Wolf Pack! by Eric Schlegel

          There was once a pack of Wolves who lived together in a forest. They had a camp set up right on the edge of the forest and they spent their days hunting and searching for food to bring back to the others. These wolves pride themselves on their survival skills and their ability to hunt and gather food not just for themselves, but for the entire pack. Jared, who was considered the alpha male of the pack once took a stand before his fellow wolves and said

                           

                              "Everybody, we must swear that when we hunt we hunt for each other, and that we will now make it a point to not return to camp unless we have some type of food to bring to the rest." 

"All those who agree, say I."

Everybody including Brian, one of the younger wolves who always seemed to rise above the rest of the pack when it came to hunting and gathering repeated "I"

"The forest is running out of food quickly, and the best chance for survival is by standing together as one and helping each other out. Whatever type of meat you find roaming around in this forest must be killed and brought back to camp" said Jared.

Mickey, the agitator of the pack would always try to get under Brian's skin before he went out to hunt.  There was nothing that he would have loved more than to see Brian fail at doing something that he is really good at because when it came to hunting for food Brian always did just a little bit better than Mickey. The next morning Brian, Mickey, and a few of the other wolves set out to hunt and right before Brian was about leave Mickey ran right by him, pushed him over and yelled

"Try to catch something today, Loser"

Brian was never one to instigate a fight, he always knew that Mickey was jealous of him and he knew what Mickey was trying to do when he did that, so he just ignored it and kept his mind set on hunting. As he began his hunt he went off on his own to find whatever he could to bring back to the camp. It turned out to be a pretty slow day, there wasn't a whole lot of prey being spotted for Brian to hunt.

Later that day Brian finally came across something he spotted moving in the distance. As he got closer and closer he realized the creature he spotted was in fact human. A young woman dressed in a red coat walking through the forest with a basket in her hand. When Brian first spotted her his initial instincts were to kill her, but as he got closer he realized how beautiful he thought she was and immediately second guessed his actions. He continued to walk towards her and as soon she spotted him she reached for the knife she was carrying in her basket.

"I'm not here to hurt you I swear" he said

"My name is Brian, What is yours?" he asked

she replied slowly "Megan......... My name is Megan"

As the minutes past her comfortability level got stronger, to the point she let go of the knife and started talking more smoothly than she had been. After a while of talking to her Brian found out she grew up on a small ranch right outside of the forest, she loves animals being outdoors, and red is her favorite color. As they were talking, laughing and getting along with each other so well Brian then knew that he couldn't follow along with what he and the other wolves agreed to do, which was to kill every creature in site and drag the bodies back to camp to be used as food.

"So what are you doing out here in the woods by yourself?", asked Brian.

Little Red replied, "I am on my way to my grandmothers house to deliver her some goods. She lives all the way on the other side of the forest and it was quicker for me to walk straight through rather than walk all the way around."

"Walking around in this forest alone is dangerous, why don't you let me walk you there just so you get there safe."

"It's alright I have made this trip before, I am certain I can handle it"

"You can't ever be to sure though, I have lived in this forest a long time and there are many predators out there and will attack if they see a creature walking a lone Please let me walk you there."

"Well........... Ok then", said Little Red

So they began walking down the road towards her Grandmothers house. They only had a few miles to go but they got there just before Sunset. As they walked up to the door together, she turned and thanked him for walking her there.

"No Problem", he replied 

"If you're ever walking through the forest again and are in need of an escort just yell my name, and I come running".

Little Red smiled at him and turned to go inside. Just as Brian turned around to head back to his hunt he  noticed something moving in the trees, and as quick as he could he pounced on whatever it is was that was moving. As he was about to kill it, he recognized the face of the creature he had caught. It was Mickey. Mickey, feeling that Brian was stunned a bit to see that it was him immediately swiped him in the face with his paw, and as soon as he got up yelled

"Traitor!"

"I can't wait to tell everyone at camp about this" 

Before Brian had a chance to say anything, Mickey ran off back to camp. Later that night when Brian returned the whole pack was there waiting for him. Jared, the leader of the pack went up to him and said 

"What happened tonight Brian? Why haven't you returned with any food for the pack?"

