Mr. Wallace’s Barn

Story Starter - Writing Prompt:

The night I set fire to Mr. Wallace’s barn, there was…

MR. WALLACE’S BARN

The night I set fire to Mr. Wallace’s barn, there was a gentle breeze blowing across the prairie. The moon was full, and I heard the howl of a wolf in the distance.

I cautiously walked through the field, fully aware of my surroundings. The howling seemed to be getting closer, causing the hair on the back of my neck to stand on end. My heart was racing as my eyes adjusted to the darkness all around me.

In the distance I saw Mr. Wallace’s barn. The combination of the full moon and the breeze swaying the grass and the trees was causing shadows to dance across the meadow. They looked alive, and my imagination went into overdrive. Memories of my childhood were flooding into my head making this creepy trek through the meadow a little less frightening.

The barn seemed to be getting closer, and my heart raced it faster. I remembered the stories that my grandparents told of wolves attacking anything that had unfortunately crossed their path. “Thanks grandpa!” I thought, as I frantically searched the meadow for any signs that the wolves knew I was there.

The closer I got to the barn, the more exposed I felt walking alone in this meadow on the night of a full moon. I decided to take cover inside the barn until I felt safe enough to walk the rest of the way home.

I walked inside, closed the door, and put the board across to keep the door shut. I heard a wrestling sound coming from behind me. I took a deep breath to gather some courage and walked cautiously towards the sound. “Please be a kitten. Please be a kitten. Please be a kitten.” I muttered, hopeful that it was in fact a kitten.

As I got closer to the sound, I heard grunting coming from another stall. I knew I needed to find out who or what was with me locked inside of this building.

Mr. Wallace did not have electricity in his barn. I remembered that he kept candles on the table by the door. So, I turned around and headed back towards that table and opened the drawer. I was in luck! The drawer was full of candles, and there were jars full of matches on the shelf above the table.

I lit a candle and placed it in the candle holder that was sitting on the table. I picked up a few more candles, lit one and shoved the rest of them into my pocket.  I took a deep breath to gather courage and headed back towards the noises.

The first stall was full of hay and huge vats of water.

The second stall had blankets, bridals saddles and brushes for taking care of the horse.

The third stall was empty, as were the fourth and fifth. But the last stall is where the growling came from. As I turned slowly to look inside the stall. Through the darkness, I saw Marcus Wallace lying in a ball. He was chained to the wall and his clothes were shredded. His eyes met mine, and I heard a deep, guttural growl rise from deep within him.

“Oh, my goodness! What happened to him?” I asked myself.  However, as I took a step towards him, Marcus yelled, “Don’t!” and then growled again.

I heard movement coming from the stalls behind me. As I turned to look inside the stall across from Marcus, I saw both of his parents chained to the wall behind them. Their clothes were also torn, and they had hair all over their faces.

I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. The next stall had a small, furry animal also chained to the wall. Clothes were lying on the ground.

I asked Marcus, “What is the creature in the other stall?  That’s not your son, is it?”

Marcus growled a little and then I heard a faint, “Yes. Monsters. Help. Please.” He was struggling to talk, but I thought he wanted me to save them from the monsters. 

“Where are these monsters and how can I help you if I can’t come near you?“ I asked him.

He replied, “Fire. Please. Barn.”

Then it dawned on me.  His child was a werewolf.  Did that make him and his parents werewolves, too? He’s telling me to light the barn on fire, isn’t he? Did he really want me to do that while his entire family is chained to the wall? They will all die if I do that, and I will not be responsible for killing them! I can’t do it.  I won’t do it! I told him that I could find help instead.

He said, “No. Candle. Here. Please.”

I told him that I could not be responsible for their deaths. I would not kill them.

His mother growled, and I heard her say, “Need death. So tired. Please help.”

I carried the candle to Marcus’ stall and placed it on the ground where he could reach it. He pointed to the candles in my pocket and then to his parents.

I reached inside my pocket, took out the candles and lit one.  I walked over to where Marcus‘s parents’ stall. His father tried to grab my arm as I handed his wife the lit candle. I pulled back just in time. I threw the other candles onto the ground beside his Mrs. Wallace and backed up quickly. I looked at Marcus and said, “I’m so sorry!” I opened the door of the barn and ran out into the darkness. I headed towards my grandparents’ home.

By the time my foot hit the front porch, flames engulfed the entire barn. I could hear the screams of Marcus and his family as the fire took their lives.  My stomach was in knots.

