Olav Is My Werewolf

Voya Komarovo Forest, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 1980

On this afternoon, a wolf mother was running with her offspring, seemingly hunting a deer. The prey had found refuge in the middle of the forest, trying to save itself. Soon, a middle-aged man arrived, also intending to hunt. He noticed the two wolves, who were also eyeing the deer. The man raised his rifle to scare away the fierce animals, but, receiving an unpleasant response, the wolf mother became furious, feeling that the hunter had invaded her territory.

She quickly ran and leaped toward the hunter, but suddenly, two gunshots rang out, accompanied by a cry of pain from her cub. Soon after, the cub lay dead. Unbeknownst to the mother, her cub had jumped in front of her, taking the brunt of the hunter’s attack.

The hunter was skilled enough to aim his bullets directly at the heart of the cub, leaving it lifeless on the ground. Witnessing the death of her cub, the wolf mother went into a rage. She howled and let out a long, mournful cry that echoed throughout the dense forest. The hunter was terrified, seeing the wolf mother transforming into a werewolf. Five minutes later, another, larger wolf arrived. It was the leader of all the werewolves. After a long, mournful howl filled with sorrow, the leader addressed the hunter, who stood there trembling in fear.

“Oh, cruel old man, listen to my curse!” growled the werewolf leader in anger.

“I am innocent!” exclaimed the hunter.

“Bad fortune shall befall you. Your descendants shall turn into werewolves like us!” yelled the werewolf leader angrily.

Then, the male and female werewolves pounced on the middle-aged man ferociously.

TWO DAYS EARLIER

Olav was playing with some of his neighboring children while his parents, Mr. Gregory and Mrs. Pat, sat together with his grandfather, Mr. Nikolai. The Smirnov family was discussing the upcoming garden party they would host to celebrate their successful grape and apple harvest.

“In two days, we will harvest our crops,” Mr. Nikolai said.

“That’s right, father. We will earn a lot of money,” replied Gregory.

“Of course, we will celebrate with our neighbors,” Mrs. Pat added.

“Yes, but I will go hunting for some deer to be grilled,” Mr. Nikolai responded.

“When will you leave, father?” Mrs. Pat asked.

“Tomorrow morning,” Mr. Nikolai answered.

“Can I come with you, father?” Gregory inquired.

“No need, you take care of our garden,” Mr. Nikolai replied.

“But you’re old, father! We’re afraid that something might happen to you,” Mrs. Pat said with a worried expression.

“From the beginning, I have been accustomed to going in and out of the forest hunting wild animals,” Mr. Nikolai replied.

Finally, Gregory and Pat fell silent. They couldn’t refute Mr. Nikolai’s words. Since childhood, Gregory had known that his father was a skilled and experienced hunter, venturing into various forests in Russia. His reputation was beyond doubt. However, now that their father had reached the age of 65, despite his strong physique, Gregory and his wife were deeply concerned about their father’s well-being.

Two days later, Mr. Nikolai set off for Voya Forest, armed with his rifle and provisions. He bid farewell to the village of Virtov as he rode his horse. Gregory and Pat watched their father’s departure with worried expressions. They knew well that Voya Forest was dangerous and haunted. However, they couldn’t do anything to stop their father’s determination.

Gregory and Pat waited for Mr. Nikolai’s return from Voya Forest, but their wait was in vain. As the harvest festival approached, the old man never appeared before the villagers of Virtov.

21 YEARS LATER

Olav had grown into a young man, and one day, after completing his studies, he expressed his intention to go to Brasov, Romania.

“Father, in three days, I will leave for Romania,” said Olav.

“Why are you leaving us here, Olav?” asked Mr. Gregory.

“I intend to find a job there,” Olav replied.

“Why don’t you look for one in Sevastopol?” Mrs. Pat asked.

“No, I received a call from Atlantic Ocean Travel Agency,” Olav replied.

“We will be lonely here,” Mrs. Pat said.

“Indeed, but do you know that I have suffered greatly and endured humiliation while living here?” Olav asked.

“We know, and the mystery remains unsolved until now,” Mr. Gregory replied.

“That’s why I want to leave here, so as not to be known by the people here,” said Olav.

“Very well; we allow you to go,” Mrs. Pat responded.

“Just pray for my success there,” Olav said.

“Of course, we will always pray for you,” Mr. Gregory replied.

Toward noon, they went to the nearest town and bought some necessities for their son to take to Brasov. They spent the remaining short time together with Olav, and before they knew it, the day was turning into evening. They hurried back to their village before it got dark.

They arrived at precisely 6:00 PM. The place seemed quiet. Mr. Gregory had tightly closed the doors and windows. Shortly after they sat down to have dinner together, they suddenly heard the howling of wolves echoing in the distance. Olav heard the howling and opened the front door, responding with his own howl to the wolves. He ran out and joined his pack.

Witnessing this, of course, made his parents both shocked and saddened. They wished their son could live a normal life like any other human.

“Poor Olav,” Mrs. Pat said.

“Yes, we shouldn’t be selfish by forbidding him from leaving this village,” Mr. Gregory replied.

“Let him distance himself from this kind of life,” Mrs. Pat said.

“I agree with you,” Mr. Gregory replied.

“All this time, we haven’t known the cause of our son’s transformation,” Mrs. Pat said.

“Could it be related to the disappearance of my father?” Mr. Gregory asked.

“Perhaps because since he disappeared, Olav turned into a werewolf,” Mrs. Pat replied.

“One day, we will find out,” Mr. Gregory said.

“Hopefully, we will get answers regarding this case,” Mrs. Pat replied