A hunched, old man sat on a crude chair just outside his front door. His head leaned forward on his bare chest and every few moments a snore could be heard coming from him. His head jerked up when the clip-clop of a passing horse’s hooves turned into his small parcel of land. He quickly let his head fall back to his chest.

“Greetings, Grandfather!” cried the newcomer.

The old man opened one eye. The newcomer was young and barely could be called a man. He quickly shut his eye and ignored the newcomer.

“Come, Grandfather Herchembaut, I have brought you your evening meal. Emmeline has cooked some delicious stew. You would not want it to grow cold, do you?” Herchembaut looked up with a smile and said, “How are you and your family doing on this fine eventide, Austyn?”

“Emmeline and our son are as healthy as one could desire,” Austyn replied as he dismounted.

“Good,” said Herchembaut. He stood and entered the small hut he called his home, “bring in the stew, I am nearly dying of hunger.”

Austyn ducked as he entered the humble, but adequate abode. He watched Herchembaut sit down and then dished some of the stew onto Herchembaut’s trencher. Austyn marveled that even at his grandfather’s age, Herchembaut still possessed a knotted and muscular upper body.

“I have been told,” said Austyn, leaning forward, “that a boy returned from the Blackwoods on the northern border of our kingdom today.”

“Never go there,” Herchembaut said, a look of seriousness on his face, “it will bring only sorrow, pain, and terror back with you, to haunt you the rest of your days.”

Austyn recoiled slightly at his grandfather’s words. His eyebrows were raised slightly and his mouth slacked, “You speak as one with authority,” he said, “have you a personal experience to share?”

“Indeed,” Herchembaut replied with a slow nod and a faraway look in his eyes, “It was the year that King Bardulphus suppressed the peasant revolt.”

I WAS A young lad of some ten and three years then. I fancied I would be a great knight when I became of age. My father had arranged for me to become a squire when I became responsible enough. I kept myself in the company of friends that would encourage me in the code of chivalry. But even these friends, as I would soon learn, were fallible and were very capable of leading another down the wrong path.

My friends and I gathered on one mid-week noon to tell the latest lore and talk of our accomplishments that we had done in the week as of that day. We began with boasting of our chivalrous deeds. We soon began to spread the latest rumors. One of the rumors was that a man had entered the Blackwoods and had never been seen since. The old men of the village claimed the Blackwoods were haunted. The longer we dwelt on the subject, the more obvious it was that we all wanted to go to the Blackwoods and prove all the old men wrong. But still, none wanted to be the one that would prove them right. I felt I could prove my manhood by this “mission.” I finally spoke up and said,

“I will go. It is not even a half day’s walk from our cottage to the Blackwoods. If I start early tomorrow I will hardly be missed.”

All the boys were somewhat taken off guard by what I said but quickly recovered.

“Do as you say Herchembaut,” said Geoffrey, who was one of our leaders, “but, you must bring something back, so we know you actually went to the Blackwoods.”

“I will do as you say, Geoffrey,” I replied.

The others nodded their heads in acknowledgment of the challenge. I stood and slowly walked until I could not be seen by the group, I then ran as fast as I could until I reached my secret cabin that I had built in the forest on the outer boundaries of the village. I checked all my weapons closely and cleaned them with the utmost care. I made sure the edges of my dirk and short sword were honed sharp and that I had a sufficient number of arrows. I put them all back in their usual places and ran to my family’s cottage, ready for the next day’s adventures to begin.

HERCHEMBAUT GRITTED his teeth, not wanting to continue.

“If I had known the depth of the sorrow my actions would cause I would not have even considered the path I took.” He bowed his head, the sorrow of his past deeds overcoming him.

“We do not have to continue, Grandfather,” Austyn said, his face reflecting his grandfather’s emotions.

“No, I must continue,” Herchembaut said. He looked up at Austyn with moist, reddening eyes.

What happenstance, thought Austyn, would cause even the toughest of men to be overwhelmed?