Brian replied, "I just......"

" I know what happened Brian, I know you lead a young female human to her grandmothers house in the woods, instead of killing her for food like you swore you would do. How could you betray us like that?" said Jared

Brian replied again, " I just couldn't do it"

"Well Brian, lucky for you I'm feeling rather generous and am willing to give you another shot to redeem yourself. Tomorrow morning at the crack of dawn you and Mickey are going go back to this house. You're going to kill both the girl and the old lady, and you are going to bring their bodies back to us. If you come back without those bodies Brian, you will be serving yourself as a replacement".

"Understood," said Brian

When Dawn came around, and it was time get up and get ready for the hunt, Brian received a rather rude awakening from Mickey. 

"Time to go....... Unless you're afraid to do it," said Mickey

Brian, ignoring him once again got up and got himself ready to go. At this point he was certain he did not want to go through with this. However, instead of causing a scene right at camp and risk waking up the rest of the pack, he devised a plan in his head to lead Mickey away from the campsite before turning on him. As soon as they got there they stopped for a brief second to scope the house. Mickey then turned to Brian and asked him

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah, let's go", replied Brian

As they began to move in Brian cleverly got himself into position where he could catch Mickey off guard so he could attack. Once the opportunity had presented itself he immediately pounced on Mickey and killed him. But not before Mickey let out one final Roar, one which woke up both the female and the grandmother. As they both came out screaming to what they saw had happened, Brian instructed them both to pack up everything they could in the next five minutes and he would lead them out of there. He knew that the other wolves would be showing up here very soon and that he had to get them out of there as fast as he could. 

As Brian lead them out of the woods, he heard the sound of roars in the distance. He knew he had got them out of there just in time. He also knew that he was alone from there on out and would have to fend for himself from then on. He knew what he did was right and he had no regrets with his decisions.

The Red Witching Hour by Colleen Wagner

The Red Witching Hour

By Colleen Wagner

            A long, long time ago, there was a village that was shrouded by a thick forest. It was hard to find and few residents ever ventured outside of it. The only real evidence that it ever existed was from the stories that people told about it. Some people thought that the stories were just used as teaching tools to scare young children from misbehaving. Other people say that the stories are real factual events, no matter how far-fetched they may seem. The real believers will tell you that if you listen carefully during the witching hour, you can still hear the voices of trapped souls howling to the moon.

            In this village, there lived a young girl who was known by the people as Red. She was rich, beautiful, and mysterious. She had long brown hair, fair skin, a slim figure, and green eyes. Her eyes were so green that they would remind anyone who saw them of emeralds. The most surprising and yet important feature to remember about Red was that she was young; too young. When children began to grow taller and hit puberty, Red would just stay the same and enjoy her childhood. Some people just ignored it and figured she was a late bloomer, nothing strange about it. Other people would avoid her and swear that there was something unnatural about her looks and her youth.

            Red was the granddaughter of a powerful figure in the village, Regina Esmeralda Dullum. No one remembers what happened to Red’s parents, just that they were no longer alive and that Red lived with her grandmother in the biggest house in the land. Although no one had set eyes on her in many years, Regina weighed in on all important decisions about the town. A messenger would deliver documents to the house, Red would sign for them, and her grandmother would look over them and send in her decision. Once Regina’s decision was sent in, no one on the council ever opposed it.

            What few people knew about Regina was that she was a powerful witch. She would use her magic to remain youthful and vanquish foes. The reason no one ever opposed Regina was because they were afraid of her turning them into a horrible beast, a werewolf. They would be a man by day and a blood lusting wolf by night. One time a council man wanted all of the local shops in the village to plant trees in front of their stores to make the town more aesthetically pleasing. Regina did not approve of this idea and when he still pressed the issue, she turned him into a werewolf. She did this for decades every time she decided someone was a nuisance.

