Howl Three Times By Midnight
- SonicBlu

all content within this story is (c) 2001 SonicBlu
Any similarities with characters past or present, 
living or dead, is purely coincidental. 

     The aroma of fresh pine needles filled the air as 
the morning sun touched the planet with its
radiance. Making his rounds for the morning, Aaron 
Spiegel cast his gaze across the distant forest as
he walked along the streets of Agatha Creek. Aaron 
was a tall wolf and also quite thin for most
wolves of his height and age. He stood exactly six 
and a half feet tall and no matter how much he
seemed to eat, his stomach never increased in size. 
He always wore his favorite warm, red and black
flannel shirt whenever he would go out on his early 
morning walks. Aaron lived a life in the big city
most of his life and he had just arrived to the silent, 
sleepy town of Agatha Creek. He had always
enjoyed taking trips into the forest with his father 
when he was just a cub and he taught him
everything he knew about nature and the roots of his 
very existence. Ever since his father passed
away, Aaron never felt the same. He found himself taking 
constant trips into the forest to remember
the times that they used to share together, now only 
visiting the forest alone with not having a single
soul to share his memories with. Aaron had only just 
arrived to Agatha Creek just a couple weeks
prior and never really fully explored Agatha Forest, 
which was located five miles away from the
town of Agatha Creek. As Aaron set foot upon the forest 
grounds, Aaron knelt down before the
congregation of trees that stood before him.
"Hello, father. I know that you have given your life 
so long ago it seems, I still feel your loss
weighing heavily upon my heart. You have always been 
there for me when I was just a cub and I
feel that nobody can ever take your place. How I miss 
the touch of your fur against my paw and the
tickle of your whiskers against my nose. I will always 
keep the memories we used to share within
my heart. Fare thee well, and may you find happiness 
beyond the gates of the afterlife." Aaron
whispered the same dialect each time he set his paws 
onto the soils of the forest, but now that the
forest was near his home, he decided to press onward 
and do a bit of exploring. Upon entering deep
into the heart of the forest, his eyes froze at a 
large rock which appeared to have an indentation upon
its surface. Aaron got a closer look and was able to 
read the etchings more clearly.
"With the third howl on the changing of the day, I 
shall wait for thee." Aaron placed his paw over
the rock and felt the inscription of the lettering, 
but could not tell just how long those words have
been embedded within. 
"Changing of the day? What's that supposed to mean? 
And who's third howl?" Aaron asked himself
aloud. He shrugged and slowly went about his way until 
he found his way back to the roadside that
led into Agatha Creek. His stomach began to rumble with 
hunger as he approached the many restaurants along 
the way. Aaron opened his wallet and counted his allotted 
funds.
"Why not? I can spare it." Aaron said to himself as he 
placed his wallet back into his pocket. He
pushed the door to the restaurant open and slowly 
entered. Taking a good look around, he saw that
the place was occupied by some of the more high-classed 
beings that he's ever seen. Each one within
the restaurant were all species of foxes, some were 
quite older than others and most of them were
vixens. Aaron felt nervous about being underdressed 
to appear in such a restaurant, however the
head waiter was dressed quite differently than everyone 
else, which set his mind more at ease. He
appeared to be a short tabby cat, standing about five 
feet six inches tall. His eyes were deep yellow
and reflected the overhead lighting quite nicely, 
giving his eyes a gentle sparkle. He was dressed in a
white polo shirt bearing the restaurant's logo and a 
pair of khaki pants. His tail had the habit of
swishing merrily to and fro as he approached the 
hungry wolf.
"Yes, can I help you?" the waiter asked.
"Table for one, please." Aaron whispered. The waiter 
grabbed a single menu and proceeded to lead
Aaron to a vacant table.
"Is there something that I am missing here?" Aaron asked 
while the waiter stood at his table.
"Why do you say that, sir?" the waiter said as he 
stopped swishing his tail.
"Well, look at them. Are you sure this is okay?" Aaron 
asked and pointed to his flannel shirt and
blue denim jeans.
"Oh! No, don't worry about that. They all came in 
together. You're fine, sir." the waiter said with a
smile and commenced his happy tail swishing.
"Well, in that case, bring me the finest steak your 
restaurant has to offer, medium rare. Baked potato
with sour cream and green onions, and the steamed 
broccoli for my vegetable. To drink, I'll have a
coffee."
"Yes sir." the waiter said and disappeared into the 
kitchen. As Aaron waited for his food to be
served, he pondered over the significance of the rock 
and the meaning of the words etched within.
"Third howl...changing of the day...." Aaron said 
aloud, not sure whether or not he was heard
through the restaurant. A few heads turned and gazed 
into Aaron's direction as he repeated the
words he read.
"Excuse me..." one of the vixens spoke. Aaron looked 
up to face the one that the voice belonged to. 