I AWOKE before the sun rose the next morning and rushed to my cabin to collect my weapons. I started out on an old hunter’s trail I had found years before. I made good time and had reached the edges of the Blackwoods before it was mid-day.

As soon as I passed the first line of trees I remembered what an old man in our village had told me.

“Never, ever bring anything back from the Blackwoods,” the old man told me, “especially not anything that lives. It will bring the worst of fortune.”

I had thought that he spoke only of superstitions of a bygone era, but now, I doubted myself. I slipped the bow into my hands and knocked an arrow. All my muscles were taut and ready for any creature that would jump out from the forest. The deeper I traveled, the less I was afraid. The longer I went without an attack, the more I figured that the old men were telling legends of old. I soon relaxed my guard and focused on looking for something to take back. I came across a large rock-like thing that was oblong shaped. I picked it up and placed it in a sack I had brought along for this purpose. It was heavier than any other rock its size and its shape and texture were unlike anything else. I turned and quickly made my way back to the edge of the dark forest with a broad smile on my features. I ran nearly the entire way back to the village.

It was mid-afternoon when I arrived at my cabin. I stopped only long enough to relieve myself of my burdens and hurriedly ran back to my family’s cottage. Our group had agreed to meet the next day so I could show them my prize. My excitement was barely containable.

The next morning I walked to my cabin to admire what I found before I left for our group. As I neared I heard a commotion coming from my cabin. I did not know what could cause such a sound, so I approached cautiously. I threw open the door with my dirk in hand ready to attack any intruder. I saw a small animal that looked like a bear cub running in circles and toppling things over. I sheathed my dirk and walked over to the shattered remnant of my rock. It must have been an egg, I thought. I placed the little creature in my sack to take it over to my group of friends.

It shuffled around a great deal as I walked to our meeting place, but I thought little of it.

I walked up to my friend’s cottage and entered. I had just entered the room where they all were gathering when a great ripping sound filled the room. I turned around and was knocked over by a beast that was significantly bigger than the little baby I had put in my sack. It tilted its head back and let out a ferocious and blood-curdling scream. It convulsed and grew bigger and bigger as we watched.

When it stopped growing it was a huge monster, bigger than any beast I had ever seen. It turned on me and stared at me with blood red eyes, centered with coal-black pupils. It had great, curved spikes down the ridge of his back.

It turned and attacked the dumbfounded boys. It grabbed them in its teeth and raked them with huge claws that were sharper than any sword. Boys flew in every direction. Many would never rise again.

“What have you done?” Geoffrey screamed.

I looked at him. The monster had seized him in its teeth and was shaking him. The monster released him and he was thrown over to me. He hit me and we both fell to the ground. I sat up and he rolled over into my lap.

“This…is…your doing,” he gasped. He coughed up blood and fell back, lifeless, with his face twisted into a hideous death mask.

I stood, drew my dirk and threw it at the monster. It cut into its side but was not fatal. It turned and screamed. It raked me with its claws, hurtling me through the air. The pain was excruciating. The claws left gashes that were inches deep.

All this while the monster was still growing. It ran out the door, screaming dreadfully. I tried to follow it, but I collapsed, unable to rise. Ten or fifteen people had died by the time I had drug myself to the door. All were close friends.

The beast continued through the village, leaving death and insurmountable destruction in its wake.

AUSTYN LOOKED at Herchembaut with his mouth agape.

“All this could have been avoided if I had not let my pride get the better of me,” Herchembaut said, “so many lives could have been spared if I had only decided to stay away from the Blackwoods or even tell my kin about it.”

Herchembaut looked at Austyn. His grandson was speechless.

“If you would learn one thing,” said Herchembaut, “it would be this: listen to your elders. Do not let your friends pressure you into wrong decisions. If you make wrongful decisions, tell someone, do not keep it in the dark.”

Austyn finally found his voice and said, “What of the monster? Did you capture it?”

“That is a story for another time,” Herchembaut replied, “I cannot bear to tell it now.”

Austyn stood and exited the hut, unable to speak. He mounted his horse, bade his grandfather farewell, and left, lost in his own thoughts.