            One afternoon, when Red was returning home to her grandmother’s house from collecting flowers, she ran into a young man. He was handsome, with dark hair and deep blue eyes. He was well build with a small scar over his right eye. He asked Red, “Where are you off too today young lady?”

            She responded, “Home to my grandmother’s house. Have we met before sir?”

            The gentlemen responded, “We have not, but I believe that I am an acquaintance of your grandmother. Your grandmother is Regina, right?”

            “That’s right.” Red responded. “And how do you know each other?” she asked.

            “We are old friends, from a long time ago.” The gentlemen told Red with a glint in his eye. “Would you mind if I walked with you to her house? I was just on my way to pay old Regina a visit.”

            Red was curious and agreed that they could walk together. As they walked they chatted about the weather and the village, but both dodged and avoided questions that were about themselves. When they arrived at Regina’s house Red invited the stranger inside. She made tea for the both of them and they sat in the parlor as they waited for the other to say something. Time passes quietly as it grew darker outside. Finally the stranger said, “Red, is your grandmother coming down any time soon?”

            Red responded, “She might. She does not move the way that she used too. If you want, I can take a message to her and bring you back a response.”

            The stranger looked out of the window, up toward the sky and responded, “No, that won’t be necessary. I have waited this long, I can wait a little bit longer.”  

            Red looked at him suspiciously. She turned to him and asked, “What are you waiting for Derick?”

            Derick looked at her and ask, “How did you know my name.”

            “You told it to me earlier.” she responded.

            Derick stared at her and replied, “No, I didn’t. In fact, I made a point not to tell people my name many years ago. There is power in names.”

            He looked around the room and began to realize what was going on. In the kitchen, there was one chair at the table. Not enough food for more than one person. The house was huge, large enough for a large family to live in, but there was only one coat on the hook by the door. Only one set of shoes on the floor, and no evidence that anyone else inhabited the house.

            He turned to Red, his deep blue eyes large and full of shock. “Red. R. E. D. Regina Esmeralda Dullum! You are Regina! You used dark magic to keep yourself young! You have been fooling everyone! No one else lives here taking care of a little girl! You have been fooling the whole village making them think that an old woman and her grandmother live here. You have been controlling the town all the while you have been parading around as a child!”

            Red looked at him with a wicked smile, her green, emerald eyes sparkling in the now moon light. “Yes Derick,” she said. “I fooled you, like you tried to fool me. Pretending to befriend a little girl in order to come seek revenge on me. Pathetic! I know why you came here. You figured that if you killed me, maybe the change would stop. Maybe you wouldn’t have to become the hideous beast I turned you into all those years ago. A desperate man’s choice! But here is what you don’t know. The kills you make as werewolf, keeps me young. Those souls that you have taken to feast on their bodies have helped make me invincible! While you think you tricked me into letting inside my home, I tricked you into coming into my trap! When I kill you and eat your heart, the heart of my first transformation, the first man I ever turned into a wolf, I will live forever!”

            Derick turned Red and said, “While you were so focused on luring me in, you forgot to make sure that you were not followed! I did think that I was tricking the granddaughter of the wicked Regina to let me into her home, but I did not think that it would be such an easy fate to kill her. I brought friends. You may recognize them!”

            By this point, the moon had risen to its fullest height and the witching hour had begun. As Derick and Red stood staring at each other inside the stale cold house, howling began to rise outside of the house. The howling of the wolves.

            “Do you think you can take me down?” Red asked. I am more powerful than all of you, what is more important, I control you!”

            “Not when you have ingested water from springs that lay beyond the forest. Water that you have not inflicted with contamination to enslave the people. That water stunts your power. Not for long, but long enough. I slipped it into your tea in case you possessed the same dark magic that your supposed grandmother had. Now I am glad that I did. You have no power. You took everything away from us, now we will have our revenge.”

            The handsome young Derick then walked into the moon light and transformed into a wolf as a pack of more than a hundred other werewolves burst into the house.  They surrounded Red, bit her, scratched her, and tore her skin off. A shriveled old woman with skin hanging off her bones was revealed under her disguise.