"Yes? What can I do for you?" Aaron said with a gentle 
smile. The vixen approached the table
slowly and Aaron invited her to a seat. She smiled and 
slid into the booth, staring directly into
Aaron's brown eyes.
"Hi, my name's Christie. I couldn't help but notice 
the words you were reciting a while ago. You
weren't up in Agatha Forest by any chance, were you?"
"As a matter of fact, I was, by the way I'm Aaron." 
he whispered.
"Do you know of the legend that lives within the forest, 
Aaron?" she asked. Aaron shook his head
swiftly.
"Nope, can't say that I do. I'm new to Agatha Creek 
myself." Aaron replied, getting a feeling that
there was more to Agatha Forest than what met his eye.
"Legend has it that if you enter the heart of the forest 
at midnight, you'll hear the sound of a
beautiful wolf howling three times. A few of us never 
saw where the howl had come from, only
heard. We're still not quite sure what the wolf looks 
like, but her existence remains a mystery to us
all."
"Christie, we're ready to leave now." one of the other 
vixens said as the group of foxes rose from the
table. 
"Oh. That's my family over there. Nice to meet you, 
Aaron." Christie said with a gentle smile and
rose from the booth. Aaron watched silently as they 
filed out of the restaurant and shortly afterwards, 
Aaron was greeted by the waiter whom was bearing his food.
"Here you go. If you need anything, let me know. 
I'm Jerry."
"Thanks, Jerry. This is just fine." Aaron said with a 
smile.

     As Aaron consumed his meal, thoughts of Agatha 
Forest crossed his mind. The more he
thought about the mystery that Christie spoke of, 
the more interested he became. Midway through
his meal, Jerry returned to Aaron's table and handed 
him the bill for his meal.
"How is everything so far?" Jerry asked.
"Just fine. Say, have you ever explored Agatha Forest?"
"Not really. I never had the time to venture out that 
way myself. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious." Aaron said as he raised the coffee mug 
to his lips. His blank expression showed Jerry
that his mind was fixed on a subject of a different 
sort other than the conversation he had started with
the feline waiter. Aaron continued eating at a rather 
slow pace, not knowing how much time had
passed, for his thoughts about the forest was all he 
could think about. Somehow, he must discover
the mystery of the forest closer. As Aaron placed the 
last bite of food into his mouth, he rose from
the table and left his money at the table for Jerry 
to pick up. As he exited the restaurant, Aaron
checked his watch and counted the hours before he 
would go back into Agatha Forest in search of
the mystic howl that Christie spoke of.
"Seven hours to go." Aaron whispered and contemplated 
on which direction to take. He could either
return home and wait for the midnight hour to 
approach, or he could take the time and learn the
structure of the forest until it was time for the 
mysterious howling to begin.

     Aaron stood on the corner of the Agatha Creek 
entrance and cast a gaze into the direction of
the road leading towards the forest from whence he 
came from. With a quick beating of his heart, he
began to slowly walk into the direction of Agatha 
Forest, knowing that an early arrival to the heart
of the forest will bring about sheer boredom. The 
feeling of nervousness in his heart kept Aaron on
his paw pads as he waited for the midnight hour to 
approach. Upon arrival to the rock he saw earlier,
he decided to wait out the remainder of his time to 
explore the forest grounds. 
"I don't know if I'm really up to this." Aaron whispered 
to himself. "From what Christie told me, it
sounds rather eerie." Aaron checked his watch 
periodically as he waited, out of nervousness not
knowing what to expect. At the eleventh hour, he lay 
his tired body down on the ground and rested
his back against a large pine tree. He had to admit 
that the stars were twice as beautiful out in the
woods than they were in the city where he used to 
live. As he fixed his eyes to the brightness of the
moon, a shooting star shot across the sky. His eyes 
quickly followed its trail and he whispered a
gentle wish before it faded.
"Please let this not be a nightmare come true." Aaron 
uttered as he heaved a sigh.

     During the final hour, Aaron had a bit of 
difficulty remaining awake for the mystic howling.
He checked his watch one final time as the time turned 
over into the midnight hour. There was a
breath of a cold breeze that brushed through the 
forest and shortly after, the sound of the first howl
rang out. The sound was very loud and clear as if it 
had come up from behind him. Aaron had to
cover his ears to muffle the sound. The second howl 
sounded out much like the first. By the third
howl, he uncovered his ears and called out into the 
darkness.
"Hello? Is someone there?" Aaron called out. The smell 
of Rosepetal Perfume began to permeate in
the air.                 
"Art thou the one from my dream?" she answered back. 
The voice sounded so gentle and seemed
like an angel's whisper.
