sat her down and given her the talk, she didn’t believe them at first until Grandma showed her their words rang true. That was a rough day, her whole belief system has been shattered and what she knew of this world became reversed but it didn’t frighten her as much as it shocked her, Grandpa prepared her for if and when a day like this would happen. She just wished she wasn’t facing it alone and in her Wonder Woman leggings which she was sure went see through when she bent over.

The first thing she saw was the feet, long ink coloured claws coming out of a size 14 foot at least running up into thick, sinewy calf muscles and disappearing higher out of her eyeline under a bush. Holy s**t this was happening, this was real, oh f**k me sideways, I am not ready! she yelled in her mind pulling the sides of her hair in frustration. Grow a pair Mabel, it was bound to happen sooner or later, Grandpa made you train, they are real and you have one ten feet away from you, come on woman they need help, her mind answered back. With renewed determination she approached closer peering around the bush with her knife held out in front of her point first facing the producer of the sounds filling this part of the forest. I am officially in a Disney movie, is all that rang out in her brain. The creature resembled her favourite hero of all time, The Beast. The calves run up and into unbelievably strong muscled thighs covered with thick but what appeared to be baby soft long coal grey hairs however the inner thighs were smoother. Grandma had drawn her pictures of what they looked like but she never imagined it would be this big. The skin began to move and shift as if it was struggling to decide what form it was going to take, the animal's back and torso resembled a humans but she saw it was just bigger, thicker and definitely stronger with the same smooth skin like its thighs over its abdomen. Another thunderous grunt echoed from its throat knocking Mabel back a few paces and had her clutching her knife tighter with both hands this time. Breathe, one step, breathe, two steps and so on until she was back where she was before but this time her eyes were glued to it’s head or better yet its skull. It was definitely wolf shaped with enormous protruding canines created for ripping flesh from bone with one swift bite, not today Satan! Mabel stated to herself, she needed courage, fast. Deep ridges ran from between its ears down the back of its head to the nape where a line of deep black fur ran to the base of its spine where surprisingly no tail was present. Weird decided Mabel, but she didn’t question it further when suddenly the animal's body started to make large shuddering movements before falling deathly still. The movements had made it flip onto its left side giving Mabel a clear view of what had made it fall unconscious. All fear fled in that moment as she rushed towards the injured creature, forgetting any danger as she crouched down when she saw what had made it cry out in pain. A large claw trap had closed down the whole of its underside, this trap wasn’t the usual type of animal traps she had seen in the past. It was three times as big with teeth made of a dark glossy black material with jagged lines of silver in them, in fact the whole thing looked to be made of thick heavy silver. Double s**t and f**k, Mabel knew this creature couldn’t tolerate this material, she needed to act fast to remove it before it died. She knew about their species but not enough to know if it would attack her once it was set free, we can only hope it won’t. Reaching out her small hand she poked the animal's arm to see if she could wake it up, hoping it would help her by rolling over fully so she could release the catch. 