            Red looked at Derick the wolf and said her final words, “When you are the alpha of a pack, always be ready for someone to try to over throw you. When you think you are the trickiest person in the room, you may be the one getting tricked.”

            Red was then killed by the very werewolves that she created. They then burned down her house in hopes of destroying all of the dark magic that may be forcing the beasts to change from form to form.

            Before they could get out, a few of the wolves fur got too close to the flames and caught fire. In hopes of putting it out they ran into the forest, but the lack of rain that summer only made the grass and the trees catch fire. The whole village burned down, and many story tellers will say that there were no survivors after the disaster. But if there were no survivors, where did the stories come from?

            If you hear a howl during the witching hour, stay inside and know that making enemies and seeking revenge can lead you down a dangerous trail.

Red Turn: by Brianna Mathis

Red Turn

Once upon a time  in a peaceful village there lived a young girl called Red Riding Hood, She got the name from always having a red cape with a hood everywhere she went.was the most adorable and kindhearted girl in the whole town, with her long blonde her, sapphire eyes that shine like diamonds, glowing fair skin, rosy cheeks she looked like an angel sent from heaven. If she sees anyone in trouble she will go out her to try and help them, whether  she knew you or not.

One day, Red and her mother lefted the village to go visit her grandma to have a nice family dinner. When they arrived they quickly took notice that the Flower garden in front of the brick house looked like it had not be watered in days.


" That's strange, Mother always kept her garden looking beautiful." said Red's mother.


" Do you think something is wrong Mother?" asked Red Riding Hood.
Red's mother patted the 13 year old on her head gently. " I hope not , Let's not waste time out here wondering." said Mother.


"Mother?" Are you there?" Its me and Red." said Mother as she knocked on the wooden door,seconds pasted but there was no answer. Red bend down to the welcome rug near the door and lifted it up to reveal the spare house key. she picked it up and handed the key to her mother, she unlocked it and the two enter the house.


"Mother?" called Red's Mother, The living room was dark but the fire in the fireplace kept it well lit but there was no sign of grandma. Red put the basket of food on the the dining table and walked to the kitchen to see if her grandma was there baking cookies and she just didn't hear them because of her bad hearing.


"Grandma?" called Red Riding Hood. Just like the living room the kitchen was empty as well.


" Maybe your grandmother is her room taking a nap in her room." said Mother. they made their way down the hall to grandma;s room. Mother stepped forward and knocked on the door.


"Mother, are you in there?" called Red's mother. there was silents, Red and her looked at one other wearing the same worried expression. Mother opened the door to find the room dark with just the afternoon light glowing throw the window. On the other side of the room laid grandma on her bed sleeping. which brought relief to both Red and her mother. They walked over to her, she was softly snoring. Red giggled at how adorable how her grandma slept.


Mother gently shook grandma to wake up. " mother, mother, wake up." she said. the old women started to open her eyes to see her daughter and her little granddaughter standing above her.


" Well hello there girls." said Grandma happily giving them both a big smile.


" Hi granny." greeted Red Riding Hood as she hugged her.


" Hello Mother, are you ok? we noticed that your garden was not looking nice as you always have them, and you wouldn't be napping around this time either." said Mother.




" Oh, well I have been feeling a little over the weather this past few days." said Grandma


" Well its a good thing we came by today isn't?" said Mother as she looked at Red.


" Yep." said Red.


" Now Red I'm going to make a nice hot bowl of soup for grandma to help her feel better, but I need to you go  down the stone path near the house to the  big oak tree. It has herbs that I use for the soup." said Mother


" Ok mother." said Red. She turn around and started walking to the living room but stop when her mother called her. she turned to see her mother walk over to her.


" I want you to go to the oak tree and back, don't go anywhere else, and don't talk to people you don't know ." said Mother

" Yes ma'ma." said Red. she walked outside and put her red hood up on her head and went her way to the oak tree.


Once she got the herbs for the soup, she was making her way back when she saw this tall young man leaning against a tree. he had on white shirt with black pants and boots. his hair was dark brown hair and his eyes were green as the grass. He looked at her with smirk.