"Your...dream?" Aaron replied, his eyes still looking 
around trying to pinpoint where the voice was
coming from. "I...I'm not sure. Where are you?" Aaron 
quickly turned his head and noticed a gentle
set of foot paws approaching him and there before him 
stood the most beautiful wolf he had ever laid
his eyes upon. She wore a dress of sheer silk and was 
flowing in the gentle breeze of the forest. Her
eyes sparkled a light shade of blue and her fur was 
very nicely groomed. Aaron noticed at first that
the wolf's dress was blowing gently in the breeze, 
yet her fur seemed untouched by the breath of the
wind. Aaron didn't seem to think of that fact, but 
was more in awe from the appearance of the sheer
beauty that stood before him.
"Please do not be afraid." she said in a soft voice. 
"My name is Gwendolyn. I have been waiting for
thee to arrive."
"Me? Why me? I...I don't even know you." Gwendolyn 
reached out to touch the face of the nervous
wolf and smiled softly, seeming to put Aaron more at 
ease. Gwendolyn took in a deep breath and in
a soft tone, began to sing a gentle song.
"Whilst thou wait for me beside the old pine tree. 
Meet me there at night and thou shalt be alright. I
will chase the dark away if thou shalt chose to stay. 
Is it thee I have seen within the depths of my
dream? From my fondest of lore, art thou the one I 
hath been waiting for?" She finished her song by
humming the melody of what she had just sung and the 
voice was unlike anything Aaron had ever
heard. Gwendolyn stopped humming long enough to look 
deeply into Aaron's eyes. As Aaron gazed
back and smiled softly, Gwendolyn placed her paw over 
Aaron's heart.
"It is thee my heart doth yearn." she whispered. She 
turned her head swiftly and then slowly started
to back away.
"Wait, where are you going?" Aaron called out and began
to follow her.
"It is time I must depart. Meet me tomorrow."
"Must you go so soon? You just got here."
"I must leave."
"Take me with you!" Aaron shouted as he picked up speed 
trying to catch up with the fleeting
beauty.
"Thou cannot go with me. Not now. Please wait for me 
tomorrow. I shall return to thee."
"I will wait for you, Gwendolyn." Aaron said as he 
stopped running and rested against a nearby tree.
"Goodbye." Gwendolyn whispered, her final departing 
word echoing through the heart of the forest.
Once the wolf was completely gone from sight, Aaron 
attempted to follow along in the dirt for her
pawprints, but was unable to identify them from the 
rest of the prints that were already there.
"Gwendolyn." Aaron whispered. "Such a sweet name." 

     Aaron smiled as he remained seated against the 
tall pine tree and hummed Gwendolyn's
song under his breath. He decided to make camp where 
he sat in case Gwendolyn came back
around. His wait was rather extensive as the midnight 
hour approached once again. Just as it had
happened the previous night, the sound of a wolf's 
howl rang out three times. After the third howl,
Gwendolyn returned to the heart of the forest at 
Aaron's side. The aroma of Rosepetal Perfume grew
strong as Aaron drew in a gasp of breath.
"Gwendolyn!" Aaron smiled and reached out for 
the beautiful wolf. Gwendolyn smiled and sighed
happily as she took Aaron's paw and kissed it ever 
so softly with her muzzle.
"Thou hath returned to me."
"Please, stay with me this time." Aaron begged. 
Gwendolyn sat down in front of Aaron and sang her
gentle song once again. Aaron had remembered the 
words and the melody to the song from the
previous night and joined with Gwendolyn's serenade. 
Once the song was finished, a smile parted
Aaron's gentle muzzle.
"I missed you, Gwendolyn. What are you doing out here?"
"I come here seeking the one from within my dreams. 
Each night, I dream of the same soul, the soul
that lives within thee. Thou hast cometh unto me 
seeking likewise, indeed?"
"Yes...Yes, I have. When first I gazed upon your 
gentle body, I knew you had to be someone
special. When I heard your gentle voice, my heart 
leapt within my chest. When I heard your song,
my heart grew fond of you. Gwendolyn, I would love 
to be with you. I....I want to love you too."
Aaron whispered as he held a loving gaze within the 
eyes of the beautiful wolf before him that many
before him have only dreamed about. 
"I am so very happy thou hast accepted. Forever 
thine, my heart shalt be. May thou ne'er lose thine
spark of light from within thine heart. Thy soul 
shimmer with the radiance of beauty this mind of
mine hath but an entire lifetime spent within a 
dream to envision. Now, thy spirit, thy heart, thy soul
appear before me. Ne'er again doth mine spirit 
wander lost, for I hath found my one true love."
Gwendolyn's gentle words and soothing whisper became 
more enticing to his ears and his heart
could no longer contain the feeling of certainty 
within his heart that perhaps their meeting was meant
to happen.
"I wish to see you again, my love." Aaron said with 
a smile.
"I shall wait for thee. I shall howl three times at 
midnight. Whilst thou wait for me?"
