There are quite a few writers in our family, but we all prefer different mediums. From autobiographical blogs of self discovery, irrepressible social commentary in poetry to fiction. The latest writer of short stories is nearly 14 and given our mutual love for stories and books I thought my blog could be a suitable platform for young writers. So here’s the first short story for Young Writer’s Corner by Ahana Dasgupta.

My Father’s Friend

Dusk had fallen and the stars had started to twinkle in the evening haze. I had been playing in the neighborhood park & decided that it was time to go back home. Suddenly, I saw a man standing beneath a Eucalyptus tree & smiling at me in a familiar way. The man had a long, broad face and had bushy eyebrows with curly black hair. He was still smiling at me when I tried to recall if I know such a man. He beckoned to me to come closer & I went near the Eucalyptus tree. Now more close, I noticed that the man had a fat moustache & looked somewhat like a wolf.
“Do you recognize me?” asked the man, still smiling at me in a sweet way. He had a very harsh voice which sounded like a grunt.
“No, I’m afraid, I don’t” I said at once.

“Well, I am yours fathers friend Mahesh Palchoudhury” said the man calmly. “Mahesh Palchoudhury…….. but my father had never talked about such a friend”, I said feeling flabbergasted. The man or Mahesh told that he was an old friend and my father had probably forgotten all about him. He invited me to his house for tea.
I must admit that I was both confused and suspicious, but then I thought it would be foolish and childish to turn away, so I agreed. He merely smiled and led the path to his house along linstreet, which was even darker now.
We walked in silence except for the distant chirping of birds and buzzing of honeybees. We passed two alleyways and continued to walk along a deserted one. At least half an hour passed and we continued to walk in silence. I felt a bit irritated. “How much more do we have to go?” I asked Mahesh firmly. “Just 5 minutes to go” Mahesh replied. After a little while, Mahesh finally came to a halt at the end of a broad street.

“Follow me” Mahesh said and his voice was suddenly very powerful and dangerous.

He opened an iron gate and went inside, I following him. Inside was a small pathway at the end of which stood a small hut. It had two windows and one dusty door which looked as if it had not been used for weeks. I was eager to into the hut and see what was inside but Mahesh was only gazing up at the sky. I looked up at the sky and understood what he was gazing at……. the full moon. The full moon was very beautiful and the hut was looking ghostly in the moonlight.
“Excuse me, are we going to get into the hut?” I asked hopefully. Mahesh shifted his gaze from the full moon and stared at me instead and said, “Your voice is so soft and I love the crispness of your skin”, a nasty grin spreading across his face. I suddenly became alert of his intentions and moved a step backwards.

To my utmost horror, Mahesh’s body started to become hairy & his clothes tore open from his body, long pink ears started to develop from his curly hair& his eyes became yellowish and oval-shaped. There were pointed fangs instead of his teeth & a long pink tongue which was now dripping with saliva. He was on four legs now, covered in fur. I realized panic-stricken that Mahesh was a Werewolf. Slowly, Mahesh clambered toward me, a look of hunger in his face. He was so close to me that I could feel the smell of his hot breath slapping against my face. I started to run, but he was too fast for me. Mahesh raised his in a fierce howl and turned his gleaming, yellowish eyes on my face & sank his curved fangs deep into my skin, I screamed in pain and……….

I opened my eyes and saw myself lying in a small bed in a circular familiar room. Beside the bed, stood a thin, fair, familiar-looking woman. My mother was yelling at me at the top of her lungs, “You idiot, get up fast, it’s 7:30 already and you are getting late for school”- My mind was still full of what I had seen in the dream. “Ma, does baba have a friend called Mahesh Palchoudhury?” I asked fearfully. “Oh yes, of course” replied my mother irritably.

“Oh God, ma then he is a Werewolf- I just saw…”
“Stop muttering utter rubbish and go get ready”, Ma snapped.
I thought of the idea of my father’s friend being a werewolf. Laughing aloud at my own wit, I climbed out of bed to get ready for school.

By Ahana Dasgupta

Age: 13 years

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thebookdrifter.com