" Well hello young lady, its a nice afternoon isn't?" asked the man. Red just looked at him for a second and she thought he looked very handsome as she began to blush.


" Um,y-yes it is." said Red looking down at the ground as the young man continued to stare her with that handsome smirk.


" What do you have there?" asked the Man


" Oh, these are herbs for my sick Grandma." said Red still looking at ground not looking at the dreamy eyes of the man. He walked over to her, seeing this Red started to walk forward to the way to her grandma's 
house.


" Herbs huh, well that is very nice of you." said the man as he walked along side her. Red blushed even more.


" Hey does your grandma live in a brick house?" asked the young man. Red stopped then turned to the man in surprise.


" Y-Yes, How do you Know?" Asked Red.


" I sometimes go over her house to check on her. there are a lot of things that can happen to a women her age." He said smoothly while flashing her a grin.


" Oh, well that is very kind of you." said Red smiling at young man. " Not only is his good looking but kind too." Thought Red.


" Yes I was  my way to check on her When i saw you, your grandma never told that she had such a cute granddaughter." said the young man as he touched her cheek. Red looked at the young man in the eyes and she has never seen such a beautiful peer of eyes in her life.


" O-Oh, t-thank you." said Red Riding Hood as she was lost in his eyes still. The young man still holding her cheek give her a kind smile.


" You know I never got your name young lady, what is it?" asked the man

" R-Red." stutter Red. for some reason she felt like her body has gone numb.


" Red, nice name, is it because of this hood you have? asked the young man touching the hood on her head.

" Yes, b-because I like to wear it, my father give it to me before he died." said Red


" Oh, sorry to hear able that." said the young man


" It's ok, I still have my dearest mother and grandmother." said Red. she then looked at the sky to realize that she has been gone long then she have been. " Oh dear, I must get back before my mother gets worried." she said. she turned to rush back to her grandma's when something grabbed her arm stopping her in her tracks. she turned and looked up at the young man.


" Wait, why don't w both go so that way I can help out." he said.
Red looked unsure. " Um, I don't know about-


" Its okay your grandma knows me so there should not be a problem." he said stopping Red from declining his offer. Red still looked unsure but if her grandma knows him then her mother won't be that mad.


" Ok," Red said smiling at him.


" Good then." the young man said smirking at her.
Red took a second to stare at the man, he was so young and handsome, his voice made her weak in the knees. " I um, you never told me your name." she said.


" I didn't?" he said playing dumb


" No you did not." Red said giggling. the young man stepped closer to her until he was in front of her. He brought his hand down and tilted her chin up. Red stared into his eyes finding herself lost again with her body having that numbing feeling.


" Well miss Red you don't have to worry about not knowing my name because you will remember it for the rest of your life as my mate." He said with a monster of a grin. showing her his suddenly  razor sharp fangs.
Red wide eyed and shocked looked at him in confusion." W-What?" said Red


The young man's green eyes started to glow. " My name my love is Fang."


Red's sapphire eye's suddenly went completely blank as Fang put the young girl under a trance. He smirked evilly as his plan was a success. When Red and her mother were on their way to visit grandma Fang had followed them without them knowing.When he saw Red Riding Hood he wanted her as his mate. Seeing her all alone out here was his chance and he took it. He looked at his mate-to-be and decide to put his final plan into action.


" My love I do think its time we go have dinner at your grandma's don't you?" asked Fang. Red says nothing as she is still in a deep trance. " Well I think before we go will I should get you ready for dinner." he said as he put down her hood to reveal her neck. The Sun begin to set just as Fang brought down his mouth on new Mate's neck, marking her as his and sealing her fate.
********
" She has been gone for to long," said Red's mother as paced in the living room after she finished cleaning the house while she waited Red to come back with the herbs. her mother sat in her rocking chair knitting.


" Are you going to look for her?" asked grandma


"Yes, she has been gone to long, I told her to get the herbs and come back." said Mother as was about get her coat. Suddenly the door slam open, scaring the two women. there standing at the door was a young man who looked like he was in his early 20's, also standing next to him was Red Riding Hood.