"I will, Gwendolyn. I will." Aaron replied. Gwendolyn 
gave him a soft brush against his face with
her paw as she slowly backed away from sight. Aaron 
took one final look around the silent forest
around him before making his way back to the roadside 
that leads into his new home town. The
walk home seemed quite short, for the only thing on 
Aaron's mind was the beauty of Gwendolyn's
smile, the softness of her touch, and the sweet sound 
of her voice. For the first time, Aaron's world
seemed full of life and his heart felt aflutter with 
peace. He hummed the gentle melody that
Gwendolyn sang for him, unaware that as he sang, he 
entered into a carefree absorption and failed to
notice the reaction of a bystander walking in the 
opposite direction.
"Hey. Hey YOU! Stop!" a voice called out behind him. 
Aaron came out of his trance and noticed a
young raccoon running up to him. He appeared to be in 
his mid-teens and his black fur across his
face made him look like that of a thief, however his 
intelligence gave his facial expressions the
outlook of a very mature creature. His head fur was 
grey and quite dirty, which blew softly in the
late spring breeze. His tail swished swiftly back and 
forth as he approached Aaron and as he got a
closer look, the raccoon's clothes appeared quite 
mangled and soiled from having slept on the
streets.
"Whoa, what's up?" Aaron said and noticed the young 
raccoon's eyes slightly widened with
surprise. "You look like you've seen a ghost. Is 
something wrong?"
"Mister, I'm not the one that saw a ghost."
"What are you talking about?"
"You came from Agatha Forest, right?" the raccoon 
said as he took a seat at the nearby bus stop.
Aaron took a seat next to him and continued his 
conversation.
"How did you know?"
"You were singing her song, weren't you?"
"Yeah, so why the questioning?"
"You're obviously not from this town, are you mister?" 
the young raccoon said.
"Not really. I just arrived here last week. What's 
your name?"
"Ah, how silly of me. I'm Mitchell. You?"
"Aaron. Aaron Spiegel at your service." he said as 
he extended his paw for him to shake. Mitchell
smiled and gladly accepted the gesture.
"Now, explain what you mean. What's this about 
a ghost?"
"Gwendolyn Markie lived in Agatha Forest long 
ago, but in the year of 1842, her home burned
down while she was trapped inside. Unfortunately, 
nobody was nearby to rescue her since she lived
alone her whole life. According to the legend, 
Gwendolyn lived in isolation of the forest just 
waiting
for her true love to come around. She always lived 
her life in a dream back then. Now that she's
passed on, her spirit roams free every single night, 
still looking for that one true love. If you ask me,
she's living a fable."
"How did you hear of this?" Aaron asked, now holding 
his undivided attention with the young
raccoon.
"Are you kidding? Mothers tell this story several 
times to us kids to help us sleep at night. They
even sing that very song you were singing just a 
little while ago. They say it's called Gwendolyn's
Song. It's all over the town. Several of us even 
ventured into the forest, just like you have. Several
of us heard her howling and then heard her singing 
the same song over and over again, but many of
us never saw her. She only appears when she's alone 
with someone she thinks might be 'the one'.
Those that have seen her face say that her appearance 
is so beautiful, that it would bring a tear to the
eye of the most savage of beasts."
"It can. I've seen it." Mitchell's eyes widened to 
twice its original size.
"WHAT? You...you've seen it?"
"Yes, I've seen it. She's the most beautiful creature 
these eyes of mine had ever seen."
"She's not a creature. She's a ghost."
"She can't be a ghost. I've felt her touch."
"No, you felt the tingle of her touch. It's a spirit. 
She has not a lock of fur of which to feel. She has
but no emotion of which to portray. She is a mere 
spirit wandering in the heart of the forest night
after night in search of her one true love."
"I could've sworn that..." Aaron tried to recall the 
feeling of Gwendolyn's touch against his face and
placed his paw aside his furry cheek to compare the 
feeling.
"Take my word for it. She's a ghost." Mitchell cut in.
"She said I was the one."
"The one? What, she actually thinks that you are this 
creature from within her dreams?"
"It's obvious. She told me to meet her again tomorrow."
"No. Mr. Spiegel, you must listen to me. Do not go back 
to meet her. She will only get to you. Don't
let that happen. She will try to make you do something 
you don't want. Don't do it." Aaron began to
rise from the bench and waved a gentle farewell to the 
young raccoon.
"Wait, don't leave! Come back! DON'T TRUST HER!" 
Mitchell screamed, but Aaron had already
departed and was not hearing a word of the adolescent
creature that continued shouting after him.
Mitchell gave up trying to reason with him and decided
to keep a safe distance and followed him
home instead. Aaron never once looked back, but 
continued on his way until he reached his cabin
and closed the door behind him, locking it immediately. 
He flopped his exhausted body onto the
mattress of his bed and gazed up at the ceiling.
