1 The Legend of Vermont

Hundreds of years ago, deep in the woods there was a village called bledsian. Rumor has it that it is blessed by the moon and got its name because of a sacrifice. The story goes like this.

The chief of the village had a pretty daughter named Amarise, a brave girl with a love for justice. One morning she went into the woods to look for a precious herb. She wanted to give it to her best friend, Zyrah, who was a herbalist.

Amarise was determined to not return an empty hand and kept searching. She tried for hours and as the sun began to set she unknowingly had ventured deep into the forest. On one such trail, she saw a white wolf lying under a willow tree. She was captured by its ethereal beauty. To her, the pristine fur seemed to glow.

Her state of amazement was broken when she heard a painful whimper. She was startled and realized later that it was the wolf. Slowly she moved towards the animal, crooning softly. Thankfully she had come prepared. With the help from the oil lamp she carried, she could see her way through the wild grass.

At snail's speed, after what felt like an eternity, she was close enough to see the ground where the wolf was resting. It was stained dark with blood. She let out a startled gasp. It pained her heart to see how mangled one of the hind legs of the wolf was. The wolf has its eyes closed but as soon as she was within the reach Amarise realized what a foolish decision she could have made.

There are ways to approach a hurt animal. She chided herself for being stupid. Gazing into those shining orbs she seemed to saw her reflection. She was afraid that any second now the wolf would pounce on her and this would become her last breath.

But she did not regret it. As Amarise waited for the inevitable to happen, time kept flowing, after a while, she realized that her wild imagination did not come true.

She let out a sigh and then put her hand in the cloth sack she has been carrying the whole day. When her hand hit the familiar bottles she took them out. One has water and the other contained herbal salve that her friend has made. Her hands did not shake as she tended to the wound.

She has done it numerous times. Sometimes the patient was herself while other times she was helping Zyrah. She had to thank her friend for drilling the basics into her mind. All the while the wolf did not utter any other sound.

Amarise was amazed.

She felt that the wolf could read her, the gaze felt too humane to say otherwise. When she was all done she looked at her work. The cloth was neatly wrapped. She was sure Zyrah would have praised her. The sun had gone down a while ago and it was already night.

Amarise sighed that it turned out this way. But nonetheless, she had helped a wounded animal. She was satisfied for the time being. She took out the last of her supper, it was pork stripes. She left them there in front of the wolf and left.

When she reached home, people were searching all over the place apparently, looking out for her. Her safe return brought relief to her parents but then she was confined in her room for three days. After eating supper Amarise relayed every little detail of her quest to Zyrah, both of them made a pact to go together to look for the wolf after her confinement period was over.

That night Amarise had a strange dream. She did not see the wolf but the place where the herb grew.

The very next day she told Zyrah about her dream. Both of them were excited to see if that would be true but they had to wait. Finally, after three days they went to the forest to look for the place. After a long search, they actually found it and the herb was also there. It grew there in abundance.

What surprised them more was that they also saw the wolf. This time it was not dark, in broad daylight they saw the majestic animal in all its glory. Both of them were happy to see that the wound had healed greatly. This time it was Zyrah who replaced the old cloth with a new one.

After that strange things started to happen in the village. The long drought finally came to an end. As time went by the village prospered. Tales were spun and the once remote village turned into a renowned one. People came from far-off places to see what caused the change.

Many of the villagers have spotted the white wolf so they speculated the cause of miracles is the white wolf. She was considered a recreation of the moon goddess. Many believed it to be an auspicious animal. People came in swarms to get one look at the white wolf. Some said that its fur was made of silver, while others speculated that it was of rare gems.

One day hunters came to the village to capture the wolf. When Amarise and Zyrah got the news it was already too late. The hunters had already gone into the woods. They ran with their might and found the wolf to be surrounded by those hunters. Together they fought for the time as they knew reinforcement would be coming soon.

But the hunters lost their temper. To vent their anger and frustration one of them notched an arrow and aimed it at the wolf. Amarise saw it and shielded the wolf by her body. The wolf was saved but she was hurt. The arrow penetrated close to her heart. It was a fatal wound.

After that night the wolf disappeared and dark clouds gathered over the village. Not even a single person was spared. Those who participated in the hunt and those who conspired behind everyone's back, everybody died horribly within a fortnight. Rumors began to spread about the curse of the moon.

Those who crossed the goddess have disappeared.

All the while, in the chief's house, gloom lurked around. Amarise had yet to gain consciousness. One night Zyrah had an unusual dream. In her dream, she saw the same white wolf. Zyrah cried and pleaded to save her friend's life. She was at her wit's end when finally the wolf started to move.

Zyrah followed the wolf and the next day she went into the forest after leaving a note behind to their parents that she will be back with the cure. After a week, Zyrah finally came back, looking haggard covered in wounds. She passed out as soon as she handed over the medicine. To everyone's surprise, the medicine worked.

After three days Amarise opened her eyes. It was a joyous occasion, both families celebrated. As days passed and Amarise started to get better, the weather became pleasant. The village got back to normal but there remained no sightings of the white wolf. People still came looking for the wolf but none of them ever succeeded in getting even a glimpse of it.

It is said that the wolf now and then came to meet the girls and even blessed them. She was touched by the friendship of the girls and gave them lots of riches. The treasure is buried somewhere in the woods and is protected by the wolves.

Ringgggg!!!

'Okay class that would be it. As for the homework, I would like a report of no less than a thousand-word on this legend by the end of the week. You are allowed to write a new ending or detailed sketch of any of the characters.'

Lots of groans followed Mrs. Sprout's announcement.

'Silence!' she shouted at the top of her lungs and thumped the book against the table loud enough to wake up the last benchers from their sleep.

'Five minutes more, mom.' Zain's croak disrupted the silence. A few muffled laughter erupted here and there but they too quietened down after a glare from Mrs. Sprout.

'Wake up princess! I am so glad that you finally joined our session. Would you like to have some milk?' Mrs. Sprout asked sweetly. Everyone felt the spark of electricity that zinged the air. Some of the weak-hearted students even got goosebumps.

But the clueless Zain rubbed his eyes and spoke nonchalantly as if he just did not book a one-way ticket to hell.

'Coke with a slice of lime without sugar.'

A second later something hit him directly in the middle of the forehead. Zain rubbed the area with his fingers to soothe the pain. Next, he bent down to pick up the item that hit him. He was furious and wanted to shout. When he noticed that it turned out to be chalk.

A pair of blood-red heels came to his sight, and the penny finally dropped. He felt that his throat has gone dry and his pulse has become rapid. As he lifted himself up and stood straight. He finally met Mrs. Sprout's eyes. His knees went weak and the chill he felt was nothing compared to the running he had done in his underwear last winter at midnight when he lost the bet.

He realized too late that it was only a prelude and now he was definitely done! He could see his grandparents waving at him from behind the clouds! They were welcoming him to join the afterlife!

'Detention!' Mrs. Sprout's Voice rang in the class perhaps in the hallways too or even it could be heard from outside the school.

Zane has joined the ever-growing list of Sprout's archenemies.

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