" Oh thank god Red your ok." said Mother as she started to walk to her but stopped when she noticed that something was wrong with her daughter. Her beautiful eyes  were no longer Sapphire, instead they were dark green. She also had a emotionless look on her face.


" Red, are your ok?" asked Mother in worry. Grandma looked at Red then at the young man.

" Who are you?" asked Grandma in confusion. Red's mother look at him  and give him a questing look as also.


" Oh me, my name is Fang." said Fang. " Me and my mate are here to have dinner." He looked at them with hunrgy eyes.


" Y-YOUR MATE." yelled Mother as she look at her daughter putting her arms around Fang, snuggling into his stomach.


" Yes, She is mine." Fang said smirking madly at the women. he put Red's Hood back to reveal a bite wound on her neck. " Beautiful isn't it?"

" YOU SICK MONSTER, GET AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER.!!" said Mother as step forward to the couple.She stop When Red let go of Fang to stand protectively in front of him growling in anger  at her mother. Red's mother took a stand back in shock.

" Red, sweet heart, its me mommy." said Mother

Red continued to growl at her. Fang looked proud. " Sorry mommy, but Red doesn't know you nor that old hag anymore.The only  thing that she knows right now is that it's dinner time and you two are looking very tasty right." Fang and Red eye's started to glow bright green, as this was happening their faces and arms became hairy, teeth becoming fang, hands became hairy with claws, and pointy ears. Standing before the two women are horrifying looking Werewolves.

Mother and grandma both to stunted with fear to move as they stare fearly at the growling young monster that used to their darling Red Riding Hood. Fang step next Red looking at their prey.

"Red my dear, I think its time for dinner." Said Fang as the two wolves leaped and pounced on their prey.
*************

After their feast, Fang and Red left to begin their new lives together as mates that terrorizes and prey on others for their thrill.

THE END




































































***********

Life Behind Glass By Kristen Bachman

     Steve is a very hard working man who never misses a day of work. He is very smart and always concerned about everyone else's well-being. Tuesday morning is what changed his life forever. Steve woke up that morning and stretched his arms and slowly began to work himself out of his bed. When he could not lift himself up he knew something was wrong. He began to uncover himself and look down slowly because he was afraid of what he would see. As the blankets began to reveal his body Steve was shocked at what he had just seen. Legs, legs of a bug. They were sticking to everything he touched. He knew he couldn't leave his house. This will be the first day of work Steve has ever missed.

     Steve is the care-giver of his family. He never thought twice of handing over his money to help out his mother and father. They were always tight on money and Steve was their only hope.

     His mother called up to him and told him he had a visitor. He was nervous, no one could see him in this condition. As the stairs began to creak he knew he had to hide. Steve crawled under his bed and yelled out the door saying he was not feeling well. His boss Tim was there to check on him. It was not usual for Steve to miss work so Tim knew something was going on. Steve said he would be back to work as soon as he was feeling better.

     After Tim left the house Steve crawled back on his bed. His mother walked up the stairs and slowly opened his bedroom door. She nearly fainted after seeing that Steve had gained characteristics of a bug. His face was still the same. The face of a hard working man. His body changed into a bug with seven legs and a hard shell like back. His mother ran down the steps screaming to everyone that something terrible had happened. The only thought running through her head was money. She worried that Steve would never be able to work again and they would become poor. Liz, Steve's sister, tried to come down there mother and say maybe he will change back to normal. After days of not changing the family came together to think of a plan.

     Liz thought of a brilliant idea that could even provide the family with an income. They would make advertisements for the human-bug that would draw everyone from around the world to there small town. The family will charge five dollars for every person to witness this creature. They built a glass tank for Steve to live in. The day had come that Steve was put out for the whole entire world to see. At first, he didn't mind all of the attention. They even fed him food. Old food from the garbage was thrown in to Steve's glass tank and he surprisingly loved it. People were visiting at all hours of the day and this left Steve no time to sleep or be alone. He grew tired and sad. All he wanted was to go back to normal.