"A ghost. He's crazy. Gwendolyn is no ghost...It's 
impossible." Aaron said as he yawned. He
dimmed the lantern that stood at his bedside and 
watched the faint light as he slowly began to fade
into a gentle slumber.
"Just an old fable...a child's tale." Aaron said as 
his sleep slowly began to overcome him.

     As Aaron slept, the sound of light rapping 
constantly drummed against his window. Aaron
tossed in his sleep as the rapping sounds became 
louder. He sprang awake and rubbed his eyes with
his paws.
"Someone there?" Aaron called out, but heard no 
reply. The rapping sound now became the sound
of light scratching which traveled from one side 
of his room to the other. He gazed out of his window
to see where the scratching was coming from, but 
the only thing he saw was the darkness of the
night.
"It's impossible." Aaron whispered. "Gwendolyn 
couldn't have followed me home, I would have
seen her. Maybe Mitchell is right. Maybe she is 
a ghost." Aaron thought to himself. Just then, the
sound of a hideous moaning erupted and Aaron sprang 
back in shock. As he took another look out
of his window, he could barely see a patch of grey 
fur darting by. Aaron immediately grew
suspicious and donned his dark blue robe. He quickly 
made his way to the front door without
turning on any of his lights to illuminate his path 
and flung his door open just in time to see Mitchell
racing by.
"Hey! Stop right there!" Aaron hollered as he ran 
after the mischievous raccoon. He started to
pursue him, but decided to cut him off by running 
around to the back of his cabin where Mitchell
collided with the angry wolf. With a quick motion 
of his paws, Aaron grabbed onto Mitchell's
shoulders and held him in a seated position on the 
ground.
"Alright, what's the big idea? Why have you come 
here?" Aaron asked angrily, flashing a nasty
stare into Mitchell's eyes.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Spiegel. It's important that you 
listen to me this time. I did not mean you any harm.
You must believe me."
"I believe nothing. Your story about Gwendolyn is 
hard for my mind to comprehend as being true."
"I speak the truth, you must believe me! You'll 
die if you go into those woods!"
"What proof have you?" Aaron asked.
"I do not have proof of this except for the fact 
that I know what Gwendolyn can do. She will get to
you if you let her. Please, mister. Do not venture 
into the woods. Gwendolyn is meant to haunt those
woods until she gets what she wants. If proof is 
what you need, you will find it in the Agatha Creek
Public Library. There, you will get your proof. Can 
I go now?"
"I don't know if I can trust you anymore. What makes 
me think you won't return to cause more
trouble?"
"I only did this to warn you in hopes that you would 
think Gwendolyn is haunting you. I did this to
protect you."
"I do not need anybody to protect me. I am a full 
grown wolf and I do not need to be protected.
Please leave me be."
"Very well, but don't say I did not warn you." 
Mitchell said as he slowly walked away, not even
taking a single glance back at Aaron, who was 
returning inside his cabin. For the remainder of the
night, Aaron tried to sleep, but could not return 
himself to his realm of slumber. He tossed and
turned violently and his fur became tousled in 
disarray. 

     Aaron remained awake by fixing himself a 
pot of strong coffee and read through the morning
paper which arrived on his doorstep promptly at 
six each morning. Finding the news uninteresting,
he sipped the last bit of coffee from his mug and 
then proceeded to groom himself for the day's
routine. His first errand was to the town library 
where he intended to find the rightful solutions from
a more reliable source. He took up an entire slide 
of newspaper articles from the year 1842 and
started at the beginning. As he scrolled through 
each month, he got a rather incisive view of the
town's history, but his interest mainly focused on 
Gwendolyn Markie. He stopped scrolling when his
eyes caught the Markie name mentioned in the front 
page of an article from March 12, 1842.
Aaron's emotions leapt as he gazed at Gwendolyn's 
picture. To Aaron's surprise, she looked exactly
the same as when he remembered seeing her the 
previous night. With trembling paws, Aaron began
to read the article.
"Gwendolyn Markie, age 24, was found deceased 
early yesterday morning inside her house. She
was the only being inside the house when it caught 
fire, trapping young Markie inside. According to
authorities, young Ms. Markie was found lying on 
her bed with a can of combustible fluid nearby.
She appeared to have lived alone in her cabin in 
Agatha Forest at the time of her death. There are no
known relatives or offspring. Funeral services for 
Gwendolyn Markie will be held at the Agatha
Creek Cemetery at eleven o'clock on Friday morning. 
This will be a closed casket ceremony."
"No, I still don't believe it. I felt her touch. 
I heard her speak to me." Aaron whispered. He rewound
the spool of newspaper slides and returned it to 
the librarian and quickly left the library. His next
step was visiting the tombstone in Agatha Creek 
Cemetery. As fast as his paws could carry him, he
traveled across the town and into the main entrance 
to the cemetery. He slowed his pace down as his
eyes panned across the row of tombstones. He 
suddenly froze with shock as his eyes cast themselves
upon the very tombstone bearing the name of his 
only love. The etching within the tombstone read:
"Gwendolyn Markie - 1818-1842. May you find what 
you are looking for beyond Heaven's gate."
