The Lonesome Werewolf

By David Madrid
Illustration by Vincent Rogers

Willie was a lonesome werewolf. He wanted to play, but kids were afraid of him. They thought he would kill them, because after all, he was a werewolf.

Willie’s mom and dad were traditional werewolves. They were human until the full moon rose, and then they turned into horrific eight-foot-tall hairy monsters.

Willie was a werewolf all the time because was born a werewolf. There would be no human in him until his 13th birthday, at which time he would transform into a person and become a werewolf only on the full moon.

Willie was sad. He was lonely.

“Why won’t kids play with me?” he asked his parents, Wally and Wilma Werewolf.

“Don’t worry son, those kids just don’t know how great a werewolf you are,” his parents told him. “Once they get to know you, everything will be OK.”

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But how could the kids get to know Willie if they were afraid of him?

Whenever they saw him, they ran away screaming, “Werewolf! Werewolf!” As if he had cooties or something.

Actually, the children feared that Willie would eat them. He was, after all, a werewolf.

Willie didn’t want to go trick or treating on Halloween, but his parents encouraged him to join the scary fun.

“Don’t let those kids make you sad,” they said. “They just don’t know you. Once they get to know you, they will see what a great werewolf you are.”

“Fine,” Willie said. “But I’m not dressing up. I’m scary enough as it is.”

Willie saw a group of about 10 kids coming toward him. They wore costumes, masks and makeup. They laughed and joked. The kids saw Willie. They stopped and stared.

‘Oh no,’ thought Willie. ‘They’re going to run.’

But the kids didn’t run.

What they saw was the best werewolf costume of all time. The way the hair appeared to be connected to body, the wolf head that seemed .. well, real. The claws on hands and feet appeared deadly.

“Wow!” said a pirate.

“Cool!” said Spiderman.

“Awesome,” said a witch. “You have the coolest costume of all.”

“Come trick or treat with us,” a zombie invited.

Willie almost said “This isn’t a costume; I’m a werewolf,” but he pretended to wear a wolf-boy suit so that he could trick or treat with friends. They might be his friends only tonight, but that was better than never having friends at all.

At every house, Willie got extra candy and compliments on his costume.

The kids moved from house to house meeting other kids along the way. Everyone thought Willie had the coolest costume; no other outfit came close.

Toward the end of the night, Willie’s candy bag overflowed, so he offered to share with his friends. He didn’t really eat candy. He was, after all, a werewolf.

“I have a confession to make,” Willie said after he gave all his candy away. “I’m a real werewolf. My name is Willie Werewolf. I want to be your friend.”

He waited for the kids to run away, but they didn’t.

“No way! A real werewolf! Cool!” is what he heard.

The kids touched his hair. They couldn’t believe a real werewolf was such fun and so nice. Willie finally had friends. His parents were right. Once the kids got to know him, they liked him.

Willie’s parents were right about something else; he was a great werewolf.

“Hmmm,” Willie wondered. “Which friend shall I eat first?”

The End

© 2009 FabulousFables.com

Email: David Madrid