BORNEO my collection of short stories

Part 6: Wolf of Bakalalan

Jennifer heaved a sigh of pleasure and satisfaction as the hairy strong man got up and walked naked to the door. She did enjoy good romance with such a man, and of course satisfying sex, especially when there was such a man who was willing to give so much of it.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the lights came on and the audience got up and started to walk out of the small theatre. They had just spent 90 minutes in fantasy, where a young girl had fallen in love with a werewolf. The wolf who was a strong man, with a very hairy body had carried the girl to his lair in the forest and made love to her in such a rough way that the audience could feel her delight and pain.

The village of Bakalalan sat 1,000 meters above sea level on a beautiful hill. Surrounding it were six other villages, all as equally peaceful and lovely. The locals have lived here for hundreds of years, but lately the young people were starting to feel bored with life here. There really wasn't that much for them to do.

Sure, they could go for long walks in the clean air and forests covering the hills, fish in the tinny streams, or go hunting for small animals with their fathers or boyfriend. But is that what young girls want to do?

The only theatre was one of the most important places in the village. It did not just serve the young people here, but also those who were willing to walk several miles from neighboring villages to enjoy the thrilling adventures of heroes and heroines who fell into deadly perils every week, only to escape by the skin of their teeth.

Werewolves and vampires were the craze that year, each film making out that they inevitably fell in love with a lovely young girl, carried them away somewhere, and gave them the physical love making such young girls crave for.

So, that was how things were in this village. Whenever young people got together they always talked about werewolves and vampires as if they were the good ones, not the evil they were supposed to be. These fantasies were the norm, so much so that young girls began to expect meeting a werewolf, falling in love, and be carried away to some place in the woods, and made love to.

###

Harrison was a handsome young man in his early twenties. Growing up in Bakalalan, he had had his share of stories about the monsters and spirits that lived in the forests and hills. Many young boys grew up enjoying these stories, but not Harrison. He had developed a fear so dreadful that even today, he was afraid to go into the forest when the sun light started to dim.

He had a job at a local shop selling bread and cakes, just a mile from his home. He would follow the small road to work and home every day, avoiding going near to the woods. He truly believed that the monsters and spirits of those stories really did live there under the trees.

Sometimes he went fishing with his father at the small stream. He felt safe there because they were so high up on the hills that no crocodiles would be able to swim up that stream. The water was clear and shallow, and he could see into the bottom where the colorful pebbles laid. This always gave him a peace of mind, knowing there were no evil creatures lurking below the surface ready to harm him.

His friend Jennifer had been coming in regularly to buy bread from his shop, and they had become very close friends. She was very different from him: strong headed, brave, and would do anything just for kicks.

Jennifer too had grandparents who told her tales of the forests in Bakalalang. She loved the stories, and believed some of them to be true. Whenever she was with the other girls, and they started talking about werewolves, she would be appalled by their misinformed ideas. While they wanted to meet a werewolf, fall in love and have a romance, she knew it would be the most dangerous thing that could happen.

###

It was Saturday night, and as usual the young people were gathered at the Silvia cinema to watch a film. The film playing that night was a popular one, where a girl who just moved to a new town met a vampire at school. Not only did he fall in love with her, but a werewolf did too, and the two guy had to fight to the death.

All the girls in the audience were enchanted by the story. They felt it was the most romantic thing, especially when the girl in the story became pregnant, and they had to guess who the father was. This was the very thing dreams were made of.

Jennifer enjoyed the film and found it entertaining. Of course she did not take it serious, like the other silly girls from the village, but still, it made her want to have something romantic with Harrison. After all they had been friends now for many months, so it was about time they took things to the next level.

When the film ended, she suggested they went to a late night café for some supper. One of the finest dish that was well loved by everyone here was grilled fish, freshly caught from the streams.

"Well, how did you find the film?" she asked.

"Not bad, but now I am even more afraid of the forest," said Harrison.

Jennifer let out a soft groan. Really, she must make a man out of him. It was true that such creatures did exist and the forest was a dangerous place at night, but she wished he wasn't such a scary cat about it.

She started to explain things to him, because she had a rational head about it. After all, her people had lived here for generations, and they had seen or at least heard of many stories about vampires and werewolves.

Before she could finish or feel satisfied that she had got through to him, Harrison quickly said it was getting late and they should be going home. She knew he was afraid of the dark, and the forest wasn't too far away.

###

It was two weeks later when Harrison had to work late. The bakery was especially busy and his boss asked him to stay on for another two hours. So it was almost 10 pm. when he made his way home.

Walking past the edge of the forest, Harrison hurried up the hill because he felt anxious being there alone at this time of night. He wasn't sure if it was his fear that made him see a werewolf, or if he really did see one.

Just as he cast a fearful glance at the dark forest, he noticed a movement among the trees. Then he heard the crunching of dead leaves and twigs, and a huge grey wolf appeared. It stared at him with large yellow eyes, then disappear like it was an apparition.

Harrison was too afraid to scream. His throat went dry, and his knees weak. He was not sure how he had managed to get home like he did. Shaking with fear, he told his family what he had seen. That night he could not sleep. He wished he could talk to Jennifer about this.

When news of this got out, half the village was excited, the other half afraid. But the silly young girls were tickled pink. This was the chance they had been waiting for. Now, they would meet the werewolf, and surely he would fall head over heels in love with them. Soon, a competition started, to see which of the silly girls would be the first to experience his strong hairy body.

Every night, while the men hurried home quickly, avoiding the gloomy forests, the young girls were organizing night walks in the same place. The village shops saw an increase in sales, as the girls snatched up the prettiest dresses and the tightest jeans.

This went on for a week, with no success. None of the girls could report meeting the werewolf, let alone having rough sex with him. Harrison and Jennifer were relieved for they knew how dangerous it was.

The following week, the dreaded news came. A girl was found mutilated, her body in several places, but there was no doubt she was as naked as the day she was born.

You would expect this piece of news to cause a panic, but no. The silly young girls were now more determined than ever, to meet the wolf of their dreams.

"She wasn't his type, but I am sure he will feel differently when he sees me." One girl declared.

Jennifer tried to warn them, not to venture near the forests at night, not even during the day. Her warnings fell on deaf ears. Both she and Harrison feared the worst was to come.