"I don't think she's found it yet." Aaron said to 
himself as he read the caption within the tombstone. 
"She seems to want me. I know now that she is a 
spirit. I know now what I must do." Aaron said as
a lonely teardrop trickled down his cheek. As he 
wiped the tear away, he felt a sudden whisper of
wind rushing over him and through the chill of 
the air, he could have sworn he smelled a hint of
Rosepetal Perfume. Aaron looked around to see if 
anyone else was occupying the graveyard nearby,
but found himself alone. Aaron decided to make 
an immediate retreat back to his cabin. As he
walked, he took several glances around himself 
to see if he was being followed. The chilling breezes
subsided and the smell of perfume was replaced 
with the familiar aroma of fresh pine needles. Aaron
set his emotions at ease once he was nearby his 
cabin, however when he arrived to his doorstep, he
noticed that a note had been pinned to the woodwork. 
He tore the note from the door and opened it.
In fancy, cursive lettering, the following words 
were written:
"Dearest Aaron, fear not, and let not the discovery 
of my existence become an obstacle between us.
Meet me at midnight in the heart of the forest. 
I shall await thine presence. Fare thee well, my love.
Sincerely yours, G."
"NO!!!" Aaron shouted and crumbled the note in 
his paws and cast it aside. He ran into his cabin
and immediately closed and locked his front door.
"He was right. That crazy 'coon was right! I was 
a fool not to have seen this coming. I cannot return
to the forest, for I know not what will become of 
me. She wants me. No! She wants to haunt me,
that's what she probably wants. Why is she after 
me? What did I do?" Aaron asked himself. "I
cannot meet with her again. My mind is made up. 
I'm going to do what I can to forged about her."
With that, Aaron proceeded to lie upon his bed 
and attempted to catch up on some much needed rest.
His walk into town was quite an exhausted one 
indeed and sleep came to him rather quickly.

     Aaron was awakened by the light of the moon 
shining brightly through his bedroom window.
He gave a prolonged yawn and stretched his arms 
as he slowly rose from his bed. Suddenly, he heard
the sound of a light tapping outside of his window. 
"Mitchell, I thought I told you to leave me alone!" 
Aaron called out. He quickly dressed in his robe
and tied it tightly around his waist. As he flung 
the door to his cabin open, Aaron immediately
circled his house trying to find the young 
troublemaker, but he was nowhere to be found. After
making his third trip around his cabin, he called 
out into the night.
"What do you want from me? Leave me alone!" The 
sound of the chirping crickets was the only
sound that came back to him in response. "I mean 
it, Mitchell!" he shouted as he entered into his
cabin. Just as soon as he closed his door, a loud 
knock was heard upon the front door. Aaron quickly
spun around and opened his door once again. The 
next thing he knew, he was swept over by a strong
breeze and the smell of Rosepetal Perfume filled 
his cabin.
"Leave me alone!" Aaron screamed, which made the 
wind seem much stronger than before. He was
then being pelted by a stream of rose petals that 
blew into his cabin. As he listened closely to the
wind, it sounded as if it was saying the words 
"I love you." over and over again.
"Leave me be, Gwendolyn, please!!" Aaron shouted 
again and slammed his front door closed. He
looked around the den of his cabin and noticed 
the many petals of roses that accumulated upon his
hard wood floor. Aaron anticipated cleaning his 
floor, but went straight to his room and closed the
door tightly. Upon gazing at his bed, he noticed 
a note lying atop his pillow. He opened the note and
read the hand-written message aloud.
"I shall howl three times at midnight for thee, 
the only one my heart doth yearn for. My love for thee
shalt ne'er perish."
"YOU'RE ALREADY PASSED ON! YOU DON'T NEED ME!" 
Aaron shouted and crumbled the
note, casting it aside with a mighty fling. He 
raced through his cabin and fled in sheer fright, not
even bothering to lock the door behind him. As 
he made his way through the small town, he
constantly felt a gentle brush of wind blowing 
against the fur on his neck. Aaron sought refuge
within the local police station and entered 
quickly through the double doors.
"I need help here!" Aaron said nervously. The 
officer on duty appeared to be a large mountain
cougar and wore a dark blue uniform. She glared 
at the frightened wolf with a sheer look of concern
in her eyes.
"Calm down, sir. What happened?"
"Gwendolyn Markie ring any bells with you?" Aaron 
asked in a sarcastic tone.
"Yes it does, but that is merely a legend. What 
right have you to come in here with your spooky
stories?"
"It's no story, lady. She's chasing me. I need help!"