I went inside the house, put my phone on the charger and called 911. I told the dispatcher that I was at Mr. Wallace’s barn and then I described the scene I saw. Of course, I left out a few details that I was sure Marcus would have wanted me to keep to myself. I told the officer that my phone was dead, and I had to walk home to charge it so I could call for help. I also told them that by the time I made it to my house the barn was on fire. I asked them to please send help quickly.

The dispatcher told me that they were sending emergency services to the barn right away. He asked me to stay inside the home and to be available so that the police officers could ask me questions when they get here.

I locked the door, made a cup of tea, and sat on the couch. My anxiety level was so high that I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. I need to calm down. How do I calm down?

Once the tears slowed down a little and I caught my breath, I called my mother to let her know I made it to Grandma‘s house safely.

Mom said, “I’m so glad you’re safe. I just heard that there was a fire at Mr. Wallace’s barn. They found bodies inside. I was so worried because you weren’t answering your phone. I’m so glad that you’re okay! “

“Mom, “ I interrupted, “I’m not okay. I saw them inside the barn. It wasn’t safe for me to help them. But my cell was dead, and I couldn’t call for help, so I had to come here to charge my phone. I called for help as quickly as I could. Mom, it was bad! I can’t stop shaking!”

My mom knows how to calm my anxiety. She talked to me in her loving voice, distracted me by asking about the house, and my anxiety level went down a little bit. I didn’t know that while mom was talking to me and calming me down, she was also texting my best friend. Fifteen minutes later, Carly showed up at the front door. She hugged me and said, “I’m here. We’ve got this!”

I hung up the phone and sat back on the couch to talk to Carly. I was getting ready to explain what I saw when the police knocked on my door. The police officer was little Megan Mitchell.  The little girl I used to babysit during my summer visits to my grandparents was all grown up and standing in front of me. Megan hugged me and told me she was so happy to see me. She just wished it was under a different circumstance. She asked a few questions about what I saw when I was in the barn.

I told her the entire story, leaving out the werewolf part. I figured that I will only add it to the report if she directly asks about it. I wanted to make sure the world remembers this family for all the good they have done in the community, not for the things they had no control over.

Officer Mitchell told me that they found four bodies chained up to the walls of the barn and that none of them survived. She asked if I saw or heard anything else while I was there.

I explained that I saw no other people in the barn and that I ran to get help as soon as I could.

I asked Megan how the fire started. She told me that it was under investigation and they were hoping to have answers soon.

I explained to Megan that Marcus‘s son was afraid of the dark, and they asked me to leave a candle with them while I went for help. I asked, “Oh no, do you think the candles are the cause of the fire? Did I do this by leaving the candles with them?” At this point all the emotions I felt were streaming down my cheeks. Carly walked towards me and gently put her arms around me. But it took a while for the tears to stop.

Megan tried to stay professional, but the nature of our relationship brought out her compassionate side. So, I hugged her and thanked her for being the one to talk to me. I told her that it meant a lot to have her here to help me through such a horrible tragedy. 

After Megan left, I told Carly, “I know you are here to help. Can we talk in a professional capacity? Stuff happened and I need it to be privileged.”

Carly replied, “I need you to pay my fee before privilege can become legal.”

I handed my best friend a one-dollar bill and hired her to be my lawyer.

Suddenly, my stomach growled, and I realized I hadn’t eaten any supper. Before I could do anything else, I needed to eat something. We walked into the kitchen and made omelets, toast, and tea. I also chopped some fruit to go with our meal.

As we sat down to eat, I told Carly exactly what happened. I explained why I kept it from my police report. I also asked her if I did the right thing.

Carly said, “Honey, you have had one heck of a night! It’s only natural that you may have ‘forgotten’ a few details. That was your lawyer speaking. Now, as your best friend, I want you to know that you are not responsible for their deaths. You gave them the candles. They are the ones who burned down their barn. It’s not your fault. It’s what they wanted. Quit being so hard on yourself!”

The next day Megan stopped by in her civilian clothes. She told me that she had stopped by to see if I needed anything. She knew how hard this must have been on me and wanted to talk off the record.

We sat on the porch with a glass of iced tea. Megan told me that she knew the Wallace family secret. Apparently, Marcus‘s wife died directly after childbirth. The child was born during the full moon. When she tried to nurse the baby, he started screaming. She said that she watched, and he grew hair all over his body and grew both long claws and fangs. The baby was also a werewolf.

She explained that Marcus‘s wife was her younger sister Nelly. Megan was with her sister when the child was born.  She experienced her sister’s death first-hand.  At first, she didn’t understand what had happened.  That night, she talked to Marcus and demanded that  he explain what was going on.