Grandpa taught her all the tricks, “Never leave an injured animal to die by such methods Mabel. It is cruel and they deserve more than this”. Flinching at her touch the beast rolled over fully onto its back as a fresh wave of pain coursed through its body making the skin ripple and alter in colour and texture. It’s trying to change back into its human form, if it does this it will die for sure and fast, working quickly she took off her rucksack searching for the tool to open bear traps. Her hand finding what she was after took it out and wedged it into the bottom on the pressure plate, using all her weight she pressed down again and again, only pausing when her hand slipped from the sweat on her palms making her slice her hand open on one of the exposed black and silver trap claws. Not caring for herself she tried one last time with renewed strength and determination to free this animal, she couldn’t sleep well if she had walked past leaving it to die in pain, alone and cold. A tiny click sounded from the trap as Mabel almost gave up, pulling the pin out from the middle of the jaws at its base it released itself from the creature's side making fresh blood pour from the wounds over Mabel’s hands and arms. 1 mile from home, I can do this, I can do this, I can’t do this. This creature is at least 6 and a half feet tall, it’s impossible, she stood up looking around for a base tree that she used as shelter from the elements if she was caught unaware before reaching home. Spotting one about 30 metres down the path she ran to it, reaching inside the hole that had been made into the side of it over time pulling out a box of emergency overnight supplies should the worst happen. She ran back to the creature who hadn’t moved an inch but who was now breathing too shallow and too slow for her liking. Taking the lid off the box she dug through the contents after the large thermal blanket that was stored at the bottom and the tarp used to make a makeshift tent roof but today it would have to be used as a makeshift sled. She laid the tarp out next to the creature and kneeled on its other side as carefully as she could making no sudden movements in case it lashed out and took her life with his own. Blood flow had slowed from the open wounds on its chest and shoulder meaning its heart rate was slowing too, she didn’t have much time. Leaning over its massive body she placed the blanket over its worst cuts and torso hoping to avoid getting them full of mud as she pulled on his side to lift him to slide the tarp underneath. Somehow she managed to push half of the tarp under him surprising herself, the creature didn’t even murmur so she quickly repeated the action again to slide the rest under his upper half leaving his legs lying in the dirt. It will have to do, I can’t work miracles she proclaimed. Reaching back into her bag for her coat she placed it over the body for adding warmth and then the rope she kept in the front pocket to thread through the holes of the tarp, looping it under his good arm and over its chest, she was ready. Putting her rucksack back on she grabbed the rope and the edge of the tarp she had left sticking out past its head she began to gently pull him towards the path, she didn’t move an inch. Trying again and again getting her boots covered in forest gunk and something smelly that had her retching when she sniffed it, revolting she thought. It had better not have come from that animal. Turning her face towards the fading sun she hadn’t realised how long she had been out, it must be almost five o’clock, 'I’ve got to hurry' she thought. Breathing deep she prayed out loud to whoever might be listening. 

“Come on Mabel, pull! Goddess you better pull like you’ve never pulled before! Come on you son of a b***h move!” Someone must have been listening because she started to cover ground, pulling slowly and gently avoiding any rocks and fallen logs she managed to get to the path and starting making her way down. For what seemed like hours must have been only twenty minutes she was back at the start, leaving the creature under the string of wool she ran her hand along it before opening the gate and running through over to the shed, she needed some help, she needed wheels. Utterly exhausted and filthy from today’s events she cruised on adrenaline pulling over the wheelbarrow towards the body in the bag. With her palm still bleeding she winced as she picked up the rope again pulling on it to bring him under the wool and through the gate towards the wheelbarrow. She put the wheelbarrow tip down using a wooden plank to keep it upright, she never understood why Grandpa kept such a large piece of gardening equipment for such a small plot but today wasn’t that day. Putting the rope over the top of the handles out of the way she took the creature's gigantic head in her hands and placed it into the wheelbarrow, then went its shoulders being careful not to cause any more pain because its nose and her nose were mere inches apart. Hold your nerve Mabel, she chanted, You got this as its breath floated over the skin on her face creating goose bumps which erupted delicately over her skin. One by one each upper body part was placed into the barrow so the animal was sat up, now for the tricky bit she thought, pulling on the ropes that hung over the top and kicking the plank away she grabbed the handles and slowly tilted the wheelbarrow down until all three points touched the floor again and the animal was more of less inside it. Dragging it backwards towards the cabin she had to skirt the side of the house and go through the front door where there were no steps making this last bit easier. Once the door was unlocked she pulled the wheelbarrow indoors, through the living area covering the floor with mud, leaves and blood dragging it straight into her bedroom. Making sure to not touch the walls she positioned the creature at the foot of her bed, removing her rucksack and other layers she squatted down until she was eye level with the handles and hoisted them onto her shoulders. She dug deep and used every last remaining bit of strength she could find in places she didn’t know existed and pushed the wheelbarrow up, tipping the contents face first onto her beautiful floral lace bedspread. Well that’s the first part done, it’s here in our home, in our bedroom unconscious bleeding everywhere on everything she ranted, questioning herself and her next actions. Running to the bathroom where she kept a large well stocked first aid kit under the sink she grabbed it and headed to the kitchen to boil a large pan of water on the hob. Next stop was clean towels in the airing cupboard along with vodka, she had to clean the wounds in the hope it would heal enough to switch back, and not die in the process because she honestly had no way of explaining to anyone what had happened today and getting them to believe it. Once she had gathered everything she needed and the water had finished boiling she stood in the doorway of her bedroom facing the beast on her bed, still face down, still unconscious. 

Finally acknowledging what had happened and what she now had to do she said out loud to no one but herself “I have a f*****g werewolf in my house”.