"Look, Gwendolyn Markie is dead! She's been dead 
for hundreds of years. Now you're telling me
that she's chasing you?"
"Not exactly. It's her spirit. Her spirit lives 
and it's haunting me everywhere I go. Please, you must
believe me."
"Well, I don't see her now." she said as she 
emitted a gentle chuckle. "Look, I don't know where
you came from, but you had better make your way 
back to where you came from before I have you
escorted away."
"Then to hell with you!" Aaron grunted and stomped 
out of the police station. From a distance, he
heard the sound of the moaning breeze and the 
rustling of the leaves in the nearby trees and as Aaron
began to run away, the breeze continued to pursue him.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Aaron screamed as he fled through 
the town.
"I have to find Mitchell." he uttered. He looked 
around every alley he could come across and
stopped at every corner bus stop trying to track 
down his whereabouts. 
"Where are you? Mitchell! It's Aaron! Where the 
hell are you?" he shouted as he ran. From far
down the road, he saw the appearance of a young 
raccoon standing against a street light and lighting
a cigarette.
"MITCHELL!" Aaron called and continued racing 
towards the only friend he knew he could turn
to. When he reached the corner where Mitchell 
was standing, Aaron heaved and tried to catch his
breath.
"Mr. Spiegel. What's wrong with you?"
"She's after me. She's haunting me. You have to 
help me!" Aaron said as he grabbed Mitchell's
shoulders and gave him a rough shake.
"Ow! Hey, cut that out! What's after you?"
"Gwendolyn! She's found me. She's following my 
every move! You have to help me!"
"You're talking crazy! There's no way she could 
leave the woods. She only comes out at midnight,
you fool."
"I don't know how, but she's found me. She must 
have been following me the entire time! Please,
tell me there is a way to be free of this!"
"You didn't believe me before, so what makes you 
think you'll take my words seriously even now?"
"I realize that I have been a fool for not listening 
to you before, and for that, I deeply apologize, but
she's back and she has been following me."
"Alright, alright, come with me." Mitchell said and 
began racing along the roadside that lead into a
dark alleyway behind an old laundromat.
"Sit down." Mitchell said. Aaron nodded and took 
a seat against the wall of the laundromat.
Mitchell took a place directly in front of the 
terrified wolf. Just as Aaron opened his muzzle about to
speak, a small sheet of paper blew into the alleyway 
and clung to the side of Aaron's head. Soon
afterwards, the cold chill of the frightening wind 
slowly dissipated.
"There, see this? This is what I've been getting 
ever since this whole thing started!" Aaron said as he
raised the note in his clenched paw. Mitchell took 
the note and read the cursive handwriting aloud.
"On the changing of the days, I shall wait for 
thee. I shall howl three times at midnight. Wait for me
there. -G."
"Now do you believe me?" Aaron said as he crossed 
his arms across his waist.
"Yeah." Mitchell said in a nervous tone. The sound 
of fear rose strong within the adolescent raccoon
and he heaved a shaken sigh. "I believe you, Mr. 
Spiegel." he said as he handed the note back to
Aaron. He held his paw up in refusal to accept it. 
Mitchell shrugged and placed the note in his shirt
pocket.
"What are you going to do now?" Mitchell asked. 
"I don't know. I was hoping you would have an idea."
"Well, it's obvious that she has in fact chosen you. 
The only thing to do now is to give her what she
wants. Meet her there at midnight. It's the only 
way she will be kept at bay. You do still love her,
don't you?"
"Yeah...no....I don't know. I don't know what I 
want anymore. I wanted it to work out between us,
but as long as she remains a spirit in this world, 
I have no chance of gaining her companionship.
What good is having a true love when the wolf of 
your dreams is a spiritual figment between life and
the afterlife?"
"Well, whatever you do, don't fall into her traps. 
As long as you see her each night at midnight, she
will be kept in the heart of the forest where she 
belongs."
"Come with me. Please?" Aaron said desperately.
"I...I don't know if I can do that." 
"Please! You must do this! I can't go back there alone."
"Alright. If it means that much to you, I will 
accompany you. I will have to stay out of sight, but I
will accompany you. Meet me at Agatha Forest. 
We'll venture there together."
"Do I have your word?" Aaron asked as he grabbed 
Mitchell's shoulders tightly with his paws.
"Ow! Yeah, you have my word." Mitchell replied and 
jerked his shoulders free of Aaron's tight
grasp.
"My apologies for acting out too forceful. Each 
night that I live, I hate to think that I will continue
to be haunted until my dying breath."

     Aaron departed from the darkness of the 
alleyway and even though he would regret doing so,
he decided to return to his cabin to wait nervously 
for his next meeting with the enchanting wolf. He
noticed that the rose petals still remained on the 
floor of his cabin and the room still smelled of
Rosepetal Perfume. He spent the entire day sweeping 
the floor of the rose petals and cleaning the
dust from his furniture. He kept his windows open 
the entire day, allowing the fresh air to shroud the
aroma of the sweet perfume from Gwendolyn's unseen 
presence. He spent the remainder of his
waiting time pacing frantically back and forth in 
the den of his cabin until his clock struck the
eleventh hour of the day. 

