The Werewolf Hunter

Chapter 4

It was a beautiful Monday morning. At 10 am, Jane had just finished plucking herbs from the farm alone, when she sighted a beautiful bright light close to the farm. Jane was so mesmerized by this light and wanted to see where it came from. So she walked further into the bush. Mother wasn’t outside to stop her from going further, and father had gone to harvest his produce from another farmland that wasn’t close to home.

Jane, gradually drawn by the light that shunned, followed it consistently till she got to a beautiful garden. Jane was confused as to how the garden appeared from nowhere. She had been passing this same route but there was no garden in sight.

“ How come ?” Jane voiced out to the extent that her voice echoed.

All of a sudden, a masculine figure tapped her shoulders from behind. Jane turned to look at the person that touched her and behold! It was a beautiful male figure. The face of this man was shining so bright that she couldn’t see what he looked like facially, only his masculine nature could tell Jane that he might be a warrior or in the army. Jane instantly fell in love with this man’s stature.

“ Only if he can hug me with his huge body, then I would be safe,” Jane thought in her heart.

“ Who are you ?” Jane asked the strange man, pretending she wanted to attack him.

“ I can’t explain myself. I seemed lost, seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. Everything looks strange to me and different. “ The strange man paused for a second, trying to get close to Jane, but stopped halfway.

“ Also, I can’t see what you look like. Why is your face glowing? “ The strange man asked Jane.

Jane was perturbed, how can he say her ugly face was glowing, when suffering had decorated her to look like a monkey? Jane was confused; she didn’t know what was happening. She couldn't see his face because it was glowing too.

“ I am confused. How is my face glowing?” Jane asked the strange man further.

“ Well, I can’t see your face, but from your figure, I can tell you are beautiful.” The strange man replied.

Jane blushed, she felt so soft as he spoke. She wished she could just catch a glimpse of this gentleman’s face, but she just couldn’t because of his glowing face. She still couldn’t comprehend how the garden came about in a thick forest. It was strange to her.

Just as Jane was blushing, about to question the strange man further, her mother called out her name, from the house.

“ Jane!, Jane!!, Jane!!! “ Her mother’s voice became even louder. Jane replied immediately so her mother would know she was fine.

Jane started running back to her home before she woke up from her sleep to realize that everything was just a dream. Except for the fact that her mother was truly calling for her presence physically.

“ Oh my!, So it was all a dream ??” Jane questioned herself, breathing down.

She looked up at the tiny wall clock and figured it was past morning already and she had been sleeping for a long time. The reason why her mother was calling her must be because she had slept long and left her father to go to the veggie market alone to sell their proceeds from the farm, Jane thought.

Jane quickly got up from her little bed, which could pass as a sleeping mat, to go and answer her mother’s call. She really shouldn’t have slept late. She was supposed to have accompanied Baba to the vegetable market to sell their vegetables and then, in the evening, they would go to the farm to harvest more crops for sale. Jane finally got outside the house and saw that her father had left her alone for the vegetable market as she had guessed.

The vegetables were heavy and her assistance would have greatly helped Baba, who was aging. His bones were not as strong as before. Guess it’s a cycle of life.

“ Mama! I’m so sorry for waking up late.” Jane spoke quickly as she wondered what her mother was going to do to her for letting her father go out to the vegetable market without accompanying him.

“ You shouldn’t have slept this late! What were you dreaming about when you couldn’t get up on time to help your father??” Jane’s mother scolded her.

“ I’m sorry Mama!” Jane knelt facing her mother with her two hands out like she was praying.

Jane’s mother was about to punish her daughter, but couldn’t stand her only child kneeling on stony ground, begging for mercy. It melted her heart and she wished she could give her daughter a better life other than this suffering they all had been facing. She realized her daughter had become so emaciated due to the tedious work always given to her to do.

Jane’s mother let a tear drop fall from her eye. Jane became worried and immediately got up from where she was kneeling. She consoled her mother and asked why she was crying.

Her mother, who was now in tears, replied:

“ I wish I and your father could give you a better life. You are just seventeen, too young for all this tedious work. You don’t belong here my daughter.” Jane’s mother spoke now sober.

Jane knew her mother always wanted a better life for her, but she was fine with the one she had. Even though she couldn’t afford school or fancy toys like her mates, she was grateful for her parents' company. They were a happy family, even though they had little to nothing.

“ We are a laughing stock. Every day we pass people in the market. They say I am shameless and that I am not a good mother because I don’t train you in school.” Her mother tearfully spoke.

“ Mama! Please stop crying. I have told you to ignore these people, they don’t know what we pass through every day.” Jane spoke again to cheer her mother up.

“ I’m not complaining about the work I do for you and Baba. You guys are my family, including your sister and her husband, and I enjoy going on errands .” Jane spoke to console her mother.

Jane’s mother stopped crying after her daughter wiped her tears. She was so grateful for her precious daughter that God had given her. Jane was her comfort, her joy also. She was like a strong son to both her and Baba. They could ask for no one else except Jane.

Jane later promised her mother to go to get more vegetables in the evening from their farm so that her father wouldn’t stress himself about doing that again after he had gone to the market. Just as Jane spoke, she remembered the wolf that tried to attack her last time but waved the thought over her head.

“ It won’t come again .” Jane softly spoke to herself.

8 HOURS LATER…

It was evening already and the sun was setting. Jane was getting ready to go to the farm close to the house to harvest more vegetables that she and Baba would sell at the veggie market the next day. Jane promised herself to sleep early and wake up early the next day, so she could help Baba with carrying the vegetables to the market.

Her mother and father had just returned from their visit to her uncle and aunt's house. They had both experienced so much fun and were laughing when they returned. Jane greeted her parents, who were still lost in the beautiful moment and jokes they both enjoyed in her mother’s younger sister’s home.

“ I guess you guys enjoyed your outing, from the way you are both still laughing ??” Jane teased her parents.

“ Yes! My child! We did. Your mother’s sister is so funny .” Baba spoke, laughing again.

“ Really! So what joke did she tell this time??” Jane inquisitively asked the happy couple.

“My daughter, I will tell you later. But for now, I need to rest .” Jane’s mother replied.

Jane saw the happiness of her parents and wished it would be unending. They both deserved to laugh once in a while. The only people who happily welcomed Jane’s family were Jane’s aunt. Jane’s aunt was related to Jane’s mother, and so they still maintained that sisterly friendship even after both of them got married to separate men. Jane’s smile turned to sadness immediately after recalling that her aunt couldn’t give birth to a child due to the accident that claimed her womb. Jane’s aunt deserved at least even a child to call her own. But it seemed God had shut his ears to Jane’s aunt's prayers. Jane’s aunt was also blessed with a loving and understanding husband that stood by her side rather than chasing her away after the accident.

Jane had vowed to always help her mother’s sister in any way she wanted. She didn’t want her aunt to feel depressed or cry over the fact that she was barren. Jane would always go on errands for her aunt and uncle. Jane would sometimes go to help her aunt and uncle clean up their house. She would help fetch water and do the other chores that a child should do for their parents. This made Jane’s aunt and uncle happy and they both found no need to cry or bother about a child because Jane became one.