Marcus told her that Nelly knew that his family were werewolves. She knew what they went through and tried to help them. Nelly knew that they fought their transformations and that they tried to stay away from all humans and beloved pets. She was the one who used to unchain them after the full moon was over. The family relied on her to help them keep the community safe during those moments. Both Marcus and Nelly knew that their children would probably be werewolves too. They took precautions, but she ended up pregnant anyway. Her death hit them all hard. He couldn’t forgive himself for bringing another monster into the world. And he never got over Nelly’s death.

“When you told me that they were chained to the wall, I knew that he asked you to help him. He has asked me many times, too. Because of my position on the force and my relationship with him and my nephew, I could not do as he asked. I know how desperate he was to keep the town safe. Please don’t blame yourself for this. I know that Marcus did this to protect us all. I need you to promise me that this conversation never happened, and you need to understand that you did nothing wrong. You are a hero”

I looked skeptical and she continued, “I want you to walk by the school today.  Look at all the beautiful children who now can live safely – without becoming wolf food. You saved so many lives by walking away.”

I knew she was right but that didn’t mean I felt good about it.

That afternoon I walked past the school just like she asked me too. I stopped and sat on a bench looking towards the playground as the children laughed and played.  I was deep in thought when a little girl, about age 7, walked up to me from behind. She tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Thank you for keeping everyone safe from the wolves. My mommy said that you gave Mr. Wallace the candles. She saw it from the trees, and we are all safe now!”

I was stunned! I thought this was a secret. However, I later found out that most of the town had been aware that the Wallace family were werewolves. Apparently, Marcus helped them to arm themselves and their land, so that they could protect themselves against any attacks.

After Nelly died, Marcus attended the town meeting to discuss their situation. He told the community that he wanted to teach them how to protect themselves in case they ever ran into another werewolf family.

In return, the town made a schedule of when the full moon was happening. They gathered a  committee that would watch over the family during the full moon. This committee made sure the family was chained up, had any provisions they needed, and checked on them. They took turns, standing at a safe distance and keeping watch over the barn. This is why the little girl’s mom knew she was there.

Megan knew that the town was aware of the Wallace families “heritage“ but she also knew that putting anything about “werewolves” in a police report would cause problems in the county and in the state. So, they used cod words so that the police could keep track of what’s really going on without having to face investigations that could have them all committed to a psych ward.

The next week I received a call from Megan telling me that she and I were expected to be at the attorney’s office. Apparently, I was listed in will, which was being read. Mrs. Wallace was my grandmother’s sister, which made me family. Megan and I were the only relatives they had left.

The attorney told us that the Wallace property had been split in half. Megan was the new owner of the east side of the property. This included both the barn and the house, including most of the contents inside.  I inherited my great-grandmother’s family photographs, her teapot collection, and the dining room suite she brought with her from the old country. I also inherited the west half of the property, including the surrounding forest, the treehouse, the lake, and the boat.

Within a week, Megan and I tore down the barn so that we could both heal from the horrors we witnessed in that building. We talked about what we wanted to do with the land we inherited.  We decided to open businesses that complement each other.

It has been two years since that tragedy occurred. Megan got married to her police partner and was expecting a baby at the end of the year. I have the honor of having been chosen as the baby’s godmother and am eagerly awaiting his or her arrival.

I settled into my family’s home and am in the process of building a campground on the property I inherited. The campground will be ready to open in three months and reservations are completely booked up for the next year.

On Megan’s land, she opened a horseback riding business which specializes in week-long trail rides.  Her husband built a treetop obstacle course, which opens next week.  Megan also created a survival center where she teaches how to survive in the wilderness.  They focus on plant identification, reading animal tracks, shelter building, fire building, outdoor cooking, and much more.

Megan’s survival training, including fire building and outdoor cooking are taught on the site where the barn once stood. Her training also taught the participants how to stay safe during encounters with bears, wolves, and other predators that could be in the area. She ended each of her training with a candle lighting ceremony by the fire ring.  During these ceremonies,  she thanked the earth for providing everything they needed, including a space for them to gather.  She thanked the creator for giving them life and for the beautiful nature that surrounds them and provides for their needs.  She thanked the ancestors for allowing them to learn from the past, so they can blaze into a future filled with the knowledge of how to connect with nature and the understanding of why this is necessary. The ceremony provides an ending to the training, honors the family who lost their lives in this spot, and encourages the participants to continue spending time in nature.

The night I burned down Mr. Wallace‘s barn, my reality helped me to understand my past and taught me to trust my instincts – even if it didn’t make sense I at the moment.