     Aaron hurried through Agatha Creek hoping to 
make the time of tryst with Mitchell. He
noticed the young raccoon siting at the roadside, 
impatiently awaiting Aaron's arrival.
"Let's go." Aaron said as he approached and the 
two creatures entered into the forest. As they
ventured deeper into the woods, Aaron and Mitchell 
engaged in a quick conversation.
"Okay, while you're meeting with Gwendolyn, I'll 
be at least ten feet out of the way. If you need
anything, you'll need to give me a signal."
"I'll whistle. Like this." Aaron said and brought 
his fingers to his muzzle and blew a thunderous
whistling sound. "Or I will call your name out loud."
"That'll work. I'll stay right here. It's almost 
time, are you sure you know what to do when
Gwendolyn starts howling?"
"I....I think I'm ready." Aaron said with a sudden 
nervous quiver. He proceeded through the heart of
the forest until he came to the rock that marked 
the meeting place where he once found the love he
was looking for. The howls rang out at exactly 
midnight and upon the third howl, the apparition of
Gwendolyn's figure appeared before him.
"Thou hast returned to me." she whispered.
"Yes, Gwendolyn. I must ask you why you were chasing 
me like you did." Gwendolyn reached for
Aaron's cheek and gave it a soft stroke. Aaron felt 
a cold tingling feeling from the touch of her
ghostly paw.
"'Tis thee this heart of mine doth seek. 'Tis thee 
my heart beat fondly for. Thou be the spirit within
thine shell of flesh and fur thou doth possess. 
Come stay with me, lest not my song be true."
Gwendolyn whispered and began to sing her gentle 
song. Aaron couldn't help but to allow a stream
of teardrops to fall from his eyes as the very 
beauty before him was singing the very song that Aaron
had fallen in love with. He placed his paws to 
his head and held one final thought of how his own
life of loneliness had overtaken his very soul. 
Deep within his heart, Aaron needed companionship.
He stretched his arm out to gather a paw full of 
the poisonous berries that grew wild in the forest and
held them in his paw. With a great display of 
sorrow in his voice, he spoke.
"Gwendolyn. I love you. This is the only way it 
can be right. I shall put an end to my living
existence upon this world so that I may be a 
part of yours for all eternity." With those very words,
Aaron began to ingest of the berries, which were 
quite bitter to the taste. Aaron gave out a few heavy
coughs as he began to feel weakened of the effects 
of the poison within his system. 
"M....mitch.....MITCHELLLLLL!" Aaron screamed as 
the poison became more unbearable.
Mitchell, having heard Aaron's call, ran to 
investigate, only in time to see Aaron's body drop to the
ground.
"AARON!" Mitchell cried out and raced up to assist him.
"Aaron, what happened?" Mitchell asked, but needed 
no answer, for Aaron had opened the palm of
his paw to reveal the unfinished portion of poisonous 
berries and threw them aside.
"Oh, no. Aaron, tell me you didn't...." Mitchell 
pleaded with saddened eyes that began to fill with
moisture.
"Mitchell...I did...what I had to do." Aaron said 
weakly. The poison had begun to take its toll and
was starting to overcome him as he spoke onto the 
very last living soul that he would ever see.
"Please...don't feel bad...my life...it is ended
....yours...has only just begun. Don't make...the same
mistakes...I have made. Make life...your own....and 
never question...that what your
heart...yearns....for....choose your fate...wisely
....g...goodbye....m...my friend." As Aaron breathed his
last, Mitchell broke down and shed tear after 
endlessly-seeming tear over the loss of the newest and
only friend he had ever had the pleasure of knowing. 
From above, the apparition of two spirits joined
hand in hand and slowly faded away into the night, 
leaving behind the only remains of the body that
once belonged to a lonesome wolf named Aaron 
Spiegel, now free of its spirit, joined forever with
his true love within the spirit world, only to 
return again to bid ohmage to the place where he had
met the beautiful creature that was now his 
companion in the afterlife. Mitchell often made several
trips into Agatha Forest to where Aaron's body 
had been laid to rest and pays his respects to his only
friend he had ever known. Aaron and Gwendolyn 
shall always return to the heart of the forest and
howl three times in unison at the changing of 
the day...when the clock strikes the midnight hour.
Whenever a howling of three is heard, a wolf 
may have found his or her place, be that within a world
of the spirit or of the living. With this tale 
in mind, cast your eyes into the direction of 
the stars and make a fond wish from within your 
heart that every being within your own world receives 
what they need in life, in hopes for a better eternity.

                             The End