     Steve's family was loving the attention he had brought in and of course the money. They hoped it would never end. They started to ignore Steve and his feelings and rarely let him out of his tank to roam the house. They would even forget to feed him and left him sad and hungry. One morning his mother went out to check on him and found him on his back not moving. She tapped on the glass and yelled at him to roll over. Nothing happened. Steve did not move.

     Visitors came to witness the human-bug and were disappointed at what they had seen. They complained and began to throw things at the home. The family hid inside not knowing what to do. They now had very little money left and would be forced to move. The next morning the family took down Steve's glass tank and removed him from it. They buried him beneath a tree in the backyard. They began to pack their belongings and took a train to a town that was hours away. They were forced to work for the rest of their lives. If only they had taken the time to notice how grateful they were for Steve.

Long, Beautiful Arms by Lena Fu

Jason had never met such a beautiful girl who had such long, beautiful arms. He saw her at a  concert, while she was playing the violin on the stage. Not only was he obsessed with the music   that flowed out of her violin, but he also remembered the beauty of her long arms. They were not   playing, instead, they were dancing. They were slender, like two pieces of lotus roots, swaying in   the wind. When she stood up and took a bow, those beautiful arms danced again with her shadow, which occupied his mind totally. So as soon as the concert was over, he went back to the         backstage, looking for that special girl.

He saw her packing her violin among the players, so he stood by the door to approach her    when she was passing by.

“Your music is amazing!” He smiled

“Oh, thank you. Thank you for listening.” Her cheeks became pink.

“Hum...Would you like to have some coffee? I know a great place.”

“Oh, I’d love to, but it’s too late and I need to go home.”

“Okay. I am Jason, and may I know your name?”

“Grete.”

“Beautiful name...” He stared at her delicate skin, and it was too white to be true. Somehow it made him think of the tender grass, which was flicking his heart. He gently took up her hand and   pecked on it, feeling like he was kissing a river, so tender, and so refreshing.

“I think I can go home a little later,” she looked up at him, and said.

For him, it was the first time he asked a girl out. He was a good-looking guy, and always dressed properly, which showed the wealth of his family. So there were  many pretty girls who were into him and always asking him out. But after dating them several     times, he realized that he was looking for someone special, like Grete, who was cultivated, elegant  and refreshing. 

On their second date, they sat on the chairs outside a soda fountain shop with two cups of    lemon soda and mint soda, and the mint soda was for Grete. They talked about music, literature   and flowers on the table. Everything was a great topic to them and they just couldn’t stop.

Then he remember a famous violin work, he said: “Oh, The Flight of the Bumblebee is a very  interesting piece of work. Very interesting and amazing. Have you ever played it?”

She stopped talking suddenly, and her face turned white.

He didn’t know what was wrong, so he waited for a while and asked :“Are you alright?”

She looked at his eyes and said: “No, I’m not alright! And I hate bugs or any type of insects!”

He was surprised because she had never talked to him like that. And at that moment, he       seemingly saw a light greet light penetrating her skin from inside. Maybe because the sunshine was  too blinding and the mint soda was too green, and it was just an illusion. Then he changed the topic to flowers again, because he knew it was normal that girls overreacted to insects. Those greet      lights disappeared and she looked calm again, with those long arms stroking each other slowly, like she was playing a violin. Her graceful movement caught his breathe as usual, and he thought: “Oh,  she is special.”

...

After dating for three months, they became very close. He loved how she sipped a cup of mint soda, loved how those beautiful arms danced when she played violin for him, and loved how those  long arms stroked each other when she thought. She was an adorable girl, and behaved so elegantly. He believed that she was the one he was looking for. One day, he suggested to visit her family and she agreed.

It’s a small apartment, and the rooms were very tidy and clean. He noticed there were some   potted flowers on the windowsill. “She really loves plants!” he thought. Then her mother called him to have dinner. 

After some trivial chatter topics, “So, how’s your work?” Her father asked.

“Oh, I work as a financial controller in my company,” he answered quickly.

“Hum...impressive. I used to have my own business, but unfortunately, I failed. So young    man, no matter how successful you are, do not pay less attention on your job!”

“Definitely!And I believe that you can be my model.”

Clearly the old man was very satisfied with this answer. He looked Jason up and down - what he had done all the times since Jason came in - with admiring eyes. 

“You must be very proud of Grete. She is a wonderful girl,” Jason said. It looked like Jason   had engaged her father’s affection, so Jason added this sentence to please him more.

“Yes, she is our only child, and our most precious thing. So please treat her well, sir.”

Suddenly, he heard a weird sound, like many tiny feet were creeping on the floor. He looked   around, and there was nothing moving on the floor. The others looked at him curiously and asked   him what he was looking for. He hesitated a little and answered: nothing. “There should be nothing!” he thought, because everything in the room was too clean and too neat. Maybe it was just the    wind. But some weird feelings still puzzled him, maybe because the rooms were too clean.

He tried to get rid of these strange ideas and looked at Grete. Sensing his sight, she looked up  at him from her mint soda. At that moment, he thought he could smell a faint whiff of grass. When her father gushed and talked with excessive enthusiasm, she just became more silent and kept      supping a cup of mint soda. He knew that just like her father was proud of her, she was proud of  Jason, which made him to feel happy enough to abandon all those weird thoughts. “She is special,” he thought again, “I’m willing to do anything for her.”

When he left, he kissed her goodbye and he heard the rustle again. Jason glanced around the   room, and found that the shadow of the droplight hung on the ceiling of the drawing room had a   shape of a beetle.

Clearly Jason’s job, family and manner reached the standards of Grete’s parents, and they     approved of their planned marriage. Jason and Grete planned everything about their life after their   marriage and it was really exciting. Although he owned a bigger place and lived alone, she suggested that they spend their wedding night in the apartment she was living in because she felt more      comfortable there. Her father thought it was unreasonable but she said that was the only thing she    required, so the others agreed with her. Jason was still crazy about her and tried to meet all her   demands. He wanted nothing but her, with her fresh smell, and those beautiful arms. Those arms  were even softer and smoother than when he met her for the first time. Now, they were like tender twigs that grew around the violin when she played it. He wanted to kiss her many times but she did not allow it, even though they were engaged. He thought she was so pure that she wanted to save  everything for their wedding night, which made him treasure her more, and she just controlled him with no words.

...

     Six months after they first met, it was their wedding day. Exhausted but happy, Jason stepped into her room. And there, was his beautiful bride, sitting on a side of her bed. He couldn’t wait  to kiss her and let those beautiful arms cradle him like she held the violin. He sat beside her, closed  his eyes and lowered his head to kiss her. Grete held his head gently, and whispered in his ear:  “ May I tell you a secret?” 

“What? You love me?”Jason felt that he was melting and all his dreams had come true.

“No, my dear.” Grete said. One of her hands left his face. Jason still closed his eyes to wait for the answer.

The rustle came again, and it was definitely not the sound of wind. It was the sound of       thousands of bugs creeping, or of a huge bug. This time Jason was sure that something was wrong, so he opened his eyes. At the same time, a sharp thing stabbed him deeply in the heart.

He saw his dear Grete, still pure, but one of her slim, soft arms had become a long, green arm of a mantis. He wanted to say something, but he was too weak to speak any word. The smell of    grass pervaded the whole room, and all the plants on the window sill were dancing like the violin   with green light shooting from Grete’s body.

Grete bent over, still whispered: “I never loved you, dear Jason. I dated you because you were the only one I met who could satisfy my father and all his harsh standards.”

“I am sorry Jason, but I just could not control myself.”

“The violin is the only thing I love, and mint soda, and plants. You were right Jason - I am    special, because I have not been a girl for a long time.” 

Grete tilted her head, now the huge head of a mantis, and drew out the green arm, with Jason’s heart impaled on it. It was the most delicious thing in the world to her! Grete bent those beautiful green arms - her another arm had also transformed - like a praying, pure girl, then began to bite the bleeding heart.