10 comments

Adventure Fiction Happy

Writing in the Woods. 



           I have always been a city boy, lived in the Big Town all my life. I really like being where everything and everyone is within close reach. The way I have long I seen the world is that if anything interesting is going on, it’s happening in the city – good jobs, good food, big league sports, and multiple movies and musical acts from which to choose.

           So why am I heading for a remote cabin right now. It’s a long story, which is more than I can say about my ‘work of literature’ as my wife calls it. I retired about a month ago. I had been anticipating it for quite some time, even though I hadn’t really had any definite thoughts about what I would be doing with all my new-found free time.

           In my spare time, when I wasn’t at work or out somewhere enjoying city life, I wrote short stories. They gave me joy, but what I really wanted to do was write a novel, why my ever-joking wife called a ‘novel idea’ for my retirement.

           The problem was that I was going nowhere with the big story. I felt that there were too many sounds, too many people on the street and too many lights on at night that I could see out my window, for me to concentrate on my ‘work of literature.’

           While I certainly didn’t resent the presence of my wife, I was beginning to be distracted by her. We had a friend who had the same idea about writing a novel in his retirement years, and we had listened to him and his wife complaining about the lack of respect they were receiving from each other. I did not want that to happen with us. Our relationship was too important for that.

           Then my wife came up with an idea. We owned a cabin in the woods that my father gave us in his will. We had never been there yet, as we had no idea what we could do ‘way out there’. One evening when I was making quite audible sounds and shaking signs of frustration, my wife suggested the cabin, ‘just to get a good start on your story.’ I surprised myself by how fast I said ‘yes’ to her. 

           So here I am driving out to the family’s little parallel-logged piece of wilderness. As there was no electrical power in the cabin, I brought with me not the computer whose blank screen had been haunting me for days, but a handful of pens and plenty of pads of paper on which to write.        

           I’d like to say that, freed from the constraints of the city, I soon began to write freely, but that would be an outright lie. During the first week, I created a substantial pile of papers with writing scratched out, sometimes with enough force to tear the paper. 

           Then it happened – an inspiration that would last for days. But it didn’t come from me..

The Opening Chapter of the Book

           “I’d often thought that the metaphor of the wind ‘howling like a wolf’ was something of an exaggeration. But then, I had never heard, outside of the exaggerations of television sound- tracks, either a wind or a wolf that made such a sound. That was until today. I was sitting at what I would call my desk, put it was really a table, when I heard a strange sound.

           At first I thought that it was the wind, as the branches I could see from out of one of the cabin’s two windows were bending in towards the cabin. But then, quite suddenly, it stopped. It made me curious, so I opened the door. The branches were still bending, but there was no howling. Then, all of a sudden, the sound began again, but there was no change in the bending of the branches. I had no idea what was going on until I saw it. There was a rather large wolf walking in my general direction, occasionally howling, but in shorter utterances than before. I guess I could have made it back to the cabin and shut the door, but for some unexplainable reason I just stood there, staring into the bright glowing yellow eyes of the approaching wolf, as dramatic a colour as the howling was a sound. I had read somewhere that a wolf can mesmerize its intended victim with its eyes. I was very close to living it at that time.

           He stopped (I would not know his gender until a little later) about four human paces in front of me, and just stared my way. He was definitely a wolf not a husky, as there was no wagging to his tail, and no barking. Yet in no way did he threaten me. 

           He ended his stare by slowly turning and walking away, casting his eyes back my way several times like he was expecting me to follow him. I did so, thinking it fortunate that that I had a sharp knife strapped to my belt. .

           Then he led me to what I would guess was his den. Lying there was a sorry sight. It was a female wolf on her side, caught on one foot a leg-hold trap.  She moved a little, so I knew that she was still alive.  Curiously, I also noticed that there was what looked like a well-worn and sometimes chewed dog collar not far from where she was ling.  Using my knife to do some prying, I was able, with some intense effort, to set her free. She got up slowly and limped over to her mate.

           The next day brought a different sort of surprise. I heard the now familiar howling, and went to the door. I couldn’t see him, but I could see, smell and almost step on a dead rabbit that had been dropped directly in front of the door.

           Our friendship grew over the next few days, and actually I started thinking about cooking one of the presented rabbits in the fireplace. I burned the first one, but eventually learned how to do the job properly. I won’t say that they taste like chicken.

           Here is my story of the weeks to follow. No important detail will be left out.”

Words to My Wife

           What do you think Martha? Our local newspaper reviewed my book quite positively, referring to it as a “remarkable example of the author’s imaginative writing”. I know that we rather debated whether or not I should reveal the truth about the story, but now I think that you were right in saying that the manuscript wouldn’t even get published if I tried to sell it to a publisher as ‘creative non-fiction’, which, of course, it was. As you know, all of it really took place. I am glad that people think that it is fiction. I wouldn’t want local people crowding the woods looking for my wolf companion and his family.

January 17, 2023 11:56

You must sign up or log in to submit a comment.

10 comments

Tricia Shulist
16:59 Jan 23, 2023

I always like a story that doesn’t vilify wolves. They are important to the ecology of different environments. And I like that your protagonist wasn’t afraid of the wolf. Thanks for this.

Reply

John Steckley
17:52 Jan 23, 2023

Tricia - I feel the same way about wolves. I have seen them in the woods, and they have seen me, and there were never any problems.

Reply

Tricia Shulist
01:13 Jan 26, 2023

I too am a wolf enthusiast. Too much fear about an animal that is an apex predator. But we love our dogs ... Hmmm.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Wendy Kaminski
04:16 Jan 18, 2023

This has such a special magic, John. I've been a fan since one of your Wyandot pieces, but this...! I really liked the structure of it; I have a lot of good starts but nothing that follows, and I could certainly use the prologue, start, epilogue form in a whole different way to still showcase them. I realize that it's unlikely to be the reason you used this format, but I am stealing it. I just wanted to let you know up front. ;) All that is to say, I enjoyed this so much! Some of my favorite lines, so evocative and memorable: - "parallel-lo...

Reply

John Steckley
13:12 Jan 18, 2023

Wendy - Thank you so much for your comments. Writers borrow from each other. The inspiration came from something quite different. While I was working on the computer on one of my projects, I looked outside and thought I saw a wolf or coyote walking down the street. My imagination overrode my vision. It was our neighbour's cat. I started a story (still not completed) about visions of wolves. Then I saw the prompt, and a wolf was a natural for the story.

Reply

Wendy Kaminski
13:23 Jan 18, 2023

Very cool! :)

Reply

John Steckley
18:06 Jan 18, 2023

It helped that as a boy I read Jack London's "Call of the Wild" and White Fang.

Reply

Wendy Kaminski
18:07 Jan 18, 2023

Me, too! (Well, not as a boy... ;) Those were two of my favorite books, growing up!

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Lily Finch
18:30 Jan 17, 2023

John, we must be on the same wavelength. This week's story was very similar to yours, dealing with an Alpha Wolf. I enjoyed your story because of the plot's flow and quick release. Well done. LF6

Reply

John Steckley
13:14 Jan 18, 2023

Thanks for your comments. My imagination has long been linked to wolves.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
RBE | Illustration — We made a writing app for you | 2023-02

We made a writing app for you

Yes, you! Write. Format. Export for ebook and print